Forced to be reseated in a non-reseating year????

[AHEF]

Most Capitol Campaign members ( I assume) are paying more than that, that would be the minimum though. Actually, I don't think there are but about 150 or so CC members remaining.

I had that 99 were left last year, with only 10 at 10K + level, 61 were at the B&G level. That was 20 lost from previous year. That was July last year.

 

[VCU Heel]

Major Donor > $10,000 - the top level of benefits. I have the information from VCU that showed that donors at all levels have been lost and that season's tickets sold are less than half available. I posted the details in another thread, so I am not going to repost. As a CCM donor I have retired, as I expect many others CCM donors have too. I don't have the same income anymore and the $750 increase on only B&G was more than I wanted to budget for. The CCM was sold as being critical to make the SC possible, therefore I contributed what I could. Mine and my brother seats were not sold as season tickets last year. Your last statement is an example of supply and demand. There are 2,500 season tickets not sold, so there the supply is there, and it is very clear the demand is not there to buy them. The home OOC schedule last year was not against quality teams, I don't know about this year schedule. So only the A10 games have interest to many, and they can get 10K seats for single games or other center court seats, while a lower-level RAF donor is being forced to move or pay more money. With the games available on TV this also decreases the demand. If the seating chart is strictly enforced the 10K seats would be empty if single games were not available. It appears that many maybe saying NO. Any new 10K donor has choices for those seats that have not been sold, and they would have more choices with the next planned reseating. Please tell me where you expect these new major donors to come from?

Pretty much every single program in the country is losing donors, losing season ticket holders, and going up on donation requirements. This isn’t unique to VCU.

More has happened in the last 3 years (COVID, NIL, the portal) to affect college sports than at any time in history.

 

[AHEF]

Those Capital Campaign members also ponied up 20+ years ago to make the Stu happen when no one else would. And many of us have contributed every year since then, so don't undervalue our commitment to the program. And most of the CC members are now headed into retirement, if they aren't already there.

There were limits on where you could select seats based on your CCM commitment amount. Remember at one time they honored us at a game for our long-term commitment, now it seems how can we get those seats, to sell to higher donors that don't exist and that there is no demand for. I don't believe that B&G donors where able to select in the current 10K sections.

 

[AHEF]

Pretty much every single program in the country is losing donors, losing season ticket holders, and going on on donation requirements. This isn’t unique to VCU.

More has happened in the last 3 years (COVID, NIL, the portal) to affect college sports than at any time in history.

Therefor it makes no sense to do reseating and upset long time donors.

 

[HBK]

But we can't have it both ways. People cannot have the expectations of a program that can recruit and compete with Power 6 programs and also ask for a reduced budget. Buy games. recruiting trips, staff and support of the team, charter flights ( major recruiting tool, big help with academic scheduling, big time saver),.. the price of those things has not gone down during inflation.

I made that point earlier. We can't have champagne tastes on a beer budget. I was speaking about the expenses in athletics, generally, not specifically related to men's basketball.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

I meant no disrespect to CC members. I greatly appreciate their contribution. I also understand that many CC members contribute significantly more than the minimum. I just stated that they currently have a great deal with regard to season tickets.

However, if we continue to progress as an elite BB program, I'm sure the cost of the RAF donation and the ticket costs will continue to rise....for everyone.

VCU is far from being an elite basketball program. The program has been stuck in mud for the last 10 years yet donation requirements and ticket prices have continually increased. If VCU has a 30% drop off in season ticket sales this year as one poster has suggested, then Ed needs to answer for his bad decisions. Right now, this program is losing loyal fans left and right because of how they are being treated. That's not a good look and not good for business.

 

[SteveMM]

VCU is far from being an elite basketball program. The program has been stuck in mud for the last 10 years yet donation requirements and ticket prices have continually increased.

At minimum, we are an elite mid-major program that wants to be more than that. I guarantee that if you tell anyone in the know to make a list of the top 10 mid-major programs, VCU would be in nearly all of the lists, and may be top five on many of them. We can't be a fully elite program because we're stuck in a mid-major conference that used to have aspirations to be more but sadly has gotten much weaker since VCU joined.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

I don’t disagree with you entirely. To me, the loyalty is important, and it should be rewarded. Unfortunately, the economics of college athletics isn’t what it was 10 or 20 years ago. I remember getting season tickets in the 90’s, and I know it didn’t cost much for good seats at the Coliseum. No one wants to pay more money, including me, but times have changed. We may not like it, but again, we all have choices we can make. Ed and the department have made a choice for which there will be consequences, both positive and negative. Now you and I, and others, have choices to make. That’s life. It’s not always fair. Please don’t mistake my posts and think I’m happy with the state of college athletics. I yearn for the old days in many respects, but I have chosen to continue on with VCU season tickets and my donation.

I don't yearn the old days nearly as much as I want to see donation requirements/season ticket prices in line with other mid major/A-10 schools with similar success as VCU basketball. VCU is NOT a top 30 program, nor is it anywhere at the level people think it is to justify what it is charging it's donors/season ticket holders. There needs to be a big time reality check within the athletic administration.

And I agree with you regarding expenses. VCU athletics has plenty of areas to cut expenses and still not impact quality.

 

[HBK]

Major Donor > $10,000 - the top level of benefits. I have the information from VCU that showed that donors at all levels have been lost and that season's tickets sold are less than half available. I posted the details in another thread, so I am not going to repost. As a CCM donor I have retired, as I expect many others CCM donors have too. I don't have the same income anymore and the $750 increase on only B&G was more than I wanted to budget for. The CCM was sold as being critical to make the SC possible, therefore I contributed what I could. Mine and my brother seats were not sold as season tickets last year. Your last statement is an example of supply and demand. There are 2,500 season tickets not sold, so there the supply is there, and it is very clear the demand is not there to buy them. The home OOC schedule last year was not against quality teams, I don't know about this year schedule. So only the A10 games have interest to many, and they can get 10K seats for single games or other center court seats, while a lower-level RAF donor is being forced to move or pay more money. With the games available on TV this also decreases the demand. If the seating chart is strictly enforced the 10K seats would be empty if single games were not available. It appears that many maybe saying NO. Any new 10K donor has choices for those seats that have not been sold, and they would have more choices with the next planned reseating. Please tell me where you expect these new major donors to come from?

Again, we all have choices to make based on our own set of circumstances. There is always a pool of potential large donors who aren't a part of the RAF now. I think we may have nabbed a couple of newbies this offseason. Winning championships helps a great deal. Also, there are people who move up to big donor status, using your definition of big donor. I am aware of some who have done so already this season. That doesn't make up for those we've lost, but it's a start. There are potential new corporate sponsors every year as well.

I understand CCM. I've been around a long time, but what all of us CCM members need to understand is that things change. Circumstances change. The world of college athletics isn't what it was in 1999.

Watching on TV is great, and I'm so happy all of the games are available on TV or streaming now. However, if the product and atmosphere are good, then there is absolutely nothing better than being there live, particularly college basketball. I went to see a sold-out concert in D.C last fall. There were 20,000+ in the arena. Dozens of people had put up the entire concert from earlier tour stops on YouTube, so the exact show was available online for free. However, 20,000+ people paid at least $100 per ticket to go to D.C. and see a concert, with the exact same setlist from all of the other shows. We knew what the songs would be, the order they'd be played, and if we watched online before that fall night in D.C., we'd know what the entire show would look like. Yet, over 20,000 paid $100+ to see it. People want live events, provided the atmosphere and the product are good.

The atmosphere at the Stu started to get better as the season went along, and I hope the very fresh look of a completely new team will make things even better. There's nothing like being there live.

 

[HBK]

I don't yearn the old days nearly as much as I want to see donation requirements/season ticket prices in line with other mid major/A-10 schools with similar success as VCU basketball. VCU is NOT a top 30 program, nor is it anywhere at the level people think it is to justify what it is charging it's donors/season ticket holders. There needs to be a big time reality check within the athletic administration.

And I agree with you regarding expenses. VCU athletics has plenty of areas to cut expenses and still not impact quality.

VCU was a top 30 program until Shaka left, and the goal would be to get back to that level and stay there for good. Getting there is one thing, but staying there is more difficult. That takes money. There are only a handful of non-P6 teams who can match the sustained success VCU has had over the last 20 years.

 

[Wolfpack Ram]

But we can't have it both ways. People cannot have the expectations of a program that can recruit and compete with Power 6 programs and also ask for a reduced budget. Buy games. recruiting trips, staff and support of the team, charter flights ( major recruiting tool, big help with academic scheduling, big time saver),.. the price of those things has not gone down during inflation.

And what has been the return on all of those investments? Take out the NCAA Tournament run in 2011 and where is the return? Based on those investments, how do you justify not advancing to the second weekend in 12 consecutive years. How do you justify VCU's MTE failures over those years? The return is just not there.

And before anyone plays the coaching carousel card, VCU will always be a revolving door for up and coming coaches. Posters are already talking about how VCU will be lucky to hold onto Coach Odom for 3 - 5 years. Success breeds success, and VCU has not had the success over the last 10 years to match the investment into the program.

 

[AHEF]

Again, we all have choices to make based on our own set of circumstances. There is always a pool of potential large donors who aren't a part of the RAF now. I think we may have nabbed a couple of newbies this offseason. Winning championships helps a great deal. Also, there are people who move up to big donor status, using your definition of big donor. I am aware of some who have done so already this season. That doesn't make up for those we've lost, but it's a start. There are potential new corporate sponsors every year as well.

I understand CCM. I've been around a long time, but what all of us CCM members need to understand is that things change. Circumstances change. The world of college athletics isn't what it was in 1999.

Watching on TV is great, and I'm so happy all of the games are available on TV or streaming now. However, if the product and atmosphere are good, then there is absolutely nothing better than being there live, particularly college basketball. I went to see a sold-out concert in D.C last fall. There were 20,000+ in the arena. Dozens of people had put up the entire concert from earlier tour stops on YouTube, so the exact show was available online for free. However, 20,000+ people paid at least $100 per ticket to go to D.C. and see a concert, with the exact same setlist from all of the other shows. We knew what the songs would be, the order they'd be played, and if we watched online before that fall night in D.C., we'd know what the entire show would look like. Yet, over 20,000 paid $100+ to see it. People want live events, provided the atmosphere and the product are good.

The atmosphere at the Stu started to get better as the season went along, and I hope the very fresh look of a completely new team will make things even better. There's nothing like being there live.

A couple means 2. Please tell me where these donors are coming from? What reason would decide now is the time to donate 10K? CCM had a contract with VCU to guarantee the seats as long as they kept donating at the B&G level, so that is the important fact, you appear you don't understand. The fact from the last five years have shown a decrease in donations at all levels. Why haven't these new donor's you say are there stepped up? You have a few strawman fallacies in your post. Yes, being there live is better for most people, I've never stated that it was not. The concert stuff is just a ridiculous comparison. The reason the atmosphere got better is because people bought single game tickets to the A10 games, that's just commonsense as to the reason why.

 

[VCU Heel]

A couple means 2. Please tell me where these donors are coming from? What reason would decide now is the time to donate 10K? CCM had a contract with VCU to guarantee the seats as long as they kept donating at the B&G level, so that is the important fact, you appear you don't understand. The fact from the last five years have shown a decrease in donations at all levels. Why haven't these new donor's you say are there stepped up? You have a few strawman fallacies in your post. Yes, being there live is better for most people, I've never stated that it was not. The concert stuff is just a ridiculous comparison. The reason the atmosphere got better is because people bought single game tickets to the A10 games, that's just commonsense as to the reason why.

The reason that the atmosphere got better was that the team started winning games.

 

[Ramdog]

And what has been the return on all of those investments?

Don't know about you but i got.a seat at center court to one of the most entertaining events in Richmond on any given day. Band, dance
Team,other VCU fans,.kids dancing in the stands
Watch a national known program that I'm invested in compete at a high level

Unscripted drama everytime

Can't ask for much more

 

[AHEF]

The reason that the atmosphere got better was that the team started winning games.

Which got more people to buy single game tickets, more people better atmosphere. That is just commonsense.