.........for ticket sales. When it was announced that the games would be played at AT & T I thought that with the reduced capacity compared to Memorial the tickets would go fast and there would be a lot of fans disappointed. Well, there are a lot of fans disappointed and they're not buying tickets for various reasons, mostly monetary. I just wonder how much the athletic budget is going to take a hit this year, as I cannot see any games selling out, with the possible exception of the USC game - and that is doubtful. And here's another thought - Cal will probably have the worst average home attendance this year of any Pac 12 team, with the possible exception of WSU and maybe OSU, depending on how they do. Well, wait 'til next year.................

not sure we play enough exciting football to entice ticket sales. the washington loss sure won't sell any tickets in this economy. our a.d. doesn't know much about college football.

Well, since Cal is not a BCS contender this season, the prospects of the CASUAL fan ponying up $$$ to watch USC & four very unsexy teams (Presby, OSU, WSU, and Utah) AND travel across the Bay weren't very good...AT&T novelty or not.

It doesn't take a genius to see that.

Larno;584186 said:

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.........for ticket sales. When it was announced that the games would be played at AT & T I thought that with the reduced capacity compared to Memorial the tickets would go fast and there would be a lot of fans disappointed. Well, there are a lot of fans disappointed and they're not buying tickets for various reasons, mostly monetary. I just wonder how much the athletic budget is going to take a hit this year, as I cannot see any games selling out, with the possible exception of the USC game - and that is doubtful. And here's another thought - Cal will probably have the worst average home attendance this year of any Pac 12 team, with the possible exception of WSU and maybe OSU, depending on how they do. Well, wait 'til next year.................

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Your post is a disaster. Don't be an idiot. I know that isn't an easy thing I ask of you.

5-7.

5-7.

5-7.

If it's a price issue I totally understand with people not being able to go, but if people are scared away due to a "convenience" issue I think that's BS..It probably takes longer to get up University from the freeway than to go over the bridge to ATT, and being able to take BART or the ferry makes it even more convenient.

We can debate the merits of the players all day but at least they are putting in a lot of effort..I certainly hope all the people that put down the players are making the effort to get out and see the games and do their "job" as a fan..

Well, I feel like this seasons season ticket deal is a MASSIVE rip off.

I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop: When we move back, I expect that the loyalty of the fan will account for zero, you will be stuck in the seats you can "afford" while the seats you cannot sit empty, or filled with away fans.

Also, I expect Sandy and Co to move the Students and Band and ignore the lip service about how great it is to have them between the 40s.



What does it mean for ticket sales? LOYAL fans (who make up about 80% of fans during down times like this), will start to abandon their seats because there is nothing to be gained by sitting through the bad to ensure a good sightline for the good times. They will quickly realize it is better to be gouged to watch a WINNER for one season from premo seats than it is to be gouged for 4 or 5 years in average/bad seats.

Dont forget that if Cal is good when they are not expected to be, there will be thousands of GREAT seats available through stubhub etc for less than season tickets cost.

CubanPete;584223 said:

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It is not the fans' "job" to pay for tickets to go see college football games. It is the athletic department's job to make them want to go.

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Really? I have to rely on the AD to initiate my love of Cal football? Dang, that sucks. At least you've absolved me of any responsibility so there's that.

CubanPete;584223 said:

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It is not the fans' "job" to pay for tickets to go see college football games. It is the athletic department's job to make them want to go.

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You're kidding right?... If our fan base is so bad we need the Athletic Dept to motivate them to see the team, we are a sorry lot.....thank God that isn't true for the most part, though the AD failed at making this an easier sell.

Phantomfan - Got to agree with you. The out-of-area fan like me is not a priority at all. Now that they have Thursday games, it is out of the question (I am a single father raising two kids so I can't travel to Thursday games) for me to get season tickets again. I gave up my season tickets before last year because my gameday companion (my father) could no longer go and I foresaw last season's disaster. I have not regretted that decision. I think a lot of folks are seeing the future like I did. It's a shame.

CubanPete;584242 said:

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Of course not. It's up to the Athletic Department to price tickets at a point where fans would prefer to watch in person rather than on TV.

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For our fanbase that would essentially mean giving the tickets away -- not gonna happen. Our prices are comparable to the prices of other pac 12 teams but our whining has to be at an upper-echelon level.

Holmoephobic;584232 said:

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Reallysucks*, holmoe

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:cheer:headbang:cheer

CAL6371;584241 said:

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Phantomfan - Got to agree with you. The out-of-area fan like me is not a priority at all. Now that they have Thursday games, it is out of the question (I am a single father raising two kids so I can't travel to Thursday games) for me to get season tickets again. I gave up my season tickets before last year because my gameday companion (my father) could no longer go and I foresaw last season's disaster. I have not regretted that decision. I think a lot of folks are seeing the future like I did. It's a shame.

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This is a very legitimate concern, before Cal agrees to schedule a non-Saturday game the AD should balance the benefit of a nationally televised game vs. the inconvenience to the Cal fans who won't be able to make it (not just those out of town but those who are tied up on weeknights). It is like punishing them and making them buy tickets for games they will not attend. I know of several fans who sit near me at Memorial. They come from Fresno and Modesto. They make a weekend of coming to the Bay Area for a Cal game. They cannot do that if the game is on Thursday night.

68great;584257 said:

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This is a very legitimate concern, before Cal agrees to schedule a non-Saturday game the AD should balance the benefit of a nationally televised game vs. the inconvenience to the Cal fans who won't be able to make it (not just those out of town but those who are tied up on weeknights). It is like punishing them and making them buy tickets for games they will not attend. I know of several fans who sit near me at Memorial. They come from Fresno and Modesto. They make a weekend of coming to the Bay Area for a Cal game. They cannot do that if the game is on Thursday night.

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Starting next year when we are in our new digs, Cal and the Furd will NOT have Thursday "home" games, only Friday "home" games....this was decided when the North/South divisions were put together. So no worries about making Thursday games at home.

drunkoski;584261 said:

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situation. but it's all mute anyway

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make words, not $ ... . or not





:Monty:tedford

Its been that way for some time. While I bought Season tickets, most of my friends out of the area did not. Its not the same without them all there. I am not enjoying it much.I used to go to every game rain or shine now I am thinking if it rains maybe I don't want to go to a night game in the rain at ATT. Stupid, I know but I am being honest.Plus I do have a great rain suit.

CubanPete;584242 said:

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Of course not. It's up to the Athletic Department to price tickets at a point where fans would prefer to watch in person rather than on TV.

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yup... those prices are a total rip off imho.

Holmoephobic;584244 said:

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For our fanbase that would essentially mean giving the tickets away -- not gonna happen. Our prices are comparable to the prices of other pac 12 teams but our whining has to be at an upper-echelon level.

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and witness those empty seats at ucla and SC....

Are we not forgetting that with the new Memorial, we're going to go from having what was by far the league's dumpiest, most uncomfortable stadium to one of the nicest? That takes one of the big excuses (maybe the biggest) for casual fans to stay home, off the board.

I'm not worried about a bad attendance year at AT&T having any long-run implications. Next year we get a major shot in the arm with the new stadium.

Thursday night games are hard enough. But having them away from campus, I don't expect many students to be able to make it.

I'm going to go the game but a large part of it is that I happen to work 1 block away from AT&T.

Away from campus, stadium remodel, coming off a losing season, this wasn't going to be a big ticket season. I'm a little surprised students haven't realized the benefits of attending in terms of easy access to alcohol, but I'm not surprised by the attendance.

This is a year we knew we would have to gut through. It's never pretty going through it, but the spruced-up Memorial will be worth it in the end.

:gobears:

GoBears58;584273 said:

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and witness those empty seats at ucla and SC....

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UCLA's seats are empty because of the fans? Sure.

USC averaged 84k per contest despite the sanctions and down year. They hardly have the empty seats we have even when we were good and the prices were better.

egbear82;584218 said:

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If it's a price issue I totally understand with people not being able to go, but if people are scared away due to a "convenience" issue I think that's BS..It probably takes longer to get up University from the freeway than to go over the bridge to ATT, and being able to take BART or the ferry makes it even more convenient.

We can debate the merits of the players all day but at least they are putting in a lot of effort..I certainly hope all the people that put down the players are making the effort to get out and see the games and do their "job" as a fan..

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I have season tix this year and am still going or will try to go to all the games, but it takes me 3x or 4x as long to take BART or get over the bridge into the city and to the game coming from my place. Taking the 24 and going up Telegraph to my southside parking lot was not that bad.

LafayetteBear;584234 said:

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Fail, 77x. Your post is the objectionable one.

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I'm not the one who used that incendiary subject line. This season is, by no means, a disaster. Sure, we lost at UW, which wasn't ideal, but the team played hard in that game, as it has in all games, which is far more than we can say for any of the last two Cal teams.

There is clear progress for this program, and anybody who can't recognize that shouldn't be a Cal fan, because following sports is something that should either make you happy, or you should be doing something else. If Keenan Allen can't make you happy, take up golf. Or knitting, whatever floats your boat.

And as for ticket sales, the actual subject of this stupid post, I think the topic has been beaten to death, but even if that isn't true (it is), this is a stupid post to precede the USC game, which is going to have great attendance. Sure, I'm worried about WSU, OSU and Utah like everyone else, but this program had a long way to go, and with ticket price increases on the heels of a 5-7 season, what did everyone expect?

And now, I am ashamed of a fellow Lamorindan for defending stupidity.

Edit: By the way, "FAIL" is a stupid cliche, and I would hope you're better than that.

drunkoski;584245 said:

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few if any fanbases are strong (even in the mighty sec) despite middle of the road conference finishes every year. i'm not sure why we expect more out of our fans than everyone else.

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South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi State strongly disagree with this statement.
Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Iowa, Cincinnati and Louisville sold out every game despite mediocre seasons almost every year.

Holmoephobic;584244 said:

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For our fanbase that would essentially mean giving the tickets away -- not gonna happen. Our prices are comparable to the prices of other pac 12 teams but our whining has to be at an upper-echelon level.

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Not true. Stanford offers a family plan ticket package in a state of the art football facility with ample parking and a superior product for far less than what Sandy gouges us for.

We don't have compelling games this season apart from the Trojans. WSU, OSU and Utah are not schools that will attract a lot of casual fans. Fresno was at the Stick over the Labor Day Weekend, another date that conflicts with a lot of people's plans. We play the Furd at their house and Oregon in Eugene. Presbyterian was not a game I attended because of the nature of the opponent.

Playing on a Thursday night requires overnight accomodations for out-of-towners, another cost, as well as a flight or driving. This, of course, means that you are unable to work a full day on Thursday of the game and will probably not work on Friday. If you drove and stay in the City you will be hit with a very large overnight parking charge.

Unless you are a diehard, have a lot of discretionary income, are retired or have someone covering for you and there's no drop-off in performance at work, you just don't attend these games.

Looperbear;584317 said:

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Not true. Stanford offers a family plan ticket package in a state of the art football facility with ample parking and a superior product for far less than what Sandy gouges us for.

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That's because their fanbase is the longest running punchline in college football. Please don't use Stanford's half-packed stadium experience as a model for us to follow.

68great;584257 said:

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This is a very legitimate concern, before Cal agrees to schedule a non-Saturday game the AD should balance the benefit of a nationally televised game vs. the inconvenience to the Cal fans who won't be able to make it (not just those out of town but those who are tied up on weeknights). It is like punishing them and making them buy tickets for games they will not attend. I know of several fans who sit near me at Memorial. They come from Fresno and Modesto. They make a weekend of coming to the Bay Area for a Cal game. They cannot do that if the game is on Thursday night.

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I actually prefer the Thursday night game, so I don't have to deal with my kids' sports conflicts on Saturday.

drunkoski;584320 said:

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georgia and Tenn are historically top 10 programs. South Carolina is a resonable comparison, but they won 10 games last year. tech has a small stadium. notre dame is notre dame.

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Virginia Tech's stadium capacity is 66,233. That's more than New Memorial Stadium will hold and they sell out routinely. Louisville, Utah, and Cincy also sell out routinely.

drunkoski;584320 said:

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georgia and Tenn are historically top 10 programs. South Carolina is a resonable comparison, but they won 10 games last year. tech has a small stadium. notre dame is notre dame.

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When was the last time Tennessee even finished in the top 10?
They've had to deal with a decade of mediocrity (especially by their standards) and the fans haven't gone anywhere. No complaints about prices, no boycotting the ATO, no whining about this and that. They just show up and support the team they love -- what a novel concept.

Also, South Carolina hadn't won 10 games in a lonnnng time and their stadium has been packed since... always.

Holmoephobic;584321 said:

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That's because their fanbase is the longest running punchline in college football. Please don't use Stanford's half-packed stadium experience as a model for us to follow.

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You said our pricing was comparable and it's not, I didn't say we should model ourselves on Stanford. Take UCLA then if you want. Ample parking, more affordable ticket prices, beautiful historic stadium with plenty of tailgating.

Anyway, ff Sandy keeps up what she's doing with ticket pricing and scheduling, we might end up like Stanford. Were you at Presby? I was, and it was a half-packed stadium.

Looperbear;584326 said:

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You said our pricing was comparable and it's not, I didn't say we should model ourselves on Stanford. Take UCLA then if you want. Ample parking, more affordable ticket prices, beautiful historic stadium with plenty of tailgating.

Anyway, ff Sandy keeps up what she's doing with ticket pricing and scheduling, we might end up like Stanford. Were you at Presby? I was, and it was a half-packed stadium.

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I was at the game in my season ticket seats and it was half empty. I'm sure it had a lot more to do with our opponent and the fact that it was an absolutely beautiful day in the bay area.
My point is that Stanford is the exception and yet you used it as if it were the norm. Stanford's pricing reflects the fact that NOBODY will attend their games. Lot's of that is due to a far smaller alumni base, most of which, came from other states/nations.

Regardless, our fan base lacks the dedication to pack the house for games against Washington State, Oregon State, Utah, and Presby regardless of price.

Holmoephobic;584311 said:

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UCLA's seats are empty because of the fans? Sure.

USC averaged 84k per contest despite the sanctions and down year. They hardly have the empty seats we have even when we were good and the prices were better.

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USC had an attendance of 63k last game.

drunkoski;584330 said:

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vtech has been to how many bcs bowls? utah's stadium holds less than at&t.



you obviously don't read volnation on a regular basis. Tenn actually had their lowest attendance in many many years this year against buffalo and their fans are bitching quite a bit. also many many threads about the old people not standing and cheering. sound familiar?

south carolina is the exception to the rule. we are the norm.

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Come up with excuses for Cincy and Louisville yet or are you still googling?
Yeah, averaging 99k per year must suck for Tennessee. They complain because they expect better from their fanbase and so should we.

Utah averaged 45,155 (which is larger than AT&T) against a MWC schedule that featured powerhouses like Colorado State, Air Force, New Mexico, New Mexico State, etc.
Surely you remember how awesome our draws were against those opponents.

Penn State averages 100k+ every year since forever and they've had more than their share of struggles over the past decade.