Apparently $25 tickets are being offered in the upper deck for the Ball State game. Prices are so absurdly inflated I bet we see the remaining games 65-70% full at most. Why are we trying to price out casual fans when we have a school where most alums don’t care about sports and we can afford to take the financial hit?
NRF pricing going to be a huge problem
- Thread starter Baz = Heisman
- Start date
Well, if they are offering $25 tix then they aren't pricing out anyone, right?
Dynamic pricing seems like the solution. They will sell-out for Iowa and next year for OSU without dropping prices, but man selling tickets for Holy Cross Labor Day weekend is going to be tough. Easier to start high and drop prices than the reverse.
Dynamic pricing seems like the solution. They will sell-out for Iowa and next year for OSU without dropping prices, but man selling tickets for Holy Cross Labor Day weekend is going to be tough. Easier to start high and drop prices than the reverse.
Last edited:
1. They’re going to print massive stacks of money vs the Big Ten opponents who travel
2. It’s probably brokers who are getting soaked the first season, so they can get away with it once.
3. it would be nice if they can adjust prices such that they still soak the visiting fans on those games while maybe giving a little bit of a break to our fans for the less demanded games.
4. Even still our overall ST costs are not out of whack.
5. accepting that 4 is true while resolving 3 may help us build more Cats fans, idk.
2. It’s probably brokers who are getting soaked the first season, so they can get away with it once.
3. it would be nice if they can adjust prices such that they still soak the visiting fans on those games while maybe giving a little bit of a break to our fans for the less demanded games.
4. Even still our overall ST costs are not out of whack.
5. accepting that 4 is true while resolving 3 may help us build more Cats fans, idk.
Disagree. On paper, PSU opener, Iowa and ILL looks ok, but ILL is on the dreaded Thanksgiving weekend. I think the only truly full game will be Iowa, IFF they sell to a lot of Iowa fans.
I'm not excited about having paid 3-4x as much for STs, and, apparently, others agree and are voting NO.
We all know that a shiny new stadium can only do so much. The product on the field needs to get people excited. So far the product has been great but it will take some time before people will want to come see the team. Be in the hunt for CFP and the crowds will come. Stay mediocre and 25,000-28,000 is about right. The difference though is the stadium is worth the price. If the product on the field and the experience in the stadium can be high quality, people will come and pay the price.
Come on. Look at Indiana. That place used to be a snooze fest. Now people who never cared for the team drive down from Indianapolis to attend.
Come on. Look at Indiana. That place used to be a snooze fest. Now people who never cared for the team drive down from Indianapolis to attend.
1. Main Street recession is coming, if not already here, and the vast majority of the fan bases aren’t going to plop down big money right now.
2. Maybe.
4. Paying $275 a game for my tickets at the 20 yard line 20 rows up is insane. Only doing it for this year if no adjustments. It’s Northwestern. We have 20 fans.
5. See 4. That’s not going to attract any casuals.
Alums were sent an email about it. I’m not an alum but a bunch of my guys in my NU group are.
The most important thing is winning and playing an exciting brand of football. Right now, we look to have that this year (which is extremely important in the first year of the stadium). [Look at Indiana which had a lot of empty seats in their non-conference games the past 2 years but sold out completely this year despite having CFP teams the past 2 years].
I don't worry much about anything else, prices will reach the point that they need to reach, they're experimenting this year to see what the market will bear. There will be adjustments.
But if we don't win and don't have good teams, none of that matters, you won't get 25k+ for non-conference and 30k+ for conference games if we're bad for an extended period (outside of invasions of fans from teams like Ohio State/Michigan/Iowa/Nebraska). It's why winning is so important.
Look at what's happening to attendance over at Michigan State or Wisconsin. Gets hard to fill those huge stadiums if you're not winning.
If we win big enough, I think we can reach the point where most to all conference games are sellouts and even non-conference games are near sellouts after good seasons.
Basically need Braun and Chip Kelly to have a strong partnership for a couple of years with a lot of winning (more than half of Big Ten games + most to all non-conference games). I think we have the staff and resources to pull that off.
Also, we need to be patient and see what happens over the next 2-3 years.
I don't worry much about anything else, prices will reach the point that they need to reach, they're experimenting this year to see what the market will bear. There will be adjustments.
But if we don't win and don't have good teams, none of that matters, you won't get 25k+ for non-conference and 30k+ for conference games if we're bad for an extended period (outside of invasions of fans from teams like Ohio State/Michigan/Iowa/Nebraska). It's why winning is so important.
Look at what's happening to attendance over at Michigan State or Wisconsin. Gets hard to fill those huge stadiums if you're not winning.
If we win big enough, I think we can reach the point where most to all conference games are sellouts and even non-conference games are near sellouts after good seasons.
Basically need Braun and Chip Kelly to have a strong partnership for a couple of years with a lot of winning (more than half of Big Ten games + most to all non-conference games). I think we have the staff and resources to pull that off.
Also, we need to be patient and see what happens over the next 2-3 years.
Last edited:
Let's start with a presumption that NU won't win the NC.
If NU goes, say, 9-3, next year's tickets might go up a bit, but not significantly. If you are saying deep playoff run to get fan interest, I think that's a lot to ask.
I'm stunned that so many think with NRF there would be a similar pricing structure to ORF.
Depends what happens with the CFP. I think we need to be making the CFP every few years if we do see a 24 team CFP. Basically would be 23 or 24 out of the top 25 teams at the end of the season. 8-4 with a tough schedule basically gets you in >50% and 9-3 is guaranteed.
That requires finishing in the top 6 to 9 of the Big Ten, which is pretty reasonable every few years.
I do understand it's a lot to ask, but that's the reality of the world we live in; Michigan State and Wisconsin can't count on their success 10 or 15 years ago to sell tickets.
The stadium basically sells itself, but still requires a good product on the field (which I think we have). Just think we need to be patient, as long as we are a solid top half Big Ten team, we're in good shape.
Last edited:
It will be nowhere close to the top 23 or 24 ranked teams. The 24 team playoffs feature many autobids. The last at large teams will likely all be top 15-ish
What auto bids will there be? Conference championship games would no longer exist in the large conferences and no way will they give any more of those bids to Non P4 teams. These teams have no leverage.
SEC and Big Ten would support 23 at-large bids with 1 G6 auto.
There won't be many if any auto-bids because there won't be CCGs and the like.
At most, they might guarantee 1 G6 bid. SEC/Big Ten/ACC/Big 12 will likely be fine without any guarantees since "strength of schedule/strength of record" metrics used by the committee guarantee that the entire top 25 is virtually just Power teams.
Last edited:
Who cares if there are 28,000 seats sold? All of consternation over empty seats is hilarious. If they are offering $25 tickets to Alum on homecoming, seems like a nice gesture. If they have 28,000 for Rutgers, wtf cares. The only way they can screw this up is offering discounts to non STH and/or opposing fans. The teams core STH’s are extremely loyal. The doom and gloom predictions of everyone not renewing their tickets proved false. There are people that think they should get a new stadium and only a modest increase from what was easily the cheapest ticket in the B1G. Be real. NU didn’t fill the stadium giving away tickets in the old RF. Yet, some of these skinflints think they are “owed” bare basement prices because they bought the $400 ST. Growing the fan base is driven 1) by performance on the field and 2) an enjoyable/comfortable environment. The whole empty seats narrative is a tired troupe. Don’t like the prices, watch it on TV and buy yourself a pizza.
Ah but the Ryans et al promised a true home field advantage. We'll check that out today, but I am definitely steering clear of those teeming concourses.
One thing you may be right about, one game in. They may be preferring empty seats to visitng fans. The Iowa game will tell.
Next year will also be a test for their discipline. Two early games with 10k fans and two games against the red hordes. Preventing the OSU / Neb season ticket dump will be challenging.
Finally I am ignorant, of course, but the "extremely loyal"STH base was notably absent 23-25. I was there.
Yes, I 100% prefer empty seats to visiting fans.
Yes, I do not want any tickets discounted below STH price. The exception would be for NU related special interest groups . Alumni, local community groups, etc. Don’t want discounted for anyone else just to fill the stadium and let the skinflints sell on the secondary market.
Yes, I have very little sympathy for the so called loyal fan that bought ST’s when they were $400 and attended whenever convenient.
Yes, I don’t care at all about the optics of empty seats whether they are unsold or just people using the other amenities.
yes, I don’t think it is my job or NU’s to make this a comfortable environment for visiting fans.
Yes, if Visiting “Red Horde” fills up the unsold NU seats, I want them to pay at least as much as me,
Yes, I am sick of all the bitching about literally everything stadium related.
LOL. Who said that? No one. Don’t be ridiculous. Did my tickets need to be 3.5x though from the ORF? Absolutely not.
100%. We don’t have very many truly loyal fans. They all might be on this board lol. Plenty of fans at the ORF sold the biggest games. I never did bc I’m a real fan. I have a feeling plenty of those loyal fans will be selling at the NRF for the biggest games.
Looks like it’s 50% full. For Iowa it will be 50% yellow.
We’re unable to attract the average Chicago area sports fan.
We’re unable to attract the average Chicago area sports fan.
People who were there had a great time, The Great Chicago Food Festival was a hit with good sized lines all round. Lots of folks walking around in the concourses during the game. It's a great stadium to watch a game, Is it going to be full all the time? Not a chance. Student wall wasn't even quite full and a lot left at halftime but all that is vindication for lowering the capacity. As for prices, it may take some time to sort that out but I think the idea is to make it a special entertainment experience that goes beyond pure football. We'll see if that catches on!
From what I understand so far only Verizon has equip there, Everyone else has trouble with connections Not sure about Verizon. But in any event, that is something that needs to get fixed fastBTW the wireless is
I have ATT and i could not get reception My friend could not either. So it is not gonna be till next year???
The WiFi was cutting in and out. Connectivity is definitely an issue.
I admit to being mildly addicted to my phone, but when NU is playing, I'm willing to set it aside. If I were 18-22 years old right now...probably not so much.
I admit to being mildly addicted to my phone, but when NU is playing, I'm willing to set it aside. If I were 18-22 years old right now...probably not so much.
Like I posted on The Rock, outside the concourse the reception is fine. Last week I stepped out at halftime and also 3rd quarter, didn’t miss a play.
Pat Ryan Jr. said they've been trying to get all of them done ASAP but only Verizon was able to get it done before the stadium got used. He said AT&T will get done next year and they're trying to get T-Mobile in as well.
It's on the 3 companies to send their teams in and get the antennas integrated to their systems, only Verizon stepped up to finish before the first game.
mine are. The pricing is way too high, the parking is too limited and expensive. $50 for the hospital is a joke. They’re gonna have to make adjustments going forward the place will be half full.
We need Medicare for all so that we don’t get these pesky hospital bills.
I Think that if they keep putting their best foot forward (could have to lower prices) Chicago area sports fans may discover what an excellent experience NRF is. It will take time, keep reaching out to locals especially those who have attended.
They won the National Championship and have been in the playoffs the last 2 years.
30 yr. STH and they offered me hospital garage parking which I declined. My Rep. called me last Thursday offering me a season pass for the last 4 games in the West Lot. West Lot has not looked full so far this season and I have noticed many of the regular tailgaters are not there. I think they made a mistake with the parking. I'm in the Loft Club but was given tickets to the Northwestern Club where I went for the 2md half. It is very nice and was crowded.
The "Who cares?" attitude toward fans is just so offputtingly contemptuous of our own fledgling fan base, I just gotta say.
I agree with you more than I disagree with you about the stadium, as we've discussed this now over multiple threads. Tend to think "dynamic pricing" just comes with the territory when you have a fancy new stadium and college football in the NIL era is now all about keeping up with the Joneses in generating revenue. Agree that there's a lot of people not being realistic in expecting things to stay exactly as they were with Old Ryan Field, or wanting a price that doesn't track with the rest of the B1G. Even agree that you make a good point about higher-priced cheap seats keeping out as many visiting fans as NU backers.
But people are allowed to roll their eyes about it while they're handing over their wallet, especially when even this supposed solution...
...is being monetized too. Don't want to subscribe to new streaming networks, go read a box score while wearing purple, amirite? (Oof.)
Shrug. If higher prices are just the way of the world, people complaining about them are too. There's just as much "What else do you expect?" in the second half of that sentence as the first.
I hope you’re right. But other than ‘95 and ‘96 we haven’t really caught the imagination or interest of the locals.
Even with our high powered offense in 2000, my recall is that it was a 50/50 mix of fans at the wild Michigan game.
Maybe the new stadium and continued success will bring in more NU fans.
I sure hope so, I’m getting too old to spend the entire game surrounded by and jawing with the heathens dressed in red and other disagreeable colors from Big Ten schools.
Latest
-
01
Wildcat Report
Notebook: Braun and his No. 25 Wildcats prep to face Fitz and Michigan State
-
02
Wildcat Report
The 3-2-1 after Northwestern's Homecoming win over Ball State
-
03
Wildcat Report
Recruit Roundup: Norman sets program TD records, Day stars on Senior Night
-
04
College Football Playoff
College Football Bowl Projections Week 7: Full list of matchups, playoff predictions
-
05
Wildcat Report
Northwestern vs. Ball State PFF Snaps Analysis