The Official Off Season Thread

[LQuarles]

And you'll have a fresh new set of aisle walkers.

 

[Newboy]

I get to know people around me and I like that I have mid-court this season. It will be a new spot so I am sure someone will complain about something or get on my nerves or I will get on their nerves.

I too have moved to the mid-court area. Section 5 I believe and halfway up. I am happy with my choice.

 

[Newboy]

And you'll have a fresh new set of aisle walkers.

Aisle walkers are prevalent between 2 and 3.

 

[DisplacedRam]

I just like to be as close to the court as possible and don't care about the section. Also looking forward to meeting my new row-mates this Fall

 

[AlienAiden]

And you'll have a fresh new set of aisle walkers.

I am in the middle of the aisles to avoid that conundrum.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

You can also add that back in the 70's, 80's and even the 90's the only way to see most college basketball was to buy a ticket and go to a game. Now you can watch most games on TV. And with the cost of cable TV packages -why wouldnt people want to watch TV games in the comfort of there own home on a wide screen HD TV?
I think it is going to be harder and harder to get budget oriented, time constrained folks out for a game.

I can't believe this conversation is even happening. VCU has a 120+ sold out game streak. They have been sold out since 2011, and we are talking about it being harder and harder to get people to the games? Come on!!! The ONLY thing that is making it harder and harder to get people to the games is the jacked up prices VCU athletics is charging season ticket holders. There are a ton of people that would probably like to still attend games, but VCU has priced them out of the arena. If VCU would rather charge an annual seat license fee and average 6,500 people per game vs. having a sold out arena every game, then maybe their priorities are in the wrong place.

Ed is basically holding season ticket holders hostage while, at the same time, buying up as much property he can off of Hermitage for an athletics village, including a minor league ball park.

FYI, this is the first year in almost 10 years that VCU has had to constantly market men's basketball season tickets during the summer. The e-mail ads are endless. That should tell you something right there. The need to aggressively market season tickets is NOT due to a trend in people not wanting to attend games.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

I think young and old people still care about sports, but they are less concerned with being there in person or being at every game. The Minor League baseball approach is going to have to become more common across the board. You have got to give those people something in the live experience that they can't get from home.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't VCU have a waiting list for season tickets prior to implementing the annual seat fee and also the last round of reseating a year ago?

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!!

 

[VCU Finance 2008]

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't VCU have a waiting list for season tickets prior to implementing the annual seat fee and also the last round of reseating a year ago?

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!!

I think it has been longer than that since the waiting list, but it did take a couple of seasons before they came out and said that you could get season tickets with a minimum donation.

 

[Ramaholic]

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't VCU have a waiting list for season tickets prior to implementing the annual seat fee and also the last round of reseating a year ago?

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!!

I think the waiting list went away a season or 2 before the seat fee was implemented. You raise an interesting point as to whether VCU would have made more money by not constantly raising prices/ shifting benefits to higher RAF levels... When someone drops out of the season ticket pool, you also lose concession $$, merchandise $$, and the supply/ demand dynamic shifts (albeit ever slightly) to the consumer. And many of the donors that stick around experience donor fatigue as the AD looks to us to make up the difference with seemingly endless requests for more $$ thru events, numerous giving days, giving challenges, golf, auctions,...
Anyway, its getting close to quitting time, let's go grab a $10 VCU IPA.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

I think the waiting list went away a season or 2 before the seat fee was implemented. You raise an interesting point as to whether VCU would have made more money by not constantly raising prices/ shifting benefits to higher RAF levels... When someone drops out of the season ticket pool, you lose concession $$, merchandise $$, and the supply/ demand dynamic shifts (albeit ever slightly) to the consumer. And many of the donors that stick around experience donor fatigue as the AD looks to us to make up the difference with seemingly endless requests for more $$ thru events, numerous giving days, giving challenges, golf, auctions,...
Anyway, its getting close to quitting time, let's go grab a $10 VCU IPA.

@Ramaholic, I'm pretty sure you have been around long enough to remember VCU moving from the Coliseum to the Stu. In that move, the VCU athletic department absolutely killed the fan base when they required season ticket holders to contribute to the original Capital Campaign Fund in order to maintain their season ticket selection priority. I am fearful that the current administration is in the process of doing the same thing again - only 20 years later. This one is a different scenario, but may end up with the same result.

Here's some other food for thought. When VCU doesn't sell out, you are also opening up the opportunity for the visiting team to buy more tickets when their team is playing at the Stu. We don't need a 1,000+ Dayton fans at a VCU/Dayton game played at the Stu.

 

[BaNgMyPrOgRaM]

So what will single game ticket prices look like?

 

[Valley drop step]

I think you are on to something here. Especially the nickel and dime stuff. I can certainly appreciate them looking at all avenues to raise funds. That is literally their job, but you can only go to the well so many times with the same donors. When you had donors that were charged a fee to purchase tickets and we're not able to purchase tickets and then you try to hit them up for virtual tickets and a link to a virtual banquet, that probably turned some people off. If they would have given those things to those who had already paid for tickets they probably would have ended up better off in the long run by doing that than by trying to squeeze those same donors even more.

COVID certainly put a squeeze on in the short term so it’s difficult to gauge anything. I was thinking long term trends with live sports concentrating on selling fewer, but more expensive tickets. VCU basketball may not be a large enough environment to draw any conclusions in that regard. IDK

It would seem VCU got to big for their britches though. Now and again a very successful specialist (just retired) gives my wife his tickets, courtside - half court. He’s says he tapped out. Can’t give anymore. It’s not a huge fan base or city., so maybe they are milking a little to often. Maybe that strategy backfires. I know my wife won’t pay 10 cents for a ticket now, she used to cheer for VCU.

Though we think they are, the athletic department probably isn’t any more greedy than higher education is in general. More, better, bigger. Never ends and it’s out of control. In many cases a college education is more of a burden than an asset these days. It will take federal involvement to stop it. But It’s crazy to talk about free college or debt forgiveness until the actual spending is contained. Feds hold all the cards being almost the exclusive lender. Could bend them anyway they need to. With student debt now a noticeable percentage of GDP, it needs to be done. But the feds won’t have stomach to do much, and the public doesn’t have the stomach to have it done.

 

[VCU94MCV98]

So what will single game ticket prices look like?

 

[BaNgMyPrOgRaM]

That wasn't a funny joke. But it was a very funny movie.

 

[buckwheat]

$10 IPA? What, is BYO liquor not an option anymore or something?

Friggin amateurs.