Season tix down 14%

[JDHoss]

If I lived within an hour or so of Lexington, I would still have season tickets, but I wonder how many of the 14% are like me? On game day, it's a 4-5 hour trip with traffic from my house to getting parked somewhere. Probably about 5-6 hours leaving and getting home. That's as much as 11 hours just spent in travel. Toss in getting there an hour before kickoff, and the game itself, you're looking at a 16 hour day. At my age, that now requires an overnight stay. Let's say $100 for two tickets, $120 for a hotel, $50 for gas, $100 for meals & game snacks. That's $370 - $400 per weekend for the home games. At 7 home games, that's around $2800 for the season. I can afford that, but I can also take that money and rent a small house in Florida for a month during the winter. I used to have season tickets back when we were lucky if UK was on TV 3-4 times a year. Now, it's just so easy to stay home, watch in HD with no traffic hassle, no lines at the bathroom, no overpriced, ****** food choices at the concessions, replay on demand, a dozen or more other games on at the same time that I can check in on, and so on and so forth....

 

[LeonThe Camel]

Nope. I don't know our exact record now, but we've got a losing record now. I hope we can turn that around though

<---------- This guy had better ignore Wiki then.

Here is another look at the record (not from wiki):
Record*: 100 Years, 467-537-36, .466 W-L% (Major School)
*W-L-T adjusted to 468-536-36 by NCAA.

 

[WildCard]

<---------- This guy had better ignore Wiki then.

Here is another look at the record (not from wiki):
Record*: 100 Years, 467-537-36, .466 W-L% (Major School)
*W-L-T adjusted to 468-536-36 by NCAA.

I'de be careful about what Wiki says. While it doesn't mean it is correct, I have long used this stat page for historical W/L data. Sorted by winning percentage lists the Cats at #93 of 128 team with a record of 593-606-43. Disregarding the 43 ties that is a win percentage of 49.5%.

To the point of the thread, UK football has long been characterized by good attendance despite poor performance (much like SC and the reason I often refer to them as UK's SEC "peer"). SC is "coming down" from the 3 best years in program history but I have no idea how well their 2016 season tickets sales are going (this is info that just about all schools are "reluctant" to publicize unless going very well).

I recall going to the last game at Stoll Field and the first game at CWS and wondering where all these "new" fans were during the Stoll Field days. It struck me as if an additional 20,000 or so fans came because CWS was now the place to be on fall Saturdays. From that day on I used the term "Stoll Field Faithful" to describe the 25K-30K fans that would be there regardless.

Well, if we fast forward some 40 plus years there seems to be new fan dynamics. Many of the Stoll Field Faithful have gone to the Great Stadium in the Sky and even the youngsters from that era are getting a bit old and have numerous reason why they are no longer "regulars". I think a lot of that ticket drop is due to an aging f"traditional" an base with a newer "less tolerant" fan base. There are simply different "fan dynamics" now than in the 70s and 80s.

But the common denominator over the years has been pretty mediocre on field performance. Curci ('76 and '77), Claiborne ('83 and '84) and Brooks (2006-2009) are the only coaches to have successive winning seasons since Blanton Collier did so in the 50s. The "fan revolt" of the Joker era and the current "wait and see" approach of today's fans suggest Barnhart is dealing with a new fan mentality. Whether sustained or temporary, the recent success of other historically mediocre football programs is causing BBN to ask: "Why not here"? FWIW, I think ticket sales will follow the performance on the field and the "I'll be there regardless" group continue to decline. All JMO.

Peace

 

[Tskware]

I understand what you are saying but if we'd scheduled those teams, we would severely decrease the likelihood of our going to a bowl. Our schedule is already tough enough with 8 SEC games. If anything, we don't have enough cupcakes.

My 2 cents would be to require everyone to play at least 8 conference games and two OOC games against Power 5 teams, maybe three. But at the same time, reduce bowls to maybe 30 or 35. That way everyone is on equal footing (i.e., no one can pad their schedule with three cripples just to get bowl eligible), and then getting a bowl bid would probably take a 7-5 record with 5 or 6 wins over Power 5 teams, in short, you would actually deserve a bowl bid. But there would still be enough bowls to give non Power 5 schools plenty of opportunity to earn one.

 

[UKGrad93]

My brother knows a guy that gave up season tix & parking pass this year. The tix had been in his family since before WWII. He lives 4 hrs away from Lex and like many have noted, in addition to the tix themselves, the cost of travel is $300-$500 for a game.

I'm planning to go to the MSST game this year. At this point, I have committed $500. Parking pass for $175, hotel room for 2 nights $330. I'll still have gas, food, beer, and tix to enter the stadium. It's damn expensive if you have to travel very far.

 

[rmattox]

My 2 cents would be to require everyone to play at least 8 conference games and two OOC games against Power 5 teams, maybe three. But at the same time, reduce bowls to maybe 30 or 35. That way everyone is on equal footing (i.e., no one can pad their schedule with three cripples just to get bowl eligible), and then getting a bowl bid would probably take a 7-5 record with 5 or 6 wins over Power 5 teams, in short, you would actually deserve a bowl bid. But there would still be enough bowls to give non Power 5 schools plenty of opportunity to earn one.

Many share your view. I'd fear this plan makes it harder for P5 schools to make a bowl while teams from crappy conferences benefit. For example: UK's SEC schedule will annually exceed the difficulty of most other teams in any other conference. Essentially, if you add an Indiana, Purdue, UC, etc...you're adding another Vandy level team.....and they are no push over. Whereas a CUSA school wins 3 of 8 games in conference, beats two AAC teams, then beats two also-rans....they're bowl bound.
Your plan seems to favor teams from lesser conferences.

Besides, I don't like any plan that reduces the number of bowl games. IMO, bowl season is the best 3 weeks of the sports year.

 

[rmattox]

the "I'll be there regardless" group continue to decline. All JMO.

Peace

Today's fan is more of a combination of fan/consumer while in years past, they've simply been fans. UK Football is now like Kroger...if they don't offer what we want, we'll go elsewhere. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[rjr]

Today's fan is more of a combination of fan/consumer while in years past, they've simply been fans. UK Football is now like Kroger...if they don't offer what we want, we'll go elsewhere. Nothing wrong with that.

This is a good point.

There are so many things that have led to less ticket sales- but raising prices and kicking people out of their seats all while losing game after game probably wasn't the best idea. If they can start winning (and I think they have a decent shot at a bowl this year) attendance will improve some- but I think the days of packing Commonwealth are simply over.

Have they in fact sold out the club level? I wonder how long that will last when there is no one else in the stadium. UK needs to win.

 

[BluTide]

Very good chance cats lose opening game and stumble to 4 win season. Attendance will be atrocious. Just hope the AD doesn't give stoops a bonus or extension ......... Joke

 

[truebluewildcat_rivals34254]

Obviously a large reason for that is on field product, but sports is evolving away from being an up close and personal affair.

Going to the stadiums used to be the only way to see the game and experience the fan fare, packing the family up and making the trek also used to be one of the few things to do.

We have to understand generational differences when looking at changes and/or shifts in things such as a significant drop in season tickets and attendance.

Gen Y and the Millennials are not as interested in season tickets. For several reasons. One reason is that they simply have more options of things to do on the weekends than their parents and grandparents had. They may be interested in buying single game tickets a couple of times a year if things are going well, but they are a more mobile, exploratory, and able to do countless other things.

Another reason is that younger people are growing up in a discount era, and there is nothing cheap about going to a single game let alone 8 of them, and for the younger people who do love football and want to spend their time and money watching it they can stay at home and go to a friends house or a sports bar and watch a half dozen football games on big screens for less money than a single game ticket.

Thirdly, university enrollment. Back in the day campus was packed with kids from the state and from near by areas who more often than not had ties to the university. Kentucky kids grew up UK fans in UK families. Then they went to UK themselves, graduated, stayed home and raised UK fans themselves.

Nowadays, UK has 30,000 kids and 12,000 are from everywhere else. Same goes for all other colleges. Kids from California, Texas, Canada, Vietnam, Europe, Africa, etc don't give a hoot about UK athletics, at least not long term. They'll all go games here and there but they'll graduate, leave the state and go have families elsewhere. Kids from Kentucky will go to Ohio, Florida, New York, Kansas, etc meet somebody from Missouri, Oklahoma, Washington, etc, graduate move to Mobile and raise a tide fan.

If you want an indicator of how and where things are going just pay attention to the student section, the future alumni and season ticket/single game buying base. They'll show up late and don't stay for the whole game, a lot wont make it til half time. Some of the more loyal of them will last til the 3rd quarter. It may fill up and stay full a couple times a season for a big conference game and UL if things start off well enough.

 

[Tskware]

^
Think your post is well thought out. I think the time is at hand where these mega athletic departments (like UK, and many others in the Power 5 conferences) better start counting on more and more of their revenue coming from TV and from licensing, and less and less from ticket sales, because the live gate has probably maxed out both in terms of attendance and in cost.

In this day and age, I see no realistic way for UK (as one example) to charge 50% more for tickets, K Fund, and parking passes, while at the same time expect to increase stadium capacity to 75 or 80,000. The demand and ability to pay is just not there, and most likely never will be again.

 

[sluggercatfan]

^
Think your post is well thought out. I think the time is at hand where these mega athletic departments (like UK, and many others in the Power 5 conferences) better start counting on more and more of their revenue coming from TV and from licensing, and less and less from ticket sales, because the live gate has probably maxed out both in terms of attendance and in cost.

In this day and age, I see no realistic way for UK (as one example) to charge 50% more for tickets, K Fund, and parking passes, while at the same time expect to increase stadium capacity to 75 or 80,000. The demand and ability to pay is just not there, and most likely never will be again.

For FOOTBALL it might happen at KENTUCKY from the fear of UK fb getting as big as another sport on campus, but it will NEVER happen at schools in the SEC...football is king just like it is across the country except in Kentucky and NC..

 

[UKNothinButNet]

For the cost of those chalets, you should get a Deed.

Think of it as a timeshare!

 

[ukalum1988]

7-5 won't get you a good bowl.

@KY Hog Man,

I'll just leave this here:
http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...ch-taxslayer-bowl-2016-teams-date-tv-schedule

 

[UKhoopCat]

After we go 7-5 and get a good bowl, all these season ticket issues will take care of themselves

Excellent call.

 

[ukalum1988]

Excellent call.

Haven't heard from @dorkmeister lately; he's such an awesome UK fan.