I don't think it has anything to do with CJF supporters. I think it has more to do with high ticket prices and PSU outside the top 10. If PSU beats both Wisconsin & Northwestern there will be plenty of enthusiasm for the USC game. If we win that game PSU will be in the top 10 and be a serious playoff contender. That would increase enthusiasm quite a bit. If we lose two of those three games we'll likely see a lot of empty seats for the rest of the season.
Is it just me, but are ticket sales lagging?
- Thread starter nittanymoops
- Start date
There was a time, when you were a season ticket holder, the value equation was positive for almost all games. As that changed, you either sold the weak part of the schedule, so you could still get the big games, or overspent because it was still enjoyable. Now, with the prices higher for marquee games, and the secondary market is so much more accessible, it makes less and less sense to commit to the whole thing, especially as the fee to commit is what I would say is overpriced for the value. You also have taken away the loyalty part of the equation, making it always easy to get back in. It’s obvious when the prices for anything except USC are lower than face, and thise may be too. My brother bought two in the east side 40, for $30 each for Marshall. That is what they are worth. Since we are ranked, and 3-0, I don’t seeing the economics working, even if we are top 5. Add to that that we are shelling out significant $ which are rising to players that could be new every year, the emotional tie dwindles.
Think about it. You can buy tickets in EE right now on stub hub for $65, for a homecoming game versus Wisconsin, for a ranked, undefeated PSU team. Compare that to face and you see the issue.
We are the modern Romans and the collapse is coming so starting over may be the only choice. IMO. But I get your point.
They don't give a single $h!t about attendance. It is all about maxing profits. $$$ is the lifeblood of competitive college (no longer amateur) football.
Anyone remember when we thought going to a 12 game schedule was going to give us more big non-conference matchups? If anything it weakened schedules by choice of most universities.
Hard work pays off. Lots of OT and side work helped facilitate this. Just remember, it is easier to earn 10k than it is to save.Show OffSeriously I'm envious.
Pretty sure they did not expand capacity - they reduced it (at one time, capacity was over 110K before the first renovation that added luxury boxes, etc....). One reason maintaining a high capacity might be warranted is that Student Ticket Applications used to be subject to lottery and not all applications got filled. While there may be less Season Ticket Holders, there are probably just as many Student Applicants. 100% of Student Applications should be filled imho - student applicants should not go unfilled imho.
His wife and kids aren’t attending….
Yeah every time I look on StubHub when Penn State is playing a decent opponent tickets are like $150 for below average seats and if you want decent seats you’re paying like $250. If you want to go to the White Out you’re paying like $300-500 just not sustainable for the average family. Also, most people from Pittsburgh/Philadelphia aren’t going to drive 2+ hours to watch Penn State blow out Buffalo by 40 points not to mention all the hotels jack up the rates astronomically to the point I’m not sure who could afford to stay for the night.
My Dad (PSU alum from the 40s) got two season tickets starting in 1976. Section WF about halfway up. Great seats. I don't know what he paid but I am sure it was a pittance compared to what they gouge people now. He held on to them until about 20 years ago and I don't think he ever made much of a donation to the NLC either. He certainly was not the "big donor" type. He would be disgusted at the ridiculous escalating prices and corporate bs this has all turned into.
Yes and in 1975 min wage which was what was paid was .75 cents an hour. Now people are paying 15-25 dollars an hour. So there is that.
Need company on Saturday? What kind of beer do you like?
A couple comments in reply to several points.
On cost of tix. I have 2 seats in EJ. I think they are still a bargain, even with next year’s increase. They’re not premium seats, but good enough. One thing that has changed, it has been impossible for me to sell tix on the secondary market lately. I could not give away my Buffalo tix.
On student tix, maybe we’ll see tomorrow, but I think you will see a lot of empty student seats for all but the white out. Many students buy tix just to turn a profit. White out is the only draw, the rest are so-so games that can be missed. Filling from bottom up tells the true story.
I think the athletic department misread the fan base. Sure, there are people who want the premium seats. They’ll probably make the finances work with the new seating. I think the overall fan base is declining in numbers….rapidly. They need to make it attractive to fill the whole stadium. They have the seats, why not try to fill them?
Finally, I mentioned above, I think my tickets are a bargain. It’s just becoming less enjoyable every year because I am no longer in their target audience.
On cost of tix. I have 2 seats in EJ. I think they are still a bargain, even with next year’s increase. They’re not premium seats, but good enough. One thing that has changed, it has been impossible for me to sell tix on the secondary market lately. I could not give away my Buffalo tix.
On student tix, maybe we’ll see tomorrow, but I think you will see a lot of empty student seats for all but the white out. Many students buy tix just to turn a profit. White out is the only draw, the rest are so-so games that can be missed. Filling from bottom up tells the true story.
I think the athletic department misread the fan base. Sure, there are people who want the premium seats. They’ll probably make the finances work with the new seating. I think the overall fan base is declining in numbers….rapidly. They need to make it attractive to fill the whole stadium. They have the seats, why not try to fill them?
Finally, I mentioned above, I think my tickets are a bargain. It’s just becoming less enjoyable every year because I am no longer in their target audience.
My son is in his 2nd year at PSU, and the thinking was that the wife, his siblings, and I would go up and catch a couple of games a year. Not gonna happen, though. Tickets are manageable, but places to stay are not. Way too expensive. Just like the tuition...
Thanks but I am happily married, lol. Beer does not woo me; Bourbon on the other hand.....
Unless you live very close to SC, have a lot of free time and disposable income and simply like being at that stadium then why would you ever be a season ticket holder? If you live in Pittsburgh or Philly that is a 3 hour drive there and 3 hours back to watch them play Buffalo? Give me a break. This year there is one game, USC, worth going to.
This Wisky game is a good example although it being on Peacock sucks. You can watch it or follow it at your home or with friends, go to a bar, etc. And if you are a CFB fan, which most of us are (otherwise why are we spending time on this board?), you can watch a lot of other good games like Tenn vs Texas, Ole Miss vs Florida, USC vs Oregon, Mich vs Iowa and a few more. You miss all those games if you spend all your time traveling to attend the Penn State game.
I got my season tickets in the mid 70's. I even kept them for the 13 years we lifes in Mississippi. Finally let them go about 8 years ago. It was just too much hassle to drive the 3+ hours to park in the cow pastures. And when it rained it became impossible because of the additional hassle of the bus shuttle.
Even though the above post is correct in that many students only buy tickets to sell for profit, I think the school may need to increase the student sections once they see the drop off in season ticket sales. Have to recoup the lost $ somehow, so getting some of it back via students could be a way.
And lots of students choose to go to PSU because of the excitement of football games and are devastated when they don't get tickets. I do agree that increasing the student ticket alotment seems like a no brainer with sales seemingly lagging elsewhere - the demand is there from the students.
As I said earlier, attending bowl games was a family tradition. But since then, for example 2024, we simply planned family gatherings. We enjoyed Illinois (White Out) and all three playoff games as I flew to stay with my sons and we enjoyed watching together on TV. Saved lot's of money and got to spend time together and do other things in addition to planning around the "big game."
I know that alcohol has always been and will always be a big part of the game time experience, but does anyone think the sale of alcohol in the stadium itself has negatively impacted the experience?
ahh but you will have to adjust the Make some noise snippet to sound like thurston howell the 3rdThink how much better the stadium smells on game day now by eliminating the little people in attendance.
I think we might have to make some noise.. lovey
Uh.. dude. C'mon your son is only in college once in his life. Do what my old man did and get a room in Harrisburg. You get to see your son, and you get a cheap place to stay.
I used to attend a lot of away games and that was my strategy. I would book a room 60-90 minutes away from the game site where the prices were much more reasonable and make the drive to the stadium a couple of hours before the game stated. Now, I watch the games on a nice, big HDTV screen.
I respectfully disagree to some extent. I think they need to figure how to get students to the lesser games. The hunger for tickets is to get into the white out or OSU. It’s 1, 2 maybe 3 games some years.
If they would have doubled student tix this year, the last 2 games would have been empty. The weekends that bookend Thanksgiving are a loss regardless of opponent
Unfortunately the rest of the stadium isn’t filling up either. It’s just harder to tell.
They’re truly sacrificing full stadiums against good programs for that extra home game every year. I’m sure the revenue is too good to pass up. We should have at least asked for OSU as our annual rival.
The more I type the more frustrated I get.
The demand is there from students for season tickets. If they increased student ticket sales for students by (say) 5000 tickets, I’d expect they’d sell them all. They have the numbers and know how many kids put in for the lottery. So they would have a good idea as to how many they could put out and still sell them all easily and maintain demand.
Do students attend all the games? Some don’t but I’m not sure what that has to do with the topic of ticket sales. Student tickets are sold as a season ticket package not individual games.
Yes, the demand is there. Agree. The urge to show up like last weekend, not so much.
Coming from the Harrisburg area, I enjoy the tailgate and in-person game experience. The white-out is actually my least favorite because I get home so late, but I can’t get myself to sell those tix.
I don’t like the new west side. Looks like a too high NFL stadium. The stadium lost all its character with the new west side.
I don’t like the new west side. Looks like a too high NFL stadium. The stadium lost all its character with the new west side.
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