Penn State football tickets will have different system soon
Penn State is considering annual fees for season ticket holders, sources say - Patriot-NewsOne thing's for sure: PSU fans, open wallets - Patriot-News
This past Saturday, rumors about major changes to Penn State football ticket distribution got covered by a major media outlet for the first time. RUTS mentioned them a few weeks ago during one of my weekly chats. This is going to upset a lot of people as lots of ticketholders between the 40 yard lines (and maybe elsewhere) are going to have to pay more to retain their seats. Paying the minimum contribution will no longer be enough if you have really good seats. Nittany Lion Club points are also not going to be much or any of a factor either, so I'm really glad I never joined. Basically, loyalty is no enough to keep your tickets, you have to open that wallet now. Loyalty doesn't pay for athletes scholarships, facilities, travel and so on -- money does.
RUTS, in a very thorough analysis on Black Shoe Diaries, is seeing this as an opportunity for other (i.e. younger) fans willing to spend the money to move up to much better seats. That's true and if you have the money but could never get close to midfield, this is good news for you. In general though, this is a big money grab that is going to make Penn State football more expensive for fans. There will certainly be backlash, but how much? Frankly, that is really going to depend on if Penn State is winning and to a lesser extent, what the home schedules look like. Some problems Penn State potentially faces:
- Personally, I do not relish the idea of paying more just for the privilege of buying tickets to see Penn State play someone like Indiana State and I bet some of you don't either.
- The gameday experience at Beaver Stadium has really suffered since Guido D'Elia was put in charge of it -- I'm sick of hearing about the "Greatest Show in College Football." Every time I go (less and less since I am now a father) I like it less. Too much piped in music, not enough Blue Band.
- There is not as much parking and that does make it take longer to get to the game.. I don't mind it so much since the mission of the university is not to provide football parking. I welcome the arboretum and (ugly) law school building as those will get used a lot more often the football parking.
- Some fans may be more content to just stay home and watch games on their big HD TVs. Remember, there is no blackout rule in college football like the pros.
- More revenue might mean they are going to be willing to spend money on the next football coach. Joe Paterno makes very little compared to his peers at other top 25 programs. If they want a big name next time, they have to open up the wallet. That may be one of the reasons they are jacking up football ticket prices.
- Left unsaid in any of the articles I have seen, fans outside of the 40s may get less desirable seats as other fans get downgraded since they won't pony up.
- That may be true of other sports as well. The new wrestling coach was quite a coup and they spent a lot of money for him.
- More, younger fans in key positions could make the stadium a lot louder and improve the atmosphere, though pricing out the "average fan" has a way of having the opposite impact.
- Maybe we'll get that hockey arena after all.
Oh and the student section is going to be moved around so it is completely in the south endzone. That frees up seats on the east sideline for more alumni. Juniors and seniors lose in this deal, but ultimately, that could make the south end zone much louder, so that's a win.
Penn State to hike football ticket cost - The Atloona Mirror
Penn State, Nittany Lions, college football,Labels: Penn State Football, PSU Football 2009
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posted by WFY @ 10:00 AM | |
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