Season tix down 14%
- Thread starter Caveman Catfan
- Start date
After what we've been through you shouldn't complain if we get any bowl.
No we didn't, we used to sell out the UL game whether we were good or not but that's it. What season have we ever had sellouts or close to sellouts when we were bad? We had the same terrible attendance back then as well do now.
Last edited:
Every game is on TV and and pay raises have been few and far between the last few years. Many can afford a game or two but season'starts tickets are a big investment.
I think there is A LOT of truth to this. But I think the argument goes back more than just 20 years.
I started attending UofK regularly with my late father-in-law who was one of those diehard fans. I recall walking out of both Stoll Field and CWS many times with him muttering "Damn Cats; should have won that one". But he/we were there next week (among what I always thought was a group of about 25,000 hard core fans). In later years I referred to them as the "Stoll Field Faithful". I was at the last game at Stoll and the first game at CWS and wondered: "Where in the hell were you people last year"? Only when his health deteriorated in the early 80s did we stop attending games together.
The point here is that I believe CWS "created" a new kind of UK fan than the old Stoll Field Faithful crowd, fans who were there for the "Saturday Experience" rather than the game itself. But that is simply not the case in the rest of the South where the game itself is so popular that many fans attach their emotional self worth to the success of their football team (much like UK basketball fans).
As others have mentioned, there are now many reasons why you "should" stay home and watch the game on your 60" high def TV. Student attendance has declined just about everywhere. TV scheduling is seldom optimal for traveling fans. (Personally, I am getting older and do not enjoy a night drive in the traffic back to Louisville.) I can't speak to the cost of parking (seems outrageous from what I have read) but the cost of tickets is still very reasonable (compared to many other places). The reasons to not attend go on and differ for most everyone.
IOW, it is tougher now to be an "at the game" kind of fan than it was even just 20 years ago. And to a large extent the institutions have brought that on themselves in their quest for more revenue. It varies of course but, without question, there is a cost to be a fan.
All that said, there is the issue of winning. Consistent winning has eluded UK since the Bear left town. Brooks was the only coach to post more than 2 consecutive winning seasons (2006-2009) since the Bear. Other than what has now become the "CWS Faithful", I suspect that if you went back over the past 40 years of attendance figures, ticket sales would be a lagging indicator of W/L success on the field. So, despite the cost and inconvenience, I think the tickets sales will again go up when the winning starts. And consistent winning will keep it up. All JMO.
Peace
Hahahaha. Wow. 7-5? Really now? Jesus yall. 5-7 is the most realistic scenario. At best we go 6-6. At worst we go 4-8 (a good possibility of 3-9 if we lose to USM). I predict 5-7 with 4-8 being the next most like scenario. And we keep stoops for another stoops-esque season the following year. 7-5 though? I want what you're smoking.
I think the comment above about college football being a television sport now is spot on. The parking at Commonwealth is bad. Traffic in and out is worse. No alcohol(unless you are in the elite boxes, then the University brings it to you). I have been going to UK games since 1966. Then it was a social event even if the football was shitty. Things in college football have changed. I don't think even a modest improvement would fill the seats. It would take a Clemson-like team to overcome the disadvantages UK face now with their fans.
Disagree...3 or4 7-5..8-4 seasons with the team being competitive and bowl wins and they would be talking CWS expansion
The University just REDUCED seating in CWS. Student attendance has been lacking for years. Television is calling the shots. Why do you think 7-5 vs 5-7 will produce more attendance.
Notice I said 7-5..8-4/w bowl wins for 4 yrs and everything changes around the program especially with a couple of big wins along the way
FWIW, I agree with slugger and said pretty much the same thing in my earlier post. IF UK can get to be a consistent 7-8 win team (more 8s than 7s) they will likely need more seats. But before making such a decision there should be ample evidence that such football prosperity is the new normal. JMO, but I still believe the CWS renovation could have been done with the same amenities but less loss of seating.
Peace
Apparently you haven't looked at the schedule...it's a lot easier to find 7 wins then 7 losses
We have had season tickets since Stoll field days. We went from eight season tickets to four this year ---- also buying two extra individual game tickets to two games.
We had twelve season tickets just two years ago. Also dropped two parking passes this year.
Our reasons are Basically for the same ones very well enunciated above:
Getting old, HDTV a better option particularly in cold weather, conflicts with grandkids, baseball, soccer, football etc., Resent TV Gods not caring about the fans in the stands i.e. Not setting game times until 12 days out, conflicts with Keenland, night games in Freezing November .
Neither cost or winning record made any difference to us. We're all in the fourth quarter of life and spend what we want .
Bottom line is there are many better ways to spend your Saturday's today than their were when we were young.we lost thirty per cent of our fan base during the Joker years and once you lose fans its darn near impossible to get them back.basically you're asking them to admit they were wrong and bet on the come that UK will turn it around. Tough sell.
Staying home you can not only see our game better than if you are there but can then see the best games in the entire nation without the hassle of traffic or parking or freezing .
Short of a consistent 8/4 team with an occasional SEC championship I don't think CWS WILL BE THE PLACE TO BE ON STAURDAYS IN THE FALL.
Even if we do go 8/4 a couple of years it will still be tough to get them back.TV option is just too attractive. We're not even a sell out anymore for all games at Rupp . I am just hoping the luxury boxes and club seats stay sold out. If corporations ever decide there are better ways to entertain we really will take a hit.
What's 15,000 average empty seats loss in revenue as long as they are all the lower costs seats? About six million ? A lot of money but with TV revenues of 35 million we can handle it . Will hurt severely though.
We had twelve season tickets just two years ago. Also dropped two parking passes this year.
Our reasons are Basically for the same ones very well enunciated above:
Getting old, HDTV a better option particularly in cold weather, conflicts with grandkids, baseball, soccer, football etc., Resent TV Gods not caring about the fans in the stands i.e. Not setting game times until 12 days out, conflicts with Keenland, night games in Freezing November .
Neither cost or winning record made any difference to us. We're all in the fourth quarter of life and spend what we want .
Bottom line is there are many better ways to spend your Saturday's today than their were when we were young.we lost thirty per cent of our fan base during the Joker years and once you lose fans its darn near impossible to get them back.basically you're asking them to admit they were wrong and bet on the come that UK will turn it around. Tough sell.
Staying home you can not only see our game better than if you are there but can then see the best games in the entire nation without the hassle of traffic or parking or freezing .
Short of a consistent 8/4 team with an occasional SEC championship I don't think CWS WILL BE THE PLACE TO BE ON STAURDAYS IN THE FALL.
Even if we do go 8/4 a couple of years it will still be tough to get them back.TV option is just too attractive. We're not even a sell out anymore for all games at Rupp . I am just hoping the luxury boxes and club seats stay sold out. If corporations ever decide there are better ways to entertain we really will take a hit.
What's 15,000 average empty seats loss in revenue as long as they are all the lower costs seats? About six million ? A lot of money but with TV revenues of 35 million we can handle it . Will hurt severely though.
Seating in stadium reduced....
Season Ticket sales in decline for last 6 years...14% drop since last year...
Haven't had a winning season in 6 years...
A disruption of fan seating and parking...
200 million spent on stadium renovation
45 million spent on practice facilities
Parking goes up 100%
K-Fund cost increase
Coaches salaries increased
AD gets about a 40% bump in pay and an a contract extension...
If one were to take things at face value they'd assume UK places more value on looks over substance... We all know the money involved is funny money... New media deals, TV and SEC revenue is where the cash comes from... It's not coming from the success of the cash cow/football....
I agree that UK need to create new fans and that reliance ($$$) on "the old guard" is risky, because, well, they're old... But in my world its a fool that disrespects the wallet... UK has one of the most finite fanbases in the USA... Less people, less people with money. There isn't a large pool of a potential paying public out there waiting to scoop up season tickets... Don't see them, don't hear them.
I'd rather have old money regulars filling up a reduced capacity stadium than I would one less filled with, fans-for'a-year, people.... Barnhart is the AD not me. I'm just a schmuck who sees things in a way that's worked for me... But I'll be damned if I'd run a business and pay people more for less........
Season Ticket sales in decline for last 6 years...14% drop since last year...
Haven't had a winning season in 6 years...
A disruption of fan seating and parking...
200 million spent on stadium renovation
45 million spent on practice facilities
Parking goes up 100%
K-Fund cost increase
Coaches salaries increased
AD gets about a 40% bump in pay and an a contract extension...
If one were to take things at face value they'd assume UK places more value on looks over substance... We all know the money involved is funny money... New media deals, TV and SEC revenue is where the cash comes from... It's not coming from the success of the cash cow/football....
I agree that UK need to create new fans and that reliance ($$$) on "the old guard" is risky, because, well, they're old... But in my world its a fool that disrespects the wallet... UK has one of the most finite fanbases in the USA... Less people, less people with money. There isn't a large pool of a potential paying public out there waiting to scoop up season tickets... Don't see them, don't hear them.
I'd rather have old money regulars filling up a reduced capacity stadium than I would one less filled with, fans-for'a-year, people.... Barnhart is the AD not me. I'm just a schmuck who sees things in a way that's worked for me... But I'll be damned if I'd run a business and pay people more for less........
how about those redneck boxcars in that slum area around the Pizza Pit..looks like they picked up skid row and moved it to a rail yard ..oops I forgot Papa Johns is built on an abandoned railyard..never mindYeah, that was a pretty easy one to call. The good thing here is that UK isn't really "losing money" unless they have acted like Government and spent projected income before it materialized. They are simply not making any on what was a very minimal investment (if any at all).
Peace
![[laughing]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/laugh.r191677.gif "Laughing [laughing]")
I would suggest that for the fans that haven't been to other SEC football stadiums, UK has the best parking situation of any of them . The access and proximity to the stadium is the best in terms of area to park and less distance to your seat. Also, been going to games since Stoll Field, and have been as disappointed as anyone,but this is the first time in memory that any investment of reasonable amount has been put in football! Unfortunately maybe 50 years late! I m hoping Stoops can make us competitive,especially with the addition of Gran and Hinshaw. A more productive offense will make the defense better, but you can't catch up your football program in 4 years after decades of neglect. Begs the question,when can we expect to be competitive with the OTIS?!
It is never "easy" to find 7 wins on a UK schedule, if it was, we would have a lot more 7 win seasons than losing seasons.
Going to disagree with the premise many are offering. College football teams, in general, are having a harder time selling tickets. It is no longer as simple as saying "if we win more, more people will come to games." The reason for this is largely societal, and has little to do specifically with whether we win 5 games or 8. People are generally busier now, life is more hectic, there are more entertainment options, and big screen televisions are now everywhere. You don't have to go to the house of the one guy who has one - everyone does. From Time magazine in 2014:
"There’s no denying that college football is a hugely successful business enterprise, arguably the second-biggest, most popular sport in the U.S. right now (after pro football in the NFL). But there’s one glaring crack in the armor that college football conferences and storied college programs have been struggling with for years: Fewer and fewer fans are actually buying tickets and attending games in person.
The problem is particularly evident among students, who aren’t buying tickets like generations past. For the upcoming season, the University of Michigan, the winner of no fewer than 11 national championships and 42 conference crowns, projects that student attendance will hit around 13,000—a shocking 40% less than the figure hit last year (roughly 19,000).
It’s not just a problem in Ann Arbor. The Wall Street Journal reported that student attendance fell 7.1% from 2009 to 2013, and that it has even fallen over the past few years at games hosted by perennial powerhouses such as Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida State, LSU, and the University of Florida. A year ago, observers took note that home attendance was down for the majority of teams in the SEC, even though the conference has thoroughly dominated college football in recent years."
"There’s no denying that college football is a hugely successful business enterprise, arguably the second-biggest, most popular sport in the U.S. right now (after pro football in the NFL). But there’s one glaring crack in the armor that college football conferences and storied college programs have been struggling with for years: Fewer and fewer fans are actually buying tickets and attending games in person.
The problem is particularly evident among students, who aren’t buying tickets like generations past. For the upcoming season, the University of Michigan, the winner of no fewer than 11 national championships and 42 conference crowns, projects that student attendance will hit around 13,000—a shocking 40% less than the figure hit last year (roughly 19,000).
It’s not just a problem in Ann Arbor. The Wall Street Journal reported that student attendance fell 7.1% from 2009 to 2013, and that it has even fallen over the past few years at games hosted by perennial powerhouses such as Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida State, LSU, and the University of Florida. A year ago, observers took note that home attendance was down for the majority of teams in the SEC, even though the conference has thoroughly dominated college football in recent years."
More and better OOC games would only help attendance. I only bought a handful of individual games this year and did not buy tix to Austin Peay or N. Mex State. But even if I had season tix, would not have attended anyway. But if we had scheduled Pitt, WVU, UC, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Northwestern, or the like, I would have definitely bought and attended.
I will never attend another college sporting event UK plays that isn't a Power 5 opponent. I've seen way too many of those games and have no interest in them.
Until these schools start catering to the internet era of entertainment, the student, as well as the Millennial, attendance will continue to decline.
UK in particular, needs to shore up the lack of Wi-Fi in the stadium. Heck, I'm 50+ and I can't stand the fact that I can't keep up with the real time stats of the game, check on other games, chat with my friends, talk on this board, check out social media, etc. while inside Commonwealth Stadium.
The best seats and suites will always be filled, but the regular Joe's and younger generation will not come back unless they can be FULLY entertained and socially interact.
JMHO
UK in particular, needs to shore up the lack of Wi-Fi in the stadium. Heck, I'm 50+ and I can't stand the fact that I can't keep up with the real time stats of the game, check on other games, chat with my friends, talk on this board, check out social media, etc. while inside Commonwealth Stadium.
The best seats and suites will always be filled, but the regular Joe's and younger generation will not come back unless they can be FULLY entertained and socially interact.
JMHO
I think that TV has been the issue, along with putting a poor product on the field. Noon games and 7:30 games make it tough on a lot of fans, especially those out in the state, who come from far west KY. And I think that not knowing game times until a couple of weeks out make it pretty hard for those of us who have to work on Saturdays to make plans. The sad thing is that UK can make more money from other SEC teams being the game of the week than they can by selling out CWS.
With all of that said, they have got to put a better product on the field. Got to beat the teams we are supposed to beat, win some toss up games, and occasionally beat a much better team.
Do that and tickets will sell better.
GO CATS
Noon kickoffs blow. Worst possible time to play. Have less than zero interest in tailgating at 9:30 am.
Having said that, lots of schools in the Big 10 and ACC play early, lot of Michigan games kick off at noon in the Big House, and they seem to do OK in attendance.
Having said that, lots of schools in the Big 10 and ACC play early, lot of Michigan games kick off at noon in the Big House, and they seem to do OK in attendance.
The home schedule is pretty unappealing compared to what we've had in the past. I'm sure that has played a big factor in the decline in sales.
USM, USCjr, Mizzou, New Mexico, Austin Peay and Vandy are 6 off the bad. Miss St and UofL are toss ups.
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.
mb would be wise to develop a plan to rebuild the fanbase. He should start by filling empty seats with kids groups from around the area. He should have a listing of kids organizations that can quickly put together a group to bring to a game. If they become fans when they are young, as most of us did, they will be fans for life.
Why do college students and twenty-somethings prefer doing things other than go to Football games on Saturdays? It's because that's what they were taught to do when they were kids.
So, who's to blame for declining attendance? mb gets a lot of it; historical lack of support to the one sport that should have been receiving the lion's share of the money and attention to name a couple, but IMO the blame for lack of interest of the 35 and under group falls squarely in the laps of my generation.
Why do college students and twenty-somethings prefer doing things other than go to Football games on Saturdays? It's because that's what they were taught to do when they were kids.
So, who's to blame for declining attendance? mb gets a lot of it; historical lack of support to the one sport that should have been receiving the lion's share of the money and attention to name a couple, but IMO the blame for lack of interest of the 35 and under group falls squarely in the laps of my generation.
The imbalance of home scheduling of even number years VS odd has been a problem since the UL series went home/home in 1998.
odd: UL, Tennessee, Florida, Mizzou
even: Georgia, South Carolina, Vandy, Miss St
even going back to Joker's first year as a head coach, with the program comming off 4 straight bowl seasons, season tickets went down...because it was the even number lesser home schedule.
That's incredibly optimistic. No way I'd count Mizzou, Vandy, uscjr or even USM as locked at this point. I'd say NM and AP are, without a shadow of a doubt wins. USM we SHOULD win, but wouldn't be crazy if we drop that one. Mizzou, Vandy and uscjr were all relatively close last season...not expecting those to be for sure wind this season.
Last edited:
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
