We didn't built it big enough.

[GhostOfJackie]

Period. We just didn't, and weekends like this prove it.

I love the fact that it's tough to get tickets for big time events, but if you do not have a seat in the grandstands it's extremely uncomfortable. Even for a game just north of 10k, the stadium feels like we have squeezed 30k in there. Demand is higher for tickets to weekends like this and we simply don't have a big enough stadium to meet demand. We could have seated 17,000 in that Saturday game if tickets and places to sit were available with all the people who simply stayed home because they wouldn't have had a seat.

It looks like we can add on to the stadium by extending both sides of the upper deck to the foul poles and adding seating where the berms currently are. Maybe that will take care of the season ticket demand, but you would still need somewhere for the GA folks to squeeze into.

It's the best in that nation, but it's just not big enough.

 

[trob115]

But then on non "big weekends" you have 8,000 unoccupied seats and looks awful on tv. I do think we will look to add about 2000 more seats, but not until 2024.

 

[patdog]

But then on non "big weekends" you have 8,000 unoccupied seats.

So what? You don't build for the small games. You build for the big ones. We could easily average at least 1,000-2,000 more fans per SEC and postseason weekend if we had more capacity.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

Yeah, that's a good point, but we already have so many empty seats for those weekends. What's adding more seats going to hurt in that case?

 

[Russ Wheeler]

So what? You don't build for the small games. You build for the big ones. We could easily average at least 1,000-2,000 more fans per SEC and postseason weekend if we had more capacity.

Wrong. Dead horse. You build for the people who buy season tickets. Then you ACCOMODATE the rest. We've done that very well.

If the demand stays high over the course of a few more years (basically a 5-7 year track record of demand), we'll add on. But it'll have to come from people wanting season tickets.

 

[trob115]

I agree. 2,000 more should have been in the original plan. They would have all been sold, but 8,000 would be too much.

The good thing is, the athletic dept is aware of the need, and the stadium is designed where more seats can be added easily. Cohen doesn't want to do anything to baseball, until the hump Reno is underway.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

It was Super Bulldog Weekend, great weather, against Ole Miss, at a point in time where people are sick of BS restrictions. It's not going to be 'comfortable', you fairy.

Get over it and appreciate how great it is. You want a seat for SBW and regionals? Buy season tickets. You want a GA seat? Come to midweek games and OOC weekends or Sunday SEC games. Deal with it.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Yeah, that's a good point, but we already have so many empty seats for those weekends. What's adding more seats going to hurt in that case?

Doesn't matter if they are empty, what matters is if they are SOLD.

GA attendance is unreliable.

 

[mcdawg22]

Yeah, that's a good point, but we already have so many empty seats for those weekends. What's adding more seats going to hurt in that case?

It will look bad on TV to those tons of uninitiated college baseball fans that navigate the awful ESPN app to watch a Wednesday night game against N Alabama*******

 

[The Peeper]

The things that I see missing are:
-actual seats for general admission, not berms or standing. There supposedly has been talk of that in RF to the side of the scoreboard
-additional rest rooms in the center field area
-the lines at the concession stands in the seating areas were ridiculous this weekend and caused a lot of congestion for people trying to get into rest rooms which were also packed.

These are good problems to have but seemingly would could have been avoided w/ a little more thought.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

It still wouldn't be finished on time.**

 

[johnson86-1]

I agree. 2,000 more should have been in the original plan. They would have all been sold, but 8,000 would be too much.

The good thing is, the athletic dept is aware of the need, and the stadium is designed where more seats can be added easily. Cohen doesn't want to do anything to baseball, until the hump Reno is underway.

Nobody wanted them at the time. Maybe the athletic department should have been a little clearer that without buying tickets, you wouldn't have any seating, and maybe some more people would have ponied up. But if they had just built more with the hope that demand would increase, and then things went south and it got to where you could reasonably find tickets for just the games you wanted to go to, then you'd probably have had plenty of people looking to not renew their contract as soon as they had the chance.

 

[engie]

This was obvious from very early on in the actual build. Which was for current demand based on people willing to spend for the psl’s 3 years in advance, instead of what a whole bunch or us foresaw as our actual demand, even in this very website

 

[Drebin]

What we have now is exactly what the administration wants - demand exceeding supply. This past weekend was maximum demand, but right now, even the minimum demand exceeds supply, which is something they would lose by adding seats.

 

[paindonthurt_]

You do not build it for the few 14,000 attendance days. Thats dumb.

If your argument is building it bigger would increase regular game attendance, ok, but that isn't 100% by far.

 

[fishwater99]

Are we expanding the "Motel 6" in the outfield.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Correct. Keep demand just above supply.

 

[Go Budaw]

It was once an absolute no brainer to add another 1,500 - 2,000 chair backs in the next couple of years. But then COVID happened, and we went through basically a full season’s worth of missed baseball revenue when you account for the cancellation before SEC play last year and the limited attendance policy at the beginning of this season. So now that project might get pushed out a few years just because of us needing to pay down existing debt from the construction bonds first.

Also, 17,000 fans is a pipe dream. There have absolutely never been more than 13,500 or so actual fans in DNF (old or new), in spite of what is reflected by past attendance numbers that count tickets sold.

 

[Jddrew1142]

I know you season ticket holders hate the general admission people. That is abundantly clear. I just cannot wrap my head around sitting in grass for 5 hours or standing for three to watch a baseball game that airs on TV.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

It was once an absolute no brainer to add another 1,500 - 2,000 chair backs in the next couple of years. But then COVID happened, and we went through basically a full season’s worth of missed baseball revenue when you account for the cancellation before SEC play last year and the limited attendance policy at the beginning of this season. So now that project might get pushed out a few years just because of us needing to pay down existing debt from the construction bonds first.

Also, 17,000 fans is a pipe dream. There have absolutely never been more than 13,500 or so actual fans in DNF (old or new), in spite of what is reflected by past attendance numbers that count tickets sold.

That's bull. They weren't fudging those numbers back in the 80s and 90s. It's possible they could have been in the last 10 years or so.

 

[NWADawg]

Period. We just didn't, and weekends like this prove it.

I love the fact that it's tough to get tickets for big time events, but if you do not have a seat in the grandstands it's extremely uncomfortable. Even for a game just north of 10k, the stadium feels like we have squeezed 30k in there. Demand is higher for tickets to weekends like this and we simply don't have a big enough stadium to meet demand. We could have seated 17,000 in that Saturday game if tickets and places to sit were available with all the people who simply stayed home because they wouldn't have had a seat.

It looks like we can add on to the stadium by extending both sides of the upper deck to the foul poles and adding seating where the berms currently are. Maybe that will take care of the season ticket demand, but you would still need somewhere for the GA folks to squeeze into.

It's the best in that nation, but it's just not big enough.

Just a thought. People seem to enjoy the rooftop. What if we built a 3, 4, or even 5 level deck in right field. Basically multiple stacked "rooftops" for GA?

 

[dawgdr]

Why would we not just add chair backs or even bleachers to the foul poles? Seems like a no brainer. Saw all the folks standing 3 deep with no chance of seeing game.

 

[Go Budaw]

That's bull. They weren't fudging those numbers back in the 80s and 90s. It's possible they could have been in the last 10 years or so.

Its not fudging....its doing what everybody has done since the beginning of time when reporting attendance.

There have been literal dozens of testaments by folks that were at both the Clemson SR Saturday game in 2007 and the UF series in 1989 that swear on their mother’s lives that the Clemson crowd was bigger...possibly on the order of thousands of fans bigger. I was at both myself, but was too young in 1989 to remember too many specifics about the crowd. I can tell you for certain there were way more folks there for Clemson than there were for the 15,000+ we reported against OM a few years ago....not even close.

Those attendance numbers against Clemson were more accurate because you had a much higher percentage of ticket purchasers in the stadium due to the nature of how and when the tickets were sold. Why people think we’d report the numbers differently than everyone else is beyond me.

 

[thatsbaseball]

So much for the "people's" university.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Its not fudging....its doing what everybody has done since the beginning of time when reporting attendance.

There have been literal dozens of testaments by folks that were at both the Clemson SR Saturday game in 2007 and the UF series in 1989 that swear on their mother’s lives that the Clemson crowd was bigger...possibly on the order of thousands of fans bigger. I was at both myself, but was too young in 1989 to remember too many specifics about the crowd. I can tell you for certain there were way more folks there for Clemson than there were for the 15,000+ we reported against OM a few years ago....not even close.

Those attendance numbers against Clemson were more accurate because you had a much higher percentage of ticket purchasers in the stadium due to the nature of how and when the tickets were sold. Why people think we’d report the numbers differently than everyone else is beyond me.

I agree on Clemson being very accurate due to NCAA, but those crowds back in the late 80s and early 90s were massive. I was there. Fudging the numbers back then wasn't even a thing, nobody cared but us.

 

[Mjoelner]

The things that I see missing are:
-actual seats for general admission, not berms or standing. There supposedly has been talk of that in RF to the side of the scoreboard
-additional rest rooms in the center field area BADLY NEEDED and plenty of room to do it.
-the lines at the concession stands in the seating areas were ridiculous this weekend and caused a lot of congestion for people trying to get into rest rooms which were also packed. Don't know the answer to this one but maybe open up more regular MSU concessions and vendor carts on the walkways behind the berms or out in RF behind the lounge so that everyone eating and needing a drink that isn't in the outfield doesn't have to go to the same 3 or 4 spots. Also, bring the food trucks back to the LF gate like we had for the past 2 years (I miss the fried gizzards from WTF@)

These are good problems to have but seemingly would could have been avoided w/ a little more thought.

The bathroom problem in CF was really bad this weekend. There was a huge line before the end of the 2nd inning Saturday. We built the park for 15,000 but made bathrooms for 1,500.

ETA: Do they not open up grandstand seating at all anymore? When I was in school I think after 4.5 innings you could go sit anywhere. At the school we just beat, I think you can sit anywhere (except club seats) in the stadium as soon as you walk in and if someone with a ticket for that seat shows up, you move. I don't see why we can't do the same. Last year I had to practically beg to get to sit in a chairback just to watch our batting practice and cross my heart and pinky swear to the gatekeeper that I would leave after batting practice.

Second edit to add a quick and dirty photoshop. How about this idea? I have no clue as to how many people could be seated in these areas though.
View attachment 20053

 

[mcdawg22]

I know you season ticket holders hate the general admission people. That is abundantly clear. I just cannot wrap my head around sitting in grass for 5 hours or standing for three to watch a baseball game that airs on TV.

That’s kind of where I am at. I’m 5 hours away and thought about coming, but doing either of those two things with a wife and 9 yo was one of the reasons I didn’t come. I don’t see top 10 matchups ending in the near future at Dudy Noble and we pride ourselves on baseball attendance so why wouldn’t we try and maximize our big weekends? I don’t know the intricacies of stadium attendance with regards to supply and demand economics so I’ll defer to the experts on that. But I do believe a better in game experience would draw more GA fans. That’s just my opinion.

 

[patdog]

The level of small minded Templeton-era thinking from both our AD and most of the people on this board is mind-boggling. We could have easily been selling 2,000 more season tickets per year for the last 3 years now.

 

[campshelbydog842003]

It was Super Bulldog Weekend, great weather, against Ole Miss, at a point in time where people are sick of BS restrictions. It's not going to be 'comfortable', you fairy.

Get over it and appreciate how great it is. You want a seat for SBW and regionals? Buy season tickets. You want a GA seat? Come to midweek games and OOC weekends or Sunday SEC games. Deal with it.

I would love to buy season tickets but there are none available for chairbacks and there hasn’t been for at least the past 2 years. I was not able to buy them when the new stadium opened but have been in a much better situation to be able to attend at this point. I realize that’s not on MSU or their problem, but if there were more season tickets in the grand stand to be had people would buy them. We won’t have an issue selling out more season tickets if they expand.

 

[ronpolk]

Correct. Keep demand just above supply.

I disagree with that. If state is going to raise ticket prices to reflect what supply vs demand is dictating then sure it makes sense to have demand be slightly greater than supply. But in reality all state is doing is costing themselves revenue when demand outpaces supply. The only person reaping benefits of demand being greater is the person with season tickets that does not mind selling his tickets to big weekends.

Now I’m not saying we need 20k seat stadium and for there to always be thousands of unsold seats. But the fact is, with tickets being a fixed revenue number for state (being whatever face value is regardless of demand) they are losing money. I don’t know a single business that wants to stay sold out or not have enough of whatever product they are selling. You’re out of business if you do that, especially when you sell the product for the same price regardless of demand.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

I know you season ticket holders hate the general admission people. That is abundantly clear. I just cannot wrap my head around sitting in grass for 5 hours or standing for three to watch a baseball game that airs on TV.

That's me. I can't afford season tickets and my wife, mom, and kids can't/won't stand for that long or sit on the side of a hill. I would come to 10 or so games a year if I could buy single game chair back tickets without having to pawn a kidney to get them on stubhub.

 

[paindonthurt_]

If enough people are contacting the bulldog club AND ticket office abt season tickets, they will make it bigger in due time.

 

[campshelbydog842003]

That's me. I can't afford season tickets and my wife, mom, and kids can't/won't stand for that long or sit on the side of a hill. I would come to 10 or so games a year if I could buy single game chair back tickets without having to pawn a kidney to get them on stubhub.

Even if you could afford them they aren’t available to be purchased anyway. I’ve been on a waiting list for 2 years. It would also be nice to find a way to expand and add more LFL type seating so that more than the select few who won the lottery of being born into a family that has had a spot for 50 years and been charged nearly nothing for prime seating in the best stadium in the country are not the only ones who get that experience.

 

[Xenomorph]

There are some mind boggling comments in this thread. If every SEC game averaged 62K at Davis Wade with $200 tickets on the street, I wonder what the sentiment would be regarding the south endzone.

Would we be telling people... quit your bitching and just buy a ticket? Or.. Just come watch us play LaMo if you really want to see a game?

No.. I figure the cry would be loud and clear... bulldoze the Seal Building and add some seats with the quickness.

As it stands... in this thread... it feels like there is an undercurrent of sentiment where a few people are saying "My daddy has been buying these seats since 1979 so 17 y'all if you want on board now. I was here first!"

 

[The Peeper]

$2,000/yr + tickets isn't "nearly nothing" to me now. In the past the $250/yr + tickets was the best deal around but, blame the powers that be not the box holders themselves. Boxholder's been paying whatever's been asked for "the last 50 years".

 

[The Fatboy]

There were a lot of people standing that would have paid extra for a seat this weekend. It wouldn't hurt to add more capacity.

 

[dorndawg]

There are some mind boggling comments in this thread. If every SEC game averaged 62K at Davis Wade with $200 tickets on the street, I wonder what the sentiment would be regarding the south endzone.

Would we be telling people... quit your bitching and just buy a ticket? Or.. Just come watch us play LaMo if you really want to see a game?

No.. I figure the cry would be loud and clear... bulldoze the Seal Building and add some seats with the quickness.

As it stands... in this thread... it feels like there is an undercurrent of sentiment where a few people are saying "My daddy has been buying these seats since 1979 so 17 y'all if you want on board now. I was here first!"

I'd say that's a solid 40% of Mississippi State baseball fans

 

[GhostOfJackie]

There were a lot of people standing that would have paid extra for a seat this weekend. It wouldn't hurt to add more capacity.

Seems pretty reasonable to me. By the way, I have a ticket for a nice and cozy seat every game but most of our fans don't, and they are damn hard to get.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

I know you season ticket holders hate the general admission people. That is abundantly clear. I just cannot wrap my head around sitting in grass for 5 hours or standing for three to watch a baseball game that airs on TV.

No, they just like their seats. I'm sure you can waddle over to Auburn or Georgia and find all the seating you want, spur of the moment, because folks don't buy tickets or show up to games.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Even if you could afford them they aren’t available to be purchased anyway. I’ve been on a waiting list for 2 years. It would also be nice to find a way to expand and add more LFL type seating so that more than the select few who won the lottery of being born into a family that has had a spot for 50 years and been charged nearly nothing for prime seating in the best stadium in the country are not the only ones who get that experience.

Where were you in 2017 when they were asking for commitments?