🏈 Far From Full Stadium

[TidertillIdie]

Report: Alabama vs. Wisconsin Season Opener In Texas Struggling To Sell Tickets
Dan Lyons

With every college football season, more neutral site games between big name programs pop up. In Tuscaloosa or Madison, an Alabama-Wisconsin game would be one of the highlights of the season. In Arlington, Texas? Ticket sales are not going very well. Only 40,000 sold as of yesterday.

AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, has a listed capacity of 80,000. Even if they manage to sell another ten thousand tickets, that stadium won’t look great. We understand why teams are going for these high-profile, one-off neutral site games, but they definitely aren’t great for the fans, especially when the game is being played nine hours from one campus and 15.5 hours from the other.

I do not blame people, 13 hour drive for me and miss out on all the games over the weekend. I can stay home, 20 feet from my bathroom, 10 feet from my kitchen and no lines.

 

[planomateo]

Tickets prices are still dropping. I don't have tickets yet, will wait til saturday to buy more than likely.

Bunches of Wisconsin fans are selling them cheap on CL right now...but I'd rather see them before I shell over my money.

I would imagine next years game will not suffer the same fate. Probably some fans holding off on travelling to Dallas because of this.

 

[Elderfalsedemigod]

The season openers in Atl just make much more logistical sense for me.

For a season opener Tx is just too far for me.

 

[UAgrad93]

We are going simply because the place we rented for the National Championship Game had a nonrefundable policy. I anticipated BAMA being able to beat OSU, so we made reservations for Dallas. As soon as the game was over, we called and tried to cancel. No luck! They said we could move it to another date in 2015, so here we go!

 

[Harry Elephante]

Lesson learned. If you're going to play in North Texas, you better play a Michigan/Notre Dame/USC type name.

Wisconsin, while a solid program, is just not elite.

 

[Bammerboy321]

Did we at least buy out all from our side?

 

[OldPlayer]

I know my tickets were upgraded from $90 to $150 level (I'm assuming because those tickets didn't sell) without a request. One of the big issues with Jerrydome is that there's nothing around it. People stay in hotels closer to something, anything. The Georgia Dome is downtown near the College Football Hall of Fame, World of Coke, Georgia Acquarium and CNN so there's plenty to do during the day prior to the game.

It doesn't help that Wisconsin fans don't travel.

 

[Harry Elephante]

It doesn't help that Wisconsin fans don't travel.

I've always noticed that B1G fans typically travel very well when playing in the South.

Then again, I'm probably just thinking about Florida NYD bowl games. And we know why.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Jerry World holds back far more tix than Atlanta. I qualify to buy tix for Atlanta games, but not in Dallas. They're the victim of their greed. Had it folded well into the season tix package, they would've sold more on the Bama side.

 

[Harry Elephante]

They'll be plenty of corporate hob-knobs, then.

Watch. It'll be full Saturday night.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I've always noticed that B1G fans typically travel very well when playing in the South.

Then again, I'm probably just thinking about Florida NYD bowl games. And we know why.

No fans travel well when they think they're in for an ass-whoopin'. I sat in the Mizzou section at the SECC game last year for pretty cheap. Prices plummeted the last two days before the game.

 

[Harry Elephante]

:notworthy

 

[BigCrimson]

I went to the Michigan vs Bama game back in 2012 at Jerry World. Too expensive all the way around It cost $75 to park at Jerry's World, $10 for a beer, $200+ for one ticket. Even though Bama destroyed Michigan and I had a blast. It wasn't worth what all it cost me.

 

[OldPlayer]

I went to the Michigan vs Bama game back in 2012 at Jerry World. Too expensive all the way around It cost $75 to park at Jerry's World, $10 for a beer, $200+ for one ticket. Even though Bama destroyed Michigan and I had a blast. It wasn't worth what all it cost me.

Where did you park? My pass was $40 and I thought that was high. Concession prices are always high no matter where you go. Did you pay $200+ directly or through a reseller? You can't blame Jerry for reseller pricing.

 

[UAgrad93]

Paid $40 last time for the parking pass and will do it again Saturday. Our tickets were upgraded as well without requesting it.

 

[Killer Instinct]

There is an underlying problem here the pundits are trying to avoid. We've been discussing this on another board and we've come to the conclusion that we are finally at the tipping point. Not only is this game still available, but Bama had a surplus of tickets left to the crap OOC games and Golden Flake bought the lot of them and is selling them for roughly half face value. College football has finally started pricing it's fans out of the stadium and it's going to get worse. Attendance has peaked and is starting to slide in the wrong direction. AD's, presidents, and coaches better recognize it and deal with it before it snowballs. And don't look to the media titans for help, they are your worst enemy in this struggle. Where do you think ESPN wants your fanny? In Bryant-Denney attending the game or at home watching their gazillion commercials for their sponsors? They have started killing the golden goose and they'd better wake up and realize it. This game isn't the problem, it's merely a symptom of the greater problem.

 

[Fishintide]

There is an underlying problem here the pundits are trying to avoid. We've been discussing this on another board and we've come to the conclusion that we are finally at the tipping point. Not only is this game still available, but Bama had a surplus of tickets left to the crap OOC games and Golden Flake bought the lot of them and is selling them for roughly half face value. College football has finally started pricing it's fans out of the stadium and it's going to get worse. Attendance has peaked and is starting to slide in the wrong direction. AD's, presidents, and coaches better recognize it and deal with it before it snowballs. And don't look to the media titans for help, they are your worst enemy in this struggle. Where do you think ESPN wants your fanny? In Bryant-Denney attending the game or at home watching their gazillion commercials for their sponsors? They have started killing the golden goose and they'd better wake up and realize it. This game isn't the problem, it's merely a symptom of the greater problem.

It ain't just college football. Pretty much the prices of all so-called entertainment has become priced out-of-reach for today's consumer. Folks simply don't have discretionary income anymore. Everything, and I mean everything has become too corporate, financialized, and is in a bubble. Real job growth and real wages have been tumbling for years, but you won't hear that from the lapdog media. All they do is spew the "headline" numbers Uncle Sam wants you to see. It's a mess out there.

 

[planomateo]

Park two blocks east of the stadium off Randal Mills, it's $15 or so. There are restaurants north of the stadium and south of the stadium that you can eat at and they'll let you park your car for free with a food receipt on the dash.

I parked about a mile north of the stadium for the NCAA Basketball championship game last year with some other folks I went with, we at dinner and then walked to the stadium for the game. Not sure if I'd do that again.

 

[planomateo]

ESPN's College GameDay will be at Sundance Square in Ft Worth, 15 miles west of the stadium. It should be outside the stadium.

 

[OldPlayer]

Where do you think ESPN wants your fanny? In Bryant-Denney attending the game or at home watching their gazillion commercials for their sponsors?

This isn't an issue. Only 80,000 can fit into JerryWorld and 101,000 into BDS. There are millions of fans who watch on TV. If the stadium is only half full, those staying home to watch doesn't impact the TV audience much