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).
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