Topic: Chuck Landon: MU football tickets too expensive for area?

[biggreenarms]

Cabell County's median household income is $38,374, while Wayne County is slightly lower at $36,964. The average is $37,694.

That average ranks Marshall only ninth among C-USA's 13 members in median household income. Marshall trails North Texas ($73,130 Denton County), Middle Tennessee ($55,105 Rutherford County), Charlotte ($54,278 Mecklenburg County), Rice ($53,160 Harris County), Florida Atlantic ($52,432 Palm Beach County), UTSA ($49,655 Bexar County), Old Dominion ($44,164 Norfolk) and UTEP ($40,808 El Paso County).

Yet, seven league members have lower prices for their best season tickets than Marshall. Six other C-USA schools have lower prices for their least expensive season tickets than Marshall. And 11 of the league's members have cheaper single game tickets than Marshall.

Information on ticket prices was obtained from the schools' official athletics websites. They came from the basic price structures and didn't include special deals that all schools offer intermittently.

Those figures showed Marshall charges $306 for a chair back season ticket, which also requires a $300 per seat donation to the Big Green Scholarship Foundation. By comparison, Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss both offer $260 seats with no donation for their best season ticket.

Other schools' pricing includes Western Kentucky at $200 per seat plus a $375 donation, Old Dominion at $236, Charlotte at $190 with a $2,500 contribution and Middle Tennessee at $160 plus an unspecified donation.

Florida Atlantic, FIU, North Texas, UTSA and UTEP all charge more expensive prices for their best season ticket than Marshall.

A similar situation exists with the least-expensive season tickets. Marshall's lowest price is $100 and is general admission seating. But six other C-USA members offer lower prices.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/marshall_sports/chuck-landon-mu-football-tickets-too-expensive-for-area/article_d9b36b92-a3f1-5a80-b2fa-6fbdc5c32e70.html

[FlyHawk98]

That was actually a good read and I am one of the biggest Chuck Landon haters.

[lovetheherd2]

I don't know about UTSA or North Texas, but FIU & FAU attendance numbers are REALLY bad.

To charge less, we lose Doc & best assistants due to $$$$.

Or maybe Chuck is pushing for whatever 1AA is now???

[backontrack]

Just another Done Deal rant...time to retire, Chuckles...

[ed swain]

The Herd shoud work with employers who pay low wages to buy tickets to give to their employees.The wages paid in the Huntington area are not enough to buy food,let alone tickets for their family.

[Thunders]

I don't know about UTSA or North Texas, but FIU & FAU attendance numbers are REALLY bad.

To charge less, we lose Doc & best assistants due to $$$$.

Or maybe Chuck is pushing for whatever 1AA is now???

Or maybe you pick up more people to offset the cost difference.

[banker]

Setting prices is a tricky thing.  Let's say that the average ticket price, including required donations, is $50. If we average 25,000 that means $1,250,000 per home game. If we drop that average to $40 then we need 31,250 average to make the same money. I'm not sure we pick up 6,250 fans per game with that level of price difference, that's a 25% increase.

The response to that is "don't drop all the prices, just make some sections cheaper".  That's a possibility, but if you start to create too much of a price division you risk some people not seeing the value in a $40 seat versus a $15 dollar seat, you don't pick up enough new buyers and see revenue drop as existing customers opt for cheaper alternatives.

I still think they need to remove the top bleachers in the endzone and extend the deck all the way back to the alley. On top of that deck you build two levels of luxury boxes, something where demand exceeds supply while reducing the product where supply exceeds demand.  By doing this you create a covered "party deck" under the new boxes.  Control access to it to Big Green members, sell beer and concessions with picnic table seating.

[jstherd]

Chuckie Boy will never change. Its all positive for BB and all negative for FB.

[Big City]

I actually wish I had a hard copy of this article and this paper. I'd wipe my butt with it because we are out of TP.

[FlyHawk98]

I still think they need to remove the top bleachers in the endzone and extend the deck all the way back to the alley. On top of that deck you build two levels of luxury boxes, something where demand exceeds supply while reducing the product where supply exceeds demand.  By doing this you create a covered "party deck" under the new boxes.  Control access to it to Big Green members, sell beer and concessions with picnic table seating.

YES. Thats what a lot of us have been saying for a while.

If not, then I would like to see us put chair backs all throughout the stadium, minus the EZ expansion seats.

[coalherd]

Guys, instead of being too critical, think of Chuck's article in this manner:  Don't the figures he cited make the Herd's support that much more impressive? Our attendance figures are near the top in CUSA, behind only, SO. Miss and maybe UTEP.  So we are getting good support in an area where the median household income is a lot lower, in some cases, a hell of a lot lower than many (most) locales of other CUSA schools.

Furthermore, it makes our Big Green membership numbers look better too.  Our Big Green numbers are also among the highest of all similar athletic support groups in CUSA, again with MU being in a lower income locale.

To me, Chuck's article supports the real passion and loyalty of HERD fans and supporters.  Hopefully, he'll do a similar article on the basketball ticket prices around CUSA.  Bet our top ticket price, $25, is at or near the league top.

[Luke80]

He ignores the concept of supply and demand. If the product is good people will pay the price of the tickets

[banker]

Coalherd, our top ticket price is actually in excess of $100 a game in a season with 6 home games.   East side prime is over $60 a game, most others are $35. The endzone is the only place you can get cheaper.

Flyhawk, this sounds a little bad, but you can't do chair backs everywhere unless you come up with a wider model chair.  We have a lot of fans that won't fit in the existing chair backs.

[GoHerd2112]

I've never had a problem with the prices.
I get great seats on the east side with military discount at $15.
Buying on a game by game basis.

[Garbanjo]

Setting prices is a tricky thing.  Let's say that the average ticket price, including required donations, is $50. If we average 25,000 that means $1,250,000 per home game. If we drop that average to $40 then we need 31,250 average to make the same money. I'm not sure we pick up 6,250 fans per game with that level of price difference, that's a 25% increase.

The response to that is "don't drop all the prices, just make some sections cheaper".  That's a possibility, but if you start to create too much of a price division you risk some people not seeing the value in a $40 seat versus a $15 dollar seat, you don't pick up enough new buyers and see revenue drop as existing customers opt for cheaper alternatives.

I still think they need to remove the top bleachers in the endzone and extend the deck all the way back to the alley. On top of that deck you build two levels of luxury boxes, something where demand exceeds supply while reducing the product where supply exceeds demand.  By doing this you create a covered "party deck" under the new boxes.  Control access to it to Big Green members, sell beer and concessions with picnic table seating.

+1

[svherd]

Guys, instead of being too critical, think of Chuck's article in this manner:  Don't the figures he cited make the Herd's support that much more impressive? Our attendance figures are near the top in CUSA, behind only, SO. Miss and maybe UTEP.  So we are getting good support in an area where the median household income is a lot lower, in some cases, a hell of a lot lower than many (most) locales of other CUSA schools.

Furthermore, it makes our Big Green membership numbers look better too.  Our Big Green numbers are also among the highest of all similar athletic support groups in CUSA, again with MU being in a lower income locale.

To me, Chuck's article supports the real passion and loyalty of HERD fans and supporters.  Hopefully, he'll do a similar article on the basketball ticket prices around CUSA.  Bet our top ticket price, $25, is at or near the league top.

Thank you. Excellent way to look at it. Despite what some say, MU fans and the Huntington area support the school and program extremely well.
I maintain that even if MU dropped all end zone seats to $10 each, our core fan base and season tix donors would remain constant. We buy season tix and give to the BG because we want to support our alma mater and school. The perks don't mean squat to me. I and others do it because we care about MU.

Picking up the fringe fans and families is what MU really needs to focus on. The young fans today are the potential big donors of tomorrow. MU doesn't seem to comprehend that. jmo.

[bbcard1]

I would love to see the UD end zone and corner seats as well as the habitually returned visitor section seats from our CUSA "rivals" deep discounted to $10 or $15 per seat, but you would have to police the moving around which can currently be done at will.

[Big Ol' Hillbilly]

Bought myself a season pass, but my kids wanted me to take them to at least one game. I have 5 year old and a 4 year old, so by half time, they're usually starting to get restless and ready to leave. For upper end zone, it was $75 for the 3 of us, and that's not counting concessions.  I'm no cheapo and I wouldn't mind a bit paying high prices to watch good well known competition week in and week out, but paying $25 a pop for cheap seats to see FIU, Old Dominion, UTSA, etc is ridiculous. Get us in the American where we would play host to a few teams with a pulse, and I won't complain a bit about ticket prices.

[MarshallGrad]

The article seems to be about 95% facts. His only dance with opinion was:

The final analysis? Marshall probably can't afford to lower its ticket prices across the board because the athletic budget depends on that income.

So, perhaps, the athletic department can add some lower-priced promotions to help fill the stadium and also find a way to show appreciation to the 27,000 fans that do show up on a regular basis.

He asked a question. He listed some facts. Then he offered two sentences of opinion which were really pretty vanilla in nature. What is the part of the article that is making some so angry.

[Thunders77]

Guys, instead of being too critical, think of Chuck's article in this manner:  Don't the figures he cited make the Herd's support that much more impressive? Our attendance figures are near the top in CUSA, behind only, SO. Miss and maybe UTEP.  So we are getting good support in an area where the median household income is a lot lower, in some cases, a hell of a lot lower than many (most) locales of other CUSA schools.

Furthermore, it makes our Big Green membership numbers look better too.  Our Big Green numbers are also among the highest of all similar athletic support groups in CUSA, again with MU being in a lower income locale.

To me, Chuck's article supports the real passion and loyalty of HERD fans and supporters.  Hopefully, he'll do a similar article on the basketball ticket prices around CUSA.  Bet our top ticket price, $25, is at or near the league top.

BINGO. Marshall ranked second, behind only Southern Miss in average attendance this year in C-USA and Marshall led the league last year in attendance.

Obviously, Marshall does a good job setting its price points and offering discounted tickets during the season or they would not rank among the Top 3 in C-USA attendance over the last three seasons. Plus, Marshall has been unlucky with bad weather a few times that suppressed attendance at several games over that span.

The fact of the matter is only UTEP compares favorably with Marshall in what people pay and donate for seats overall. The rest of the league would love to have the support UTEP and Marshall get at the price points they get it at.

[elginherd]

Pricing is kind of tricky; however, there are price-modeling programs out there.

Here are the factors:
Would lowering prices actually increase attendance significantly?
If so, would the expense of accommodating more people more than offset the added income?

Long term, one can argue that MU (like many other schools) must start winning the hearts of young children. So IF lowering prices garners more young Herd fans, the 2nd factor should obviously be adjusted.

Chuckie does bring up a point...but, I bet that the Athletic Dept has examined & re-examined their pricing policies. If they haven't then someone should (re)take their 2nd semester calculus class.

[carolinaherdfan]

Chuck may be correct, but at tOSU to sit on the 30 yard line it takes a donation of $40,000 per seat according to what I as told by a staunch supporter. Husband and wife....$80,000 + the cost of the seat.

An end zone seat is $5,000 donation and $1,000 per seat per game...once again according to this big time supporter.

There are FCS programs charging more then MU...

[iherdya]

Chuck may be correct, but at tOSU to sit on the 30 yard line it takes a donation of $40,000 per seat according to what I as told by a staunch supporter. Husband and wife....$80,000 + the cost of the seat.

An end zone seat is $5,000 donation and $1,000 per seat per game...once again according to this big time supporter.

There are FCS programs charging more then MU...

uh no.

[rvntx]

Unt average about half as many fans. With a student enrollment of 30k and a metro area of nearly 7 million.

[banker]

My only recommendation would be to offer lower price tickets to kids under 16 when the seat is tied to an adult paying full price.  For example, you have a seat in 122 that cost $200 for a season ticket.  Your first kid under 16 could get a season ticket for $100 and every subsequent child could get one for $50. That helps get the next generation involved plus makes it a more affordable family entertainment option.