Attendance ... AU vs. LSU

[RunInRed 19,597]

Granted, it was hot as the hinges, a win was expected and LSU did not travel well ... but with what was essentially a top 10 match up, one would think it would be an easy sell out.  Here's an aerial just before kick (bonus if you can spot the four T-38 Talons ?) ...

[AUsince72 11,084]

Empty seats were noticable on TV several times.  Guess the fans were no more fired up than the players?  Very surprising.

Oh, and I see'em! ?

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

I honestly think part of it is the administration pricing people out.  I think face was around $125.  That's asking a lot, especially when lower bowl on stub hub could be had for $80 four hours prior to kickoff.

[corchjay 5,311]

Cost, Hot, and all we heard was how bad we were going to beat LSU.    and now the typical it's Gus' fault stuff...

[abw0004 10,781]

I noticed it too.  Every single game so far fans have not showed out like they should have. 

[AU64 10,122]

28 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

I honestly think part of it is the administration pricing people out.  I think face was around $125.  That's asking a lot, especially when lower bowl on stub hub could be had for $80 four hours prior to kickoff.

Agree.....gotta have a lot of discretionary income to take a family to a game like this....that is gonna be on the big HD at home.    I'm guessing that technically it was a "sell out" but room for some more fannies in seats. 

Someone in the Athletic Department has probably written a computer program that can calculate the ticket price that can maximize gross revenue for the big SEC games....how many seats can we sell at a variety of prices to get the most income...?   

[rophle 256]

Too much money for me. Bought 4 at $150 a piece for Washington that’s all I can spend on big games for the season. I’ll probably go to another couple of cupcakes when tickets will be practically given away. 

[GBAU83 212]

You think that attendance was bad, wait until this weekend when I bet there are basically no Arky fans travelling and many AU fans who will not show after the disappointing loss.  I will be there but betting easy to get cheap tickets before the game.

[SumterAubie 3,203]

I found 'em.

[Win4AU 4,294]

Definitely face value of ticket prices.  I understand what they are doing by lowering the price of cupcakes and increasing marquee games but they also have to understand they are out pricing families.  If 70,000 people show up for Alabama state and the face is $65 who cares?  Have 80,000 show up for s top 15 show down and you might have issues.  Tennessee game is $130 btw.  You think that game won’t be half empty in the upper deck?

[CR 2,565]

Someone has severely miscalculated what the market for AU tickets will bear. It wasn't long ago that Bama and UGA tickets broke the $100 barrier. Now, Tennessee and LSU are 130 and 125 respectively. Meanwhile, all games are available on TV and the TV experience is better than ever. This is a problem at a lot of schools.

[doug3020 842]

Ticket prices are high. Someone has to pay for that $7 million/yr contract....

[aucanucktiger 2,009]

Living in Tallahassee since '95, even when FSU is top 10 they sell out their 80k stadium 3 times max a season. When I lived in Miami before that during Cane glory days they couldn't sell out games in the tiny orange bowl against top 5 teams. When I was in grad school in Bamaham in the '80s Bama bizarre-ly got in trouble with the IRS for publicly lying about Legion Field sell outs ("Tide Pride") that weren't even close to capacity during their good seasons.

We do just fine. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!

[Gowebb11 10,708]

Here’s a shot from last years game in Baton Rouge about 15 minutes from kickoff. It’s a problem everywhere. 

[Barnacle 9,168]

I blame the heat, especially for those seats up in the east deck. It was brutally hot. Plenty of people around us left early because of it, and you couldn't blame them.

[doug3020 842]

20 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

Here’s a shot from last years game in Baton Rouge about 15 minutes from kickoff. It’s a problem everywhere. 

They had just lost to Troy the week before. Surprised it was that full.

Of course we lost to them. Thanks for bringing up memories! WDE.

[Tigercj 242]

45 minutes ago, CR said:

Someone has severely miscalculated what the market for AU tickets will bear. It wasn't long ago that Bama and UGA tickets broke the $100 barrier. Now, Tennessee and LSU are 130 and 125 respectively. Meanwhile, all games are available on TV and the TV experience is better than ever. This is a problem at a lot of schools.

According to the league office this is a problem nation wide and hit the SEC hard last year with attendance per game down about 1000 fans. Family can't afford 125 to 130 per ticket plus everything else that goes with it. You could easily spend 750 to 800 taking your family to the game or just stay home and watch it on tv.

[Gowebb11 10,708]

9 minutes ago, doug3020 said:

They had just lost to Troy the week before. Surprised it was that full.

Of course we lost to them. Thanks for bringing up memories! WDE.

Happy to help 

[TigerOne 1,515]

plus motels charge 4 times or more  the normal daily rate with a two night minimum.

Seems like that should be illegal.

[AU64 10,122]

22 minutes ago, Tigercj said:

According to the league office this is a problem nation wide and hit the SEC hard last year with attendance per game down about 1000 fans. Family can't afford 125 to 130 per ticket plus everything else that goes with it. You could easily spend 750 to 800 taking your family to the game or just stay home and watch it on tv.

The cost just starts with tickets.....if the game is not appealing I expect some people just eat the cost of the ticket ...sell them or give away to save the cost of the other expenses.    Non-ticket expenses for me last year were 5 times as much as the ticket prices.

As noted sometime ago, several schools with the huge stadiums are cutting back on seating capacity and converting the space to luxury boxes or amenities. 

[imaolgatiger 527]

Ticket prices and finding a decent parking place that doesn't costs $30 or causing a 3 mile hike has driven me away. They close 1/2 of campus and then allow people to block off entire parking lots is ridiculous!

[sevenlee36 2,021]

9 minutes ago, TigerOne said:

plus motels charge 4 times or more  the normal daily rate with a two night minimum.

Seems like that should be illegal.

Bingo. Makes no sense for most people. I believe all our games are broadcast on tv. You don’t have to travel for hours, no parking/traffic issues, no long waits, AC, beer and bathrooms close by.... don’t have to pay for a hotel 2 nights at a high price and you aren’t even staying two night smh. 

[CR 2,565]

30 minutes ago, TigerOne said:

plus motels charge 4 times or more  the normal daily rate with a two night minimum.

Seems like that should be illegal.

I understand your disgust. The motels' argument is it's the same thing as a beachfront condo having higher rates during the summer as opposed to the winter. More demand for limited rooms equals higher rates.
Whatever the reason, I know it adds a big expense for travelers.

[auskip07 930]

Ticket prices to pay for that 7 mill dollar coach. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

My step-dad has been attending games for 40+ years.  He always buys tickets outside the stadium at a significant discount, usually for free or as little as $20 for most games.  Big games like Bama face value at worst.  He lives 45 minutes from campus.  So cost isn't the issue.  Even he has little interest in going to games this year.  Said he's gotten to where he'd rather watch on TV and relax.

School will really struggle in the next 20 years as technology continues to evolve while attention spans shorten.  While I love the stadium experience and prefer it over TV, a lot of young alumni do not and will spend money on other forms of entertainment.