Anyone know why general admission tickets for these games are $20 a piece instead of $10? Check them out online on the ticket website.
Had a group of Vu alumni friends with their kids coming into town and we saw the prices and we are considering doing something else. 3 families of 5 paying $100 bucks a family to see Oakland........nope.
Chairback, check with ticket office or AD about group rates.
Quote from: Chairback on February 01, 2014, 12:24:20 PMAnyone know why general admission tickets for these games are $20 a piece instead of $10? Check them out online on the ticket website.
Must be some kind of simple mistake as I have seen nothing about those games being premium priced. I did check for YSU and CSU and both were at regular prices, so somebody needs to make a phone call and get this straightend out or we will have crowds of 2,100 for both Oakland and Detroit
The Detroit and Oakland games are both premium priced tickets. I bought our tickets before the season started and there were several premium priced games, including these two.
Quote from: valpo64 on February 01, 2014, 06:36:04 PMThe Detroit and Oakland games are both premium priced tickets. I bought our tickets before the season started and there were several premium priced games, including these two.
So UCF, Mercer, LMU, GB, YSU, and CSU were all regular price games while 8-14 Detroit and 7-14 Oakland are premium priced. Whose hat were these names drawn out of?
Quote from: justducky on February 01, 2014, 06:02:31 PMso somebody needs to make a phone call and get this straightend out or we will have crowds of 2,100 for both Oakland and Detroit
It is not too late for corrective action even if some refunds have to be made.
Both teams are sort of rivals I suppose. I do think $20 is a bit much, but if they lowered it they shouldn't have to give refunds.
Sorry but this is st***d. It is "supply and demand" and when there are still so many open seats they are just seting themselves up for more empty seats. ... written itcomes to sporting events- I would much rather got to an event that "looks" like it is the place to be.
Each of the two games is easily worth 20 bucks a seat to me. I'm taking my Dad to both games and also my nephews to the Oakland game.
:twocents:
I did wonder about it, but it didn't really matter to me.
I would pay it. .. but many will not and I would rather see a full venue.
Quote from: Smj on February 01, 2014, 09:53:52 PM
I would pay it. .. but many will not and I would rather see a full venue.
Can't fight you on that.
I do not think it is bizarre to think of UDM and Oakland as premium games since I think of both teams as fierce rivals. I think it's at least plausible.
Whether they *should* have done this or not is another matter. I'm not a marketing genius so I'll defer to others on that.
How can you charge a premium when you have significant excess inventory? They do teach this at Valpo.
We had an embarassing small crowd for the best team in the league on Wednesday and we retired the jerseys of the best two players in school history. This should have been done on a weekend.
I would love to know the plan and thinking behind this.
I really hope there will be 4000+ at both games this weekend, don't quite understand the 20 bucks a pop but still 20 bucks for a ticket to a game isn't anything ridiculous. I'm hoping people see that we have one of the hottest players in the NCAA right now in LVD and against the 2 Detroit area teams. Really hoping people will want to get out of their homes this weekend and not use snow as an excuse (predicting the possibility of getting 28" by the end of next weekend).
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 01, 2014, 10:00:34 PMI think it's at least plausible.
Not quite your best argument!
Quote from: Chairback on February 01, 2014, 10:29:57 PMHow can you charge a premium when you have significant excess inventory? They do teach this at Valpo.
A good question followed by an even better observation.
Quote from: Chairback on February 01, 2014, 10:29:57 PMI would love to know the plan and thinking behind this.
Somebody made some choices preseason with little regard for who would likely be near the top of the HL standings. It was an honest mistake but still a mistake.
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 01, 2014, 10:00:34 PMWhether they *should* have done this or not is another matter. I'm not a marketing genius so I'll defer to others on that.
Someone other than the original decision maker should be in charge of reviewing the matter. Lets not compound the problem by standing with earlier choices that in retrospect appear to have been flawed. Its been over 45 years since I have taken a marketing class but I believe that was and still is near the front of the book in Marketing 101.
Was Detroit marked as 'premium' because of it being the ESPNU Friday HL game? Oakland might have been just a package deal setup.
Our Detroit game had 3661 attendance... It looked good on espn so it was not an embarrassment like some of the other conference teams that I have watch on TV lately. I do not even remember seeing the camera pan up to the upper sections.
Valpo is an 8 point favorite today. That seems like a big number. I'd take valpo to win, but I don't see them covering. 78-74 winners today.
http://www.zooperstars.com (http://www.zooperstars.com) I believe this is today's halftime show. I was thinking this has to be better then little kids playing basketball, but I'm not sure. Maybe the Zooperstars can get that freaky Sportsclips mascot involved. My 3 yr old is going to be terrified.
Unless there will be a big walkup crowd I don't think it'll be as full as it was for Detroit. I looked at the ticket chart and only the first 3 rows of CC are completely full.
Atleast we have the liveliest crowd in the HL and the ARC is typically buzzing and I would imagine another good showing from the students. They've been great this year, better than last year, which is very promising for the future.
The most disappointing section is always the chairbacks. They always look half full, while on the ticket website they show full. Are there a bunch of season ticket holders that just don't show or what?
It is nice though to have the loudest arena in the HL, definite advantage. When I watch other games it's always really quiet, while when I watch games at the ARC or highlights there's always a good amount of noise in the background. No doubt we have the loudest and best fans in the HL. I just wish we could be drawing 4000+ compared to 3000+
2448. Upper deck was bare for this "premium" game.
well, other than one outcome, certainly can't argue that they didn't see some premium games!
chairback, i ask you--as someone who occasionally found myself in your namesake section--what does it take to get your side of the court to stand up? i would stand up and yell back in the day and the old people around looked at me like I was ruining the sanctity of Moellering.
case in point: friday night. we're down one in the closing seconds. do we stand up, make some noise? oh of course not.
ONLY the very last play did they struggle to their feet, and I have a sneaking suspicion that half of them were only doing that to get on their jackets and get a head start on the parking lot.
Not all of us in the chairbacks are "dud" fans. In fact my wife threatened to leave me sitting alone if I didn't shut up and sit down.
Quote from: valpo64 on February 09, 2014, 08:22:49 PMIn fact my wife threatened to leave me sitting alone if I didn't shut up and sit down.
That's AWESOME.
I really think there are more like you. But it's like a group psychology thing--people don't stand up because no one else stands up. It's just getting that critical mass of people to stand that get everyone else off their duff.
Mind you, I'm not saying they should stand the whole game. But at really crucial moments...
Of course, look what happened when they finally did Friday :/
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on February 09, 2014, 07:56:08 PMand the old people around looked at me like I was ruining the sanctity of Moellering
Or perhaps the Chapel.
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on February 09, 2014, 07:56:08 PMwell, other than one outcome, certainly can't argue that they didn't see some premium games!
chairback, i ask you--as someone who occasionally found myself in your namesake section--what does it take to get your side of the court to stand up? i would stand up and yell back in the day and the old people around looked at me like I was ruining the sanctity of Moellering.
case in point: friday night. we're down one in the closing seconds. do we stand up, make some noise? oh of course not. ONLY the very last play did they struggle to their feet, and I have a sneaking suspicion that half of them were only doing that to get on their jackets and get a head start on the parking lot.
I think you answered your own question in a January post.
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on January 20, 2014, 03:10:26 PM (http://s11.postimg.org/t9z4fqa8j/stand_up.jpg)
Yeah, but I didn't see enough monocles in the section to mean it seriously.
Plus they stopped the tea-delivery service to the section after there was on-court spillage.
Quote from: Chairback on February 09, 2014, 07:44:27 PM
2448. Upper deck was bare for this "premium" game.
I'd say the upper deck was about typical. A fair number in the lower portions of BB-DD. AA and EE pretty empty. Not a "good" crowd, but not a "bad" one either.
I was a little disappointed by the student section turnout (looking ahead to Monday classes, with homework due, perhaps?) and by turnout in general. What else do we have going on for a Sunday matinee? The NFL's over!
I was fairly pleased by the sound output of the student section, however. Pretty good intensity down the stretch.
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on February 09, 2014, 07:56:08 PMchairback, i ask you--as someone who occasionally found myself in your namesake section--what does it take to get your side of the court to stand up? i would stand up and yell back in the day and the old people around looked at me like I was ruining the sanctity of Moellering
I moved out of the chairback section years ago. I had chairback seats for many years. At the time you had to buy crusader club passes to get chairback seats. We had kids and I wasn't going to continue pay for crusader club passes for multiple kids under age 2 at the time. I asked if it could be waived for the kids but was told no and moved to the other side.
I 100% agree that the chairback section doesn't like to get up and cheer. I was told multiple times by surrounding chairbackers to please not stand. My wife and I would tell them this is a basketball game, you stand for your team. I believe at one point in time the cheerleaders had a big yellow sign that said "School song, please stand" and they would hold it up in front the chairback section. It is wonderful that we have the great financial support of the chairback section but I agree they need to liven it up.
Quote from: Chairback on February 12, 2014, 08:11:06 AMQuote from: LaPorteAveApostle on February 09, 2014, 07:56:08 PMchairback, i ask you--as someone who occasionally found myself in your namesake section--what does it take to get your side of the court to stand up? i would stand up and yell back in the day and the old people around looked at me like I was ruining the sanctity of Moellering
I moved out of the chairback section years ago. I had chairback seats for many years. At the time you had to buy crusader club passes to get chairback seats. We had kids and I wasn't going to continue pay for crusader club passes for multiple kids under age 2 at the time. I asked if it could be waived for the kids but was told no and moved to the other side. I 100% agree that the chairback section doesn't like to get up and cheer. I was told multiple times by surrounding chairbackers to please not stand. My wife and I would tell them this is a basketball game, you stand for your team. I believe at one point in time the cheerleaders had a big yellow sign that said "School song, please stand" and they would hold it up in front the chairback section. It is wonderful that we have the great financial support of the chairback section but I agree they need to liven it up.
I sit in the chairback seats and I don't pay for what is now called the Hilltop Club (I assumed it was changed so it wasn't confused with the Crusader Fund.) They are now checking tickets so people just don't move into the chairback section. So if you liked the chairbacks I would look into moving back to your namesake seats. Yes, we do need more people who will stand.
Quote from: Chairback on February 12, 2014, 08:11:06 AM
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on February 09, 2014, 07:56:08 PMchairback, i ask you--as someone who occasionally found myself in your namesake section--what does it take to get your side of the court to stand up? i would stand up and yell back in the day and the old people around looked at me like I was ruining the sanctity of Moellering
I moved out of the chairback section years ago. I had chairback seats for many years. At the time you had to buy crusader club passes to get chairback seats. We had kids and I wasn't going to continue pay for crusader club passes for multiple kids under age 2 at the time. I asked if it could be waived for the kids but was told no and moved to the other side.
I 100% agree that the chairback section doesn't like to get up and cheer. I was told multiple times by surrounding chairbackers to please not stand. My wife and I would tell them this is a basketball game, you stand for your team. I believe at one point in time the cheerleaders had a big yellow sign that said "School song, please stand" and they would hold it up in front the chairback section. It is wonderful that we have the great financial support of the chairback section but I agree they need to liven it up.
I remember that they had these signs when I was in school. It sounds like they don't have them anymore?
Quote from: Chairback on February 12, 2014, 08:11:06 AMI was told multiple times by surrounding chairbackers to please not stand.
wow dude, that's sad. i'm so sorry for you. thanks for representing us well on "the other side".
We have been sitting in chairbacks for years and I have never seen such a sign...and if someone would make a comment about sitting down, etc. I would completely ignore them anyway. If someone looks more closely I believe you will find more and more "chairbacks" stand up at various times during a game. I think we should be more concerned about overall attendance than how the "chairback" sections act. It is sad to see so many vacant seats across from the chairbacks.....that is what people should be talking about.
The signs were definitely there, and made us laugh as students. I agree with your assertion that overall attendance should be spoke about more, versus whether chairbacks stand
Quote from: valpo64 on February 12, 2014, 01:41:23 PM
We have been sitting in chairbacks for years and I have never seen such a sign...and if someone would make a comment about sitting down, etc. I would completely ignore them anyway. If someone looks more closely I believe you will find more and more "chairbacks" stand up at various times during a game. I think we should be more concerned about overall attendance than how the "chairback" sections act. It is sad to see so many vacant seats across from the chairbacks.....that is what people should be talking about.
I am also a "chairback seat fan". I as well wish more would stand up and cheer, though it does seem to get a little better in that regard each year. There are a fair amount of older folk who maybe just can't get up and down like we want them to. But the dumbest thing I had happen to me this very season was I was yelled at by several fellow chairbackers sitting in nearby rows mostly behind me to sit down during halftime while entertainment was going on. Halftime...not during the game. I thought it was OK to stand, stretch, move about, etc. Shall we say I was pretty surprised but somehow held my tongue or I probably would of been escorted out. :crazy:
Quote from: vufan75 on February 12, 2014, 03:26:36 PMThere are a fair amount of older folk who maybe just can't get up and down like we want them to.
That's true. As a transplanted Neapolitan, you'd think I would know that.
I thought masters' in music & theology would be enough for this job. Who knew I needed one in gerontology, too?
Another chairback denizen here. I have never understood the value of standing and cheering. Sitting and cheering emits the same number of decibels. It is noise that will bolster our players, not people standing, since hopefully they are concentrating on what they are doing not taking attendance in the seats. I stand when I feel that action on the floor deserves a little extra oomph. I have never been asked/told to stay seated, but I have asked others to sit, when my view of the game is unnecessarily blocked.
I agree with others that the emphasis should be on why there is better attendance in the chairbacks than there is in the Valparaizone.
I don't know if this is a case of :deadhorse: for me. I trust someone will let me know if it is.
If I was working event staff and someone complained to me that the people in front of them made better walls than windows, I think I'd strongly consider escorting them out. There is an implied contract (spelled out in the fine print on the back of the ticket) between the vendor and the customer, and nowhere on it does it require them to stand during the game.
There *is* on the other hand a requirement not to impair someone else's enjoyment of the game, and in my opinion obstruction fits the definition. For starters, there are people who have trouble standing up and they are certainly qualified to buy a ticket. They have a right to an unobstructed view.
For my part, I'm fine with standing up at any time in a game, as long as it's okay with the people behind me. If it's not, I ain't doing it. Period. And if you're in front of me, "It's a Basketball Game!!!!" will not work on me. It's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard, and I will always think so. For that matter, I've heard it before, and I've never been impressed. And I've said so to no less than Matt Gastel, all 6' 10" of him. Also to the shrill ORU fan sitting right behind me and hitting 200 decibels right in my ear.
Of course it would be great if all the fans would stand up and support their team, though as valpospartan points out, it's hardly impossible to provide a great home court advantage while remaining seated. On the other hand, we do see players urge their fans to stand up at crunch time, so it must mean something to them. If it makes you sad that fans aren't interested in standing and making noise, I understand. It makes me sad too.
But if they ask you stop blocking their view, you should grant their request.
:twocents:
I do have to say that the greatest atmosphere I have been a part of was 2 seasons ago, when I flew up for the conference tournament game against Butler. I stood the entire game, in the chairback section, and it seemed like just about everyone in the building was doing the same over the entire second half. No one told me to sit down, and it seemed people actually enjoyed my youthful enthusiasm (30 at that time). I was on the side of the section near the concession stand, so that might have helped as well, not being in the middle. It reminded me of the games we would have against ORU while in the Mid-Con, but that Butler atmosphere was just electric all game. It'd be great to get a rival again that can generate that for us, but it probably will take awhile.
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 13, 2014, 12:32:09 AM
I don't know if this is a case of :deadhorse: for me. I trust someone will let me know if it is.
If I was working event staff and someone complained to me that the people in front of them made better walls than windows, I think I'd strongly consider escorting them out. There is an implied contract (spelled out in the fine print on the back of the ticket) between the vendor and the customer, and nowhere on it does it require them to stand during the game.
There *is* on the other hand a requirement not to impair someone else's enjoyment of the game, and in my opinion obstruction fits the definition. For starters, there are people who have trouble standing up and they are certainly qualified to buy a ticket. They have a right to an unobstructed view.
For my part, I'm fine with standing up at any time in a game, as long as it's okay with the people behind me. If it's not, I ain't doing it. Period. And if you're in front of me, "It's a Basketball Game!!!!" will not work on me. It's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard, and I will always think so. For that matter, I've heard it before, and I've never been impressed. And I've said so to no less than Matt Gastel, all 6' 10" of him. Also to the shrill ORU fan sitting right behind me and hitting 200 decibels right in my ear.
Of course it would be great if all the fans would stand up and support their team, though as valpospartan points out, it's hardly impossible to provide a great home court advantage while remaining seated. On the other hand, we do see players urge their fans to stand up at crunch time, so it must mean something to them. If it makes you sad that fans aren't interested in standing and making noise, I understand. It makes me sad too.
But if they ask you stop blocking their view, you should grant their request.
:twocents:
I can't disagree with what you say except maybe the one part. Asking or maybe better put
yelling for someone to sit down at halftime seems a bit over the top to me. If the halftime show is that good, then I suppose those affected could get up themselves to see better. I sort of expect my halftime to be interrupted by fans exiting/entering the row I'm sitting in for various reasons, and I don't have a problem with that. Halftime is an intermission in play which is the reason people buy game tickets, and any and all should be allowed to stand, sit, sleep, yawn, ;) move around at their pleasure when they want to during that halftime intermission.
Having said that, I agree with all who wonder why we can't sell more tickets in general, and especially why a school with 4000+ students can't get 500 or so to come out to every game. The student section is great IMO. They are vocal and cheer loudly, and create a great game atmosphere. Somehow though it needs to get to that point for all games, not just the national tv games. I do think the athletic administration tries hard to grow student attendance, but, just is not always successful. I get that academics or other areas of interest come first or may interfere with game schedules. Just seems we could get somewhere around 1/8 or more of the student population to every game.
For the most part there has only been 2 games where students didn't show up in full. The GB game which was a Wednesday night, I know Valpo loves having class on Wednesday nights, so I would imagine that cut down on the number of students. For me it would have definitely been a good excuse to miss class unless there was a test that night. Also if there was a big exam Thursday morning perhaps you studied.
For the Oakland game, I think the main issue was the timing and I don't think they promoted the game much in the union or anywhere else. Perhaps students didn't know. It was also at an odd time. 1:30 is a bit early and Sunday is a typical study day. That being said with a student body of 4000 plus we should have no issues filling the student section every game. This year has been better than years past which is a good sign.
I do think the student attendance is going in the right direction and will probably grow year-by-year.
That being said... the marketing team needs to get there act together and promote Valpo as NWI's team. A billboard off of 80/94 in Hammond and off of 30 in Merrillville is nowhere near enough. NWI doesn't have much as it goes for sports. Indiana is a college basketball state, and there is a high quality mid-major team in its own backyard. I feel people know about the games in the City of Valparaiso but outside of Valparaiso I feel people don't really care.
Sorry - this will be harsh "and I mean no offense" but the student section is sometimes a joke. (see meme below)
https://i.imgflip.com/6v7zz.jpg
Turnout should not be so low in general. They need to find ways to get a bigger loyal fan base. And winning games just gets a bandwagon fan base... (need to turn them "loyal".)
http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/34031012.jpg
Quote from: vufan75 on February 13, 2014, 07:21:08 AMAsking or maybe better put yelling for someone to sit down at halftime seems a bit over the top to me.
I don't think it's as bad as during the game, but technically, the halftime show *is* a part of the entertainment for the evening for which the person bought the ticket. If I have kids who get a kick out of Zooperstars, and who, even if standing, still could not see, I would still not be bashful about telling them to sit down. Granted, I didn't buy the ticket because of the half-time show, but it's part of the package.
That said, I would not yell at someone for simply getting up to go the restroom or the concession stand (like I want to do when people can't wait until a timeout -- or in the case of baseball, until the end of a half-inning for crying out loud).
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 13, 2014, 12:32:09 AM
If I was working event staff and someone complained to me that the people in front of them made better walls than windows, I think I'd strongly consider escorting them out. There is an implied contract (spelled out in the fine print on the back of the ticket) between the vendor and the customer, and nowhere on it does it require them to stand during the game.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
St. Loouie, you may be right. I'm certainly not a lawyer, so I would defer to others on this. And there may be an implied contract as you mention, but there is nothing spelled out in fine print on the back of the ticket for Valpo games. The back of the tickets I have left for this season only have promotions from Culver's on them.
I would think fans (whether they choose to sit or stand at times) have "rights" though perhaps not spelled out on the ticket. I'm not sure whose rights supercede whose, but I'd like to think anyway that I have a right to occasionally stand and cheer during the course of the game. Others certainly can cheer while sitting, though for me my preference is to stand and cheer. We are not buying tickets to a museum, art exhibit, library, chapel or church where expectations for individual behavior are clearly different. And I am not suggesting that I would stand the whole game, just during key or special game moments prior to or immediately after when impactful Valpo plays are made. Standing and cheering at sporting events is pretty normal from the games I either have attended or watched on tv. Not sure why it is even an issue at Valpo.
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 13, 2014, 08:43:33 AM
Quote from: vufan75 on February 13, 2014, 07:21:08 AMAsking or maybe better put yelling for someone to sit down at halftime seems a bit over the top to me.
I don't think it's as bad as during the game, but technically, the halftime show *is* a part of the entertainment for the evening for which the person bought the ticket. If I have kids who get a kick out of Zooperstars, and who, even if standing, still could not see, I would still not be bashful about telling them to sit down. Granted, I didn't buy the ticket because of the half-time show, but it's part of the package.
That said, I would not yell at someone for simply getting up to go the restroom or the concession stand (like I want to do when people can't wait until a timeout -- or in the case of baseball, until the end of a half-inning for crying out loud).
If standing to go to the bathroom outside of timeouts bothers you, then you definitely wouldn't want to be around my wife and I at these Mavs games we have gone to this year. Being 30 weeks pregnant now, she has gotten up 7-8 times per game, always outside of timeouts ;).
Valpo TX - How rude to the other fans...
JK
Quote from: vufan75 on February 13, 2014, 09:58:15 AM
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 13, 2014, 12:32:09 AM
If I was working event staff and someone complained to me that the people in front of them made better walls than windows, I think I'd strongly consider escorting them out. There is an implied contract (spelled out in the fine print on the back of the ticket) between the vendor and the customer, and nowhere on it does it require them to stand during the game.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
St. Loouie, you may be right. I'm certainly not a lawyer, so I would defer to others on this. And there may be an implied contract as you mention, but there is nothing spelled out in fine print on the back of the ticket for Valpo games. The back of the tickets I have left for this season only have promotions from Culver's on them.
I would think fans (whether they choose to sit or stand at times) have "rights" though perhaps not spelled out on the ticket. I'm not sure whose rights supercede whose, but I'd like to think anyway that I have a right to occasionally stand and cheer during the course of the game. Others certainly can cheer while sitting, though for me my preference is to stand and cheer. We are not buying tickets to a museum, art exhibit, library, chapel or church where expectations for individual behavior are clearly different. And I am not suggesting that I would stand the whole game, just during key or special game moments prior to or immediately after when impactful Valpo plays are made. Standing and cheering at sporting events is pretty normal from the games I either have attended or watched on tv. Not sure why it is even an issue at Valpo.
There always used to be rules and regulations on the tickets last time I remember checking, and I'm pretty sure I've heard a ticket to a sporting event described as a contract.
I would of course hope that most people coming to a sporting event don't think they are coming to a museum. But again, that's not exactly germaine, as we're not talking about noise level (except for the ORU fan screecher I mentioned), but rather visibility. And I suspect there are similar etiquette rules at a museum, by the way.
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 13, 2014, 08:43:33 AMThat said, I would not yell at someone for simply getting up to go the restroom or the concession stand (like I want to do when people can't wait until a timeout -- or in the case of baseball, until the end of a half-inning for crying out loud).
I wouldn't yell at them. I've not even said anything in the past. But, it does annoy me. Usually I'm in the upper deck with plenty of room, so it's not a matter of them having to scoot past my seat, etc. But, still, why are you walking up the stairs, and obstructing my view, while there's game action going on?
I understand that some people may need to leave in a hurry, as an emergency more or less (pregnancy counts here, for purposes of discussion). And, I don't expect them to explain their rationale too me. But, I'd hope that, when there's no urgency, fans would have the courtesy to stay out of the line-of-sight of other fans when the action's in progress.
Standing to cheer is quite a bit trickier. Seems like there has to be some collective "wisdom of crowds" decision about when the game situation merits standing, and when it doesn't.
I might jump up occasionally to cheer, as a quick intense outburst (e.g. to celebrate a single play). But, for the most part, I cheer from my seat (in the upper deck), except in end-of-game type situations.
I often don't even stand for the fight song, unless I feel like stretching. We can't be bothered to sing it, but still feel obliged to stand for it?
So I'm still trying to figure the reasoning behind increasing the price for these two games. Were they expecting a large crowd thus the premium price. You'd think someone in ticket sales would be watching seats sold and availability and decrease the price for the upper deck.
Quote from: agibson on February 13, 2014, 03:51:52 PMI might jump up occasionally to cheer, as a quick intense outburst (e.g. to celebrate a single play). But, for the most part, I cheer from my seat (in the upper deck), except in end-of-game type situations.
Same here on both counts. Just so nobody gets the wrong idea, one year at the Mid-Con tourney, a Valpo fan had to ask me to tone it down because I was being so boisterous, jumping up out of my seat, pumping my fist, and letting out a huge yell. It wasn't the least bit pre-meditated, it was totally instinctive.
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 13, 2014, 06:57:57 PMa Valpo fan
if you were like winston churchill, you would've been all like, "my good man, the etymology of 'fan' is from 'fanatic', so i must conclude from your lack of passion that you, sir, are no valpo fan."
then harrumphed and resumed yelling.
Quote from: Chairback on February 13, 2014, 06:46:53 PMSo I'm still trying to figure the reasoning behind increasing the price for these two games. Were they expecting a large crowd thus the premium price. You'd think someone in ticket sales would be watching seats sold and availability and decrease the price for the upper deck.
As far as I know nobody heard anything that we said or if they did saw no reason to respond to our polite and logical arguments. So why in the hell did we bother?
The fact remains that almost all of us preseason would have chosen Green Bay, WSU, and CSU as being the 3 most important HL games this season and in that order. So it makes perfect sense that they chose middle to bottom half teams to be premium games. Brilliant! Just brilliant!
Please somebody relay this message, that if in future years you are not 95% certain in August that a game deserves Premium pricing then it should not receive that designation. The next time I see a couple of names randomly drawn out of a hat I may respond by becoming completely unglued. And you wonder why northwest Indiana tends to completely ignore you! :banghead: :censored: >:(
I have long felt that the Athletic Department needs to connect with a marketing firm that specializes in strategic marketing development. There is 1 in NWI with a very good reputation and several good ones (albeit pricy) in Chicago. I do not mean this as a criticism of our in-house marketing people. Strategic development is a completely different skill set than day-to-day execution.
I'm hearing that ticket prices were raised for the Oakland game because of expected large demand by female fans wanting to observe Coach Greg Kampe in action since he is one of the 100 sexiest basketball coaches. A little Valentine's Day humor:
http://www.collegeinsider.com/pvideo/83/Greg-Kampe-Sexiest (http://www.collegeinsider.com/pvideo/83/Greg-Kampe-Sexiest)
That is funny, but glad to see B-Drew on the list--confirms that my little sister wasn't crazy years ago :)
That video was fantastic. Although, with there being 100 coaches on this list I think being left off the list would be a sign that it might be time to leave the sidelines and head to a radio booth (no offense there Chef).
It was all coaches, assistants and all media so your radio guy had a chance.............
I can understand the Detroit premium pricing as they have been our best rival the past few years and on tv. Oakland was probably priced high because they are the new guy in the conference and the marketing dept thinks of it as a renewed rivalry. So personally I agree with the Detroit price and oppose the Oakland one.
Quote from: gamelord on February 15, 2014, 07:19:54 PM
I can understand the Detroit premium pricing as they have been our best rival the past few years and on tv. Oakland was probably priced high because they are the new guy in the conference and the marketing dept thinks of it as a renewed rivalry. So personally I agree with the Detroit price and oppose the Oakland one.
I agree with both. Oakland is a bonafide rivalry, with a much longer history than Detroit-Valpo.
Rivalry or not, you can't charge a premium if the place is not full...
Quote from: StlVUFan on February 15, 2014, 09:45:50 PM
Quote from: gamelord on February 15, 2014, 07:19:54 PM
I can understand the Detroit premium pricing as they have been our best rival the past few years and on tv. Oakland was probably priced high because they are the new guy in the conference and the marketing dept thinks of it as a renewed rivalry. So personally I agree with the Detroit price and oppose the Oakland one.
I agree with both. Oakland is a bonafide rivalry, with a much longer history than Detroit-Valpo.
We have had a few entertaining games with both over the last three years but these are not ten or twenty or 50 year rivals. So lets get back to the real point of contention, that it is dangerous to fan attendance to make a preseason premium designation on any team that might then walk into the ARC with a sub 200 RPI.
This premium game idea has worked pretty well so far (until this year) because we had been pretty cautious with not overdoing it. Last year we limited it to a very good Detroit team and the Bracketbuster. The first year we used it we had Purdue, Missouri St, Butler, a good Ball St team and I think the last one was either CSU or UWM. All of those aformentioned teams came into the ARC with an RPI above 105 and 3 of them came in at top 50. I do not wish to criticize either Oakland or Detroit but in comparison to the strength of previous Premium Game opponents we might just as well have charged $20 mezz prices for Tweetle Dumb and Tweetle Dee Universities.
Quote from: Chairback on February 16, 2014, 11:38:02 AM
Rivalry or not, you can't charge a premium if the place is not full...
I completely agree with this comment. Until you are almost packing the place and relevant on a more national scene, you can't charge a premium and expect fans to show up. Did we charge any type of premiums when I was in school (1999-2004)? We just about filled the place each home game, and I never heard fans say anything about paying more for tickets.
I'd bet just about the same amount of fans showed up to these games as would have had the prices been less.
Quote from: HC on February 16, 2014, 07:06:43 PM
I'd bet just about the same amount of fans showed up to these games as would have had the prices been less.
Exactly Valpo just doesn't have that many loyal fans such as all the other mid majors (St. Louis, VCU, Butler etc.) And saying not as many people live around VU as those other schools simply cant be an excuse. 800K+ live in Northwest Indiana and 30K+ live in Valpo alone. We live in an area filled with bandwagoners that only come to games when we are playing well or when we are ESPN. We could easily have 10,000 people plus every game if people we loyal enough or if we Marketed VU games all over Northwest Indiana. Every city not just Valpo Merrillville and Hammond.
Quote from: wh on February 13, 2014, 10:55:57 PM
I have long felt that the Athletic Department needs to connect with a marketing firm that specializes in strategic marketing development. There is 1 in NWI with a very good reputation and several good ones (albeit pricy) in Chicago. I do not mean this as a criticism of our in-house marketing people. Strategic development is a completely different skill set than day-to-day execution.
Quote from: Chairback on February 16, 2014, 11:38:02 AMRivalry or not, you can't charge a premium if the place is not full...
I think that all of the debate on this subject could be very helpful for any future fanbase expansion undertaking. Much of this gets back to the basic question of either exploiting the older and largely price insensitive core group or trying to invite a new and very price sensitive generation into the ARC.
Nothing about expanding the fan will be easy and it will require thought, planning and the avoidance of mistakes. So if we are looking for first stable and then a growing fan revenue then it is imperative that action be taken.
Northeast Indiana has a population of somewhere around 300,000 or so and IPFW can't even get 1,000 for a home game. This year IPFW has set an all time record for D-1 wins and they have showed up in the mid major top 25 on several occasions. Last Saturday night was Senior night and they had around 950. One may be expecting too much in our attendance. Have you ever checked the attendance at the Big East games? Butler only drew around 6,000 for their last home game and the move to the Big East was to help get their number to around 10,000. Look at the markets of BU and those of the other Big East member schools. One might be surprised in their attendance figures.
Wait, Butler has bandwagon fans too? ;)
Quote from: valpo64 on February 17, 2014, 11:23:22 AM
Northeast Indiana has a population of somewhere around 300,000 or so and IPFW can't even get 1,000 for a home game. This year IPFW has set an all time record for D-1 wins and they have showed up in the mid major top 25 on several occasions. Last Saturday night was Senior night and they had around 950. One may be expecting too much in our attendance. Have you ever checked the attendance at the Big East games? Butler only drew around 6,000 for their last home game and the move to the Big East was to help get their number to around 10,000. Look at the markets of BU and those of the other Big East member schools. One might be surprised in their attendance figures.
You're correct ... only 6,868 for last Tuesday's game with Xavier. Should be a big rivalry game, but a 9:00 PM start on Tuesday with temps near zero keeps some people away. The late starts on weeknights definitely hurt attendance, but that comes along with the Fox TV deal.
On the positive side, through 7 BE home games, Butler is averaging 8,500+. And for their 3 Sat. games and NYE game, they averaged 9,700+. Not horrible, given the struggles Butler has had.
Quote from: zvillehaze on February 18, 2014, 08:59:42 PMNot horrible, given the struggles Butler has had.
Butler's been struggling, you say? Oh no! We hadn't heard!
(http://www.1stinflowers.com/pics/worldwide/tfi/info/tf7200_350.jpg)
Quote from: zvillehaze on February 18, 2014, 08:59:42 PM
Quote from: valpo64 on February 17, 2014, 11:23:22 AM
Northeast Indiana has a population of somewhere around 300,000 or so and IPFW can't even get 1,000 for a home game. This year IPFW has set an all time record for D-1 wins and they have showed up in the mid major top 25 on several occasions. Last Saturday night was Senior night and they had around 950. One may be expecting too much in our attendance. Have you ever checked the attendance at the Big East games? Butler only drew around 6,000 for their last home game and the move to the Big East was to help get their number to around 10,000. Look at the markets of BU and those of the other Big East member schools. One might be surprised in their attendance figures.
You're correct ... only 6,868 for last Tuesday's game with Xavier. Should be a big rivalry game, but a 9:00 PM start on Tuesday with temps near zero keeps some people away. The late starts on weeknights definitely hurt attendance, but that comes along with the Fox TV deal.
On the positive side, through 7 BE home games, Butler is averaging 8,500+. And for their 3 Sat. games and NYE game, they averaged 9,700+. Not horrible, given the struggles Butler has had.
In all fairness, those are very good numbers.