We're currently struggling to get the season ticket holders with prime seats behind the team benches to consistently show up for games. This isn't a new problem. We even had this issue when Harrick's final two squads were selling out every SEC Home game.
The costs of the tickets and contributions for those seats are relatively low. Therefore, someone with modest disposable income can cost justify attending only a few prime weekend games and/or UK or UF while wasting the remaining tickets. Unfortunately, those empty seats are prominently featured on TV.
The Suggestions....
- Suggestion 1: Move the TV camera perspective to the opposite side of the arena. Duke (and I think LSU) do this. They showcase the student section side of the crowd instead of the coaches side. I recently suggested this to the proper folks at Butts-Mehre. It turns out that we did this in the past (some time pre-'94). Unfortunately, switching the TV pespective has legitimate logistical, advertising, signage and premium seating challenges. It's a tricky issues, but it's a switch I'd like to see us make.
Suggestion 2: Test an aftermarket ticket reseller program similar to Stubhub.com that gives season ticket holders the ability to return tickets or sell their tickets to other fans. This could give fans the ability to purchase premium tickets from other fans. Many college programs including Alabama, Mississippi State, Southern Cal, Georgetown and others utlize such after market ticket exchanges. However, I have no idea if they are successful or not.
(Full Disclosure: The Georgia Sports Blog is an affiliate for Stubhub.com. However, I'm curious about these programs regardless of the vendor or in-house provider).
pwd
7 comments:
Just a suggestion from a season ticket holder. If you are not able to use your season tickets for a particular game then let someone else use them. I typically give them to my babysitter and her boyfriend when I know I am unable to attend. That way the tickets are still being used and the seats won't be empty.
Another suggestion, maybe slack off a bit on the ticket checkers at the top of every lower level section. During the Harrick years, a friend and I sat directly behind the bench for most every game to the point where the people who'd actually have those tickets would be the ones sliding over as the rest of the area recognized those were our seats, we were in them every game. This carried over through the first year of Felton. Then came the tragedy in New York, and we upped security considerably. Now someone such as myself couldn't fill the empty void in critical seats every game. There's no need for that security until we actually start bringing fans. So long as the gym is 50% empty, we don't need to enforce the seating assignments.
Begger - I don't think it was 9-11. I think it was the move to GBEF ticket pricing for those seats.
If begger can sit behind the bench, haven't the terrorists really won? What's next, Osama with two on the 50 at Sanford?
I think you're right about GBEF, pwd.
whatever was the true cause, it led to an increase in the budget to pay for a bunch of people that aren't neccessary, and ultimately make us look bad. It's a lose-lose right now. Once we win, and fans finally decide to show up, they have a reason to be there, as it is now, it's a complete waste of time, money, and resources imo.
I apologize in advance for the long and sanctimonious post that follows:
The seating, the camera angles, the fact that the basketball team still plays in a dump - it's all symptomatic of the real problem. That real problem is that the Georgia Athletics Department has been the victim of a lack of creative problem solving and progressive thinking for many, many, many years. What it boils down to is caring, or a lack thereof. Simply put, those in control in the past (read: Dooley) did not care about the basketball program because no big booster or popular uprising made them care. If Georgia had cared about its basketball program over time, it would be in markedly better shape. The incredible amount of in-state talent that goes to play elsewhere on a yearly basis is mind boggling in its depth and breadth. I love Georgia. I love Georgia everything. My Dad played basketball at Georgia in the 60's. I'm as big a fan as they come. It makes me sick to say these things, but the fact of the matter is that until Georgia takes basketball almost as seriously as it does football, it will always be a second tier, average at best program. To be sure, some of that is the fan's responsibility. People with tickets need to show up or give them to Georgia fans. However, I have never understood why Georgia's Athletics Department does not seem to care about men's basketball. It is a revenue generator, after all. It's as if we're happy being categorized with the Mississipi State's and South Carolina's of the world in men's basketball - and recently we haven't even been that good.
Paul has some great ideas in his blog. Lots of other people have great ideas about ways to improve the Georgia basketball program. I have no doubt Felton and his guys are busting their butts over basketball right now. But, historically, the folks over in Athens have no idea what Paul and others like him are talking about. People: it is just not registering in Athens. They just don't get it. They don't think like that about men's basketball - or at least they haven't for years and years.
Maybe this has all changed with Damon Evans and it's just taking some time. Maybe he can only build a nice practice facility next door to the Stegosaurus for now. Maybe a non-embarrasing arena to play in is too much to ask for right now.
Like I said though, these issues are merely symptoms of the underlying issue - a lack of care.
Hank,
I won't argue that there was a lack of attention to UGA hoops in the past.
And we are still paying for the problems of the past.
But...it's not a lack of commitment, money, or marketing that's a problem right now.
Damon stroked a check for a $30 million practice facility on par with what UK just opened. It's off the charts.
They fired most of the dead wood in marketing. Bateman's doing all he can.
The money is there. We'll know next year if we have the coach or not. If not, there's an infrastructure in place to get a better coach next time assuming we're willing to pay $1.3-1.5 million to hire them.
AND I would argue that we didn't stroke a $30 million facilities check in order to get cheap on coaching salaries.
PWD
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