New baseball article- Read if you have season tickets
- Thread starter Todd4State
- Start date
Spot on Todd. Hopefully your article reaches someone. Looking at the grandstands from the lounge is a pathetic sight.
Glad to see someone address this issue. I posted about it last year on another board and was attacked. Evidently, everyone that read it had perfect attendance.
Something has to be done by Stricklin and Co.
- I'd say start with sending out questionnaires to long time ticket holders and asking, in an appropriate way, if they come to games and why or why not. Encourage everyone to come or find someone that will. Maybe the answers will be useful.
- Send out a notice next year before tickets go on sale concerning using your tickets or possibly losing them. Then, monitor how often tickets are scanned. If they aren't used at least for 25% of the home games, you get bumped to the end of the list.
- Find some way to tear up the contracts of those that don't come. Who cares if it pisses them off? They don't come. Someone else will step up and make a long term investment in the program just like they did.
I respect the elders who helped get this program where it is, but every State fan should know by now that we can't let loyalty to one or a few hold back the whole program.
Something has to be done by Stricklin and Co.
- I'd say start with sending out questionnaires to long time ticket holders and asking, in an appropriate way, if they come to games and why or why not. Encourage everyone to come or find someone that will. Maybe the answers will be useful.
- Send out a notice next year before tickets go on sale concerning using your tickets or possibly losing them. Then, monitor how often tickets are scanned. If they aren't used at least for 25% of the home games, you get bumped to the end of the list.
- Find some way to tear up the contracts of those that don't come. Who cares if it pisses them off? They don't come. Someone else will step up and make a long term investment in the program just like they did.
I respect the elders who helped get this program where it is, but every State fan should know by now that we can't let loyalty to one or a few hold back the whole program.
We need to make a good showing for TV on Thursday and I agree with everything you post. Unfortunately, lots of people (me) will not be able to go because of work.
With that said, many of us will be there on Saturday. Isn't it also a good idea to ask people to show up on Saturday? I think we could set or get close to another record if we convince people of the importance of Saturday as well. I know TV appearance is important, but Saturday is also a game that we need to have asses in seats. For the casual baseball fan that says "baseball is boring and I don't want to go"...... thats finethat you think that. Go get a ticket, spend a few "social" innings, and leave. We need people to be counted.
With that said, many of us will be there on Saturday. Isn't it also a good idea to ask people to show up on Saturday? I think we could set or get close to another record if we convince people of the importance of Saturday as well. I know TV appearance is important, but Saturday is also a game that we need to have asses in seats. For the casual baseball fan that says "baseball is boring and I don't want to go"...... thats finethat you think that. Go get a ticket, spend a few "social" innings, and leave. We need people to be counted.
I don't see how the corporate issue gets solved. In fact, although we've had the issue in baseball for a very long time, we just rather recently created the same problem with basketball when they moved the students and reseated everyone based on donations. Now along with having all kinds of regular empty seats in the baseball grandstand we also regularly have empty seats in the Hump that used to be filled (even when the team IS good). But hey, the athletic department got their money so all is well.
Is it possible that some of these empty seats are due to people buying season tickets but instead of being in their chairbacks they are tailgating in the outfield? I'm kinda thinking alot of people do that.
Have Bulldog Club points for attendance. If your season ticket gets scanned for a game, you get some number of points (more likely fractions of points). It doesn't matter if you use the ticket, you give it to someone who goes to the game, or if you sell it. You get the points. Over time the regular attendees will move up and the non-attendees will move down.
You could hand your ticket stubs to someone in the aluminum bleachers on the way out there.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there's no longer a waiting list for grandstand seats. However, there is a yearly PSL fee.
If I'm right, then your problem isn't just people who can afford the seats not showing up, it's that you also don't have any fans willing to pay the extra charge for those seats that are available. You can tell people just to send Scott a check if you want, but all that does is hurt our season ticket sales.
Myself, I think you just institute the honor code for any game not on a Saturday or Sunday, and bump up the migration to the 3rd inning or some such for the remainder.
If I'm right, then your problem isn't just people who can afford the seats not showing up, it's that you also don't have any fans willing to pay the extra charge for those seats that are available. You can tell people just to send Scott a check if you want, but all that does is hurt our season ticket sales.
Myself, I think you just institute the honor code for any game not on a Saturday or Sunday, and bump up the migration to the 3rd inning or some such for the remainder.
Simple fix: Sell basic general admission tickets like we already do...what are they, 10$? Then for SEC games sell a 'VIP' general admission ticket for $12 or so that gets you admission into the grandstand and you can sit wherever...but....you're still taking a chance. If it's full, well you go out with the rest of the commoners. If the owner of the seat comes, tough ****, you're out with the other commoners. Basically raise some extra money and fill the grandstand that way.
And so what if season ticket holders from Columbus complain? Regular GA tickets can come in the grandstand after the 5th inning anyway, and anytime during non-SEC games.
I just think we are making a much bigger deal out of this than we should. The problem is people actually showing up, not the lifetime contracts. The bigger issue is making an area for students to come that want to do the LFL thing, but don't have an actual LFL to go to. Just swallow your pride, admit Ole Miss did this right, and let's imitate it somehow.
And so what if season ticket holders from Columbus complain? Regular GA tickets can come in the grandstand after the 5th inning anyway, and anytime during non-SEC games.
I just think we are making a much bigger deal out of this than we should. The problem is people actually showing up, not the lifetime contracts. The bigger issue is making an area for students to come that want to do the LFL thing, but don't have an actual LFL to go to. Just swallow your pride, admit Ole Miss did this right, and let's imitate it somehow.
This is what gets me... If the athletic department wanted to promote attendance, it seems like it could easily be done by tying it to BC points in some fashion. However, they've never even hinted at providing incentives so that tells me that they're really not all that concerned about it. Buying tickets, yes. Actually attending games, not so much.
I haven't read the other replies yet, and you make some very good points ... except the one about "granddaddy can't walk". What needs to happen there is for MSU to have ENOUGH handicapped parking so granddaddy, who probably at this point in his life, give gobs of money to the University. Or barring that, at least have a decent drop-off area so granddaddy can and be let out and go to the stadium, or ... give him an easy way (golf cart) to get from the parking lot to the stadium. I speak from experience here: Yes, the University has golf carts that you can call for. But ... the line is always busy. And you also see hordes of MSU golf carts running around, but the kids driving them pick up the hot girls (who are almost certainly able to walk to their car) and granddaddy is left hobbling maybe a mile back to his car and the MSU golf carts seem to not even notice since they're flirting with the hot girls. There are always two or three sides to any issue.
That's probably a good idea. Those of us who live 200 miles away can't possibly make all the home games ... so most of us don't buy season tickets.
Football is different ... we can make 7 home games, even at the super-preposterous inflated hotel prices and their two-night minimums. My FB seats are never vacant. If I can't make a game or it's not going to be a good game that I want to go to (e.g., homecoming), I give the tickets to someone who doesn't have tickets. I don't think I've ever sold them.
Basketball is pretty much the same as baseball. I used to have season tickets but rarely went to games, so I gave them up for someone else who could go to the games (there was a waiting list for season tickets at the time). Sometimes I would sell them or give them away, but most of the time there was a vacant seat.
Football is different ... we can make 7 home games, even at the super-preposterous inflated hotel prices and their two-night minimums. My FB seats are never vacant. If I can't make a game or it's not going to be a good game that I want to go to (e.g., homecoming), I give the tickets to someone who doesn't have tickets. I don't think I've ever sold them.
Basketball is pretty much the same as baseball. I used to have season tickets but rarely went to games, so I gave them up for someone else who could go to the games (there was a waiting list for season tickets at the time). Sometimes I would sell them or give them away, but most of the time there was a vacant seat.
Since you mentioned it, I have one beef with the Kiss Cam.
The bit needs an ending. Every time the Kiss Cam is on between innings, there invariably will be several players on the opposing team standing on the dugout steps watching the scoreboard. PICK TWO OF THE PLAYERS STANDING BY EACH OTHER WATCHING THE BOARD, AND SHOW THEM AT THE END OF THE KISS CAM.
It makes for a good laugh to see their reaction when they see themselves. I've seen it done at MLB and NBA games. Give it a try.
The bit needs an ending. Every time the Kiss Cam is on between innings, there invariably will be several players on the opposing team standing on the dugout steps watching the scoreboard. PICK TWO OF THE PLAYERS STANDING BY EACH OTHER WATCHING THE BOARD, AND SHOW THEM AT THE END OF THE KISS CAM.
It makes for a good laugh to see their reaction when they see themselves. I've seen it done at MLB and NBA games. Give it a try.
How hard would it be to go digital? Let the season ticket holders print off their tickets as they use them. Give them an option to release them if they can't go. Walk up fans can buy the unused tickets with the money going to the season ticket holder less a 1 or 2 buck service fee to pay for the system. Another bonus would be that the season ticket holder could email his tickets if he wanted to sell or give them to someone else. Surely there is a computer geek on our campus right now that can figure out how to make this work.
Terraced general admission seating in the outfield. You can bring your own chairs, set up tents, etc. I suggest doing that where the right field bleachers are so it can connect with the LFL.
I would say it makes you an odd fan. Why buy chairback tickets if you are going to end up in the outfield?
If people are doing that, I think it's something that MSU needs to address in the form of honor code seating like I said in the article. The problem is obvious- people buying grandstand seats but are sitting somewhere else which results in unused seats in the grandstand.
The thing I like about honor code seating is people get to sit almost where they want, it's simple to implement, and it doesn't offend people that have emotional attachments to their season tickets.
I like Missouridawgs suggestion as well- handing your ticket stubs to someone in the bleachers.
That won't work. It requires everybody to have a computer, and believe it or not, even nowadays there are a lot who don't have them. One of my golf buddies doesn't have a computer, and doesn't even have a cell phone.
There are several handicapped parking spots next to the first base bleachers on flat ground less than 50 feet from the stadium. There are also as you mentioned- several people driving golf carts picking people up. I have seen many elderly fans riding them to the stadium.
Well if that's good for baseball then they need to do the same for basketball! Too many lower level seats that don't get sit in all year except for 1-2 games.