Season Ticket Update and Other Mack Musings

[Muskie]

Link (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130823/SPT0102/308230118/Chris-Mack-optimistic-despite-departures?nclick_check=1)

SEASON TICKETS: Xavier hasn’t even made its biggest season ticket push yet, but sales are already strong. Brian Hicks, Xavier’s associate athletic director for marketing, said 94 percent of last year’s 6,539 men’s basketball season tickets have been renewed.

“I don’t know if there’s an industry standard (for renewal percentage) but I think a lot of folks in pro and college sports are looking at right around that 80 percent number,” Hicks said. “So 94 percent, we’re really excited about that. I think that shows the demand for our product, Big East basketball, and I think there’s a lot of excitement about the team Coach Mack has coming back this year.”

New season tickets went on sale July 15 and are already 41 percent beyond last year’s final tally. And only 10 premium courtside tickets remain from the 40 were introduced earlier this month.
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[Mel Cooley XU'81]

Bully!

So when do we see a Big East schedule?

[bourbonman]

So when do we see a Big East schedule?

THIS! So when do we see a Big East schedule? BOLDED!

[Masterofreality]

Tweet:

@bigeastconf: BIG EAST Tip-Off Party broadcast set for 9-11 p.m. ET on Oct. 25. All 10 teams will be featured with live coverage.

Musketeer Madness will be a part of this telecast.

[Muskie1000]

hmmmm so this means we are back to the way we used to do things for Musketeer Madness.

[X-band '01]

THIS! So when do we see a Big East schedule? BOLDED!

I'd pressure them to get their website live first.

[bourbonman]

I'd pressure them to get their website live first.

We can play games without a website. Just saying.

[kyxu]

THIS! So when do we see a Big East schedule? BOLDED!

According to Andy Katz, Big East schedules will be released next week.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/87680/3-point-shot-unlv-takes-another-offseason-hit

[nuts4xu]

At one point we had over 8000 season ticket holders. It surprises me that we only had 6500 season tickets sold for last year.

I guess the Graham haters are having an impact.

[casualfan]

At one point we had over 8000 season ticket holders. It surprises me that we only had 6500 season tickets sold for last year.

I guess the Graham haters are having an impact.

That is a heck of a drop off and a sign that we may have more fair weather fans than we'd care to admit.

Hopefully we have a bounce back year this year.

[GoMuskies]

Well, that and everyone and their brother knew we were gonna suck last year. It was actually less bad than expected (Wofford notwithstanding).

[Kahns Krazy]

The economy isn't helping anything either. I know at least two different sets of ticket holders that dropped tickets because they were cutting costs related to employment issues.

[Muskie]

At one point we had over 8000 season ticket holders. It surprises me that we only had 6500 season tickets sold for last year.

I guess the Graham haters are having an impact.

Do you really believe there are honestly 1500 people who said, "I love Xavier basketball but I can't stand Fr. Graham, so no season tickets for this household". Your own seatmate (who is the Present of the Fire Fr. Graham fan club") didn't even cancel his season tickets.

Attributing 1500 less season ticket holders to people who don't like Fr. Graham may be a popular catch phrase for some. But I don't think the evidence points to that.

[nuts4xu]

Do you really believe there are honestly 1500 people who said, "I love Xavier basketball but I can't stand Fr. Graham, so no season tickets for this household".

No I don't think this at all, I tried to use my "sarcasm" font, but it didn't take for some reason.

[Olsingledigit]

Do you really believe there are honestly 1500 people who said, "I love Xavier basketball but I can't stand Fr. Graham, so no season tickets for this household". Your own seatmate (who is the Present of the Fire Fr. Graham fan club") didn't even cancel his season tickets.

Attributing 1500 less season ticket holders to people who don't like Fr. Graham may be a popular catch phrase for some. But I don't think the evidence points to that.

Agree Muskie. The product on the floor is the main (maybe the only) driver. I am VP of the Fire Fr. Graham fan club and I still have my tickets - and have since 1983.

[blueballs]

I don't spend a lot of time on here, but is the disapproval of father Graham based on the fight and the Dez situations?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

[PMI]

I don't spend a lot of time on here, but is the disapproval of father Graham based on the fight and the Dez situations?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

I wouldn't consider myself someone who disapproves of Graham, but my biggest complaint of him is that he continues to pay Luther Smith. That's embarrassing and inexcusable in my book.

[Caveat]

The wife and I have been considering hopping on board with seasons -- it's just a big chunk of cash to swallow.

[Masterofreality]

At one point we had over 8000 season ticket holders. It surprises me that we only had 6500 season tickets sold for last year.

I guess the Graham haters are having an impact.

I think that one guy who dropped was Merlyn Shiverdecker. :guns:

Good riddance.

[Nigel Tufnel]

I'd love to get season tickets again...didn't renew a couple years ago. Has nothing to do with Graham, Shootout brawl, Luther Smith, Dez Wells or finances. It had to do with being the parent of 3 young children. Two play basketball and the girlie either cheers or has dance and gymnastics.

Coaching basketball last year took up all free time. I wouldn't have been able to make hardly any of the games. It just wasn't practical for me. Maybe that's a reason for some of the decline. Kids and commitments to their extracurriculars.

With running kids here and there, practices, games etc., I'd say I had to watch 90% of the games on DVR later in the evening.

The commitment required for young children's sports is just beyond ridiculous these days.

[LadyMuskie]

The economy isn't helping anything either. I know at least two different sets of ticket holders that dropped tickets because they were cutting costs related to employment issues.


I'd love to get season tickets again...didn't renew a couple years ago. Has nothing to do with Graham, Shootout brawl, Luther Smith, Dez Wells or finances. It had to do with being the parent of 3 young children. Two play basketball and the girlie either cheers or has dance and gymnastics.

Coaching basketball last year took up all free time. I wouldn't have been able to make hardly any of the games. It just wasn't practical for me. Maybe that's a reason for some of the decline. Kids and commitments to their extracurriculars.

With running kids here and there, practices, games etc., I'd say I had to watch 90% of the games on DVR later in the evening.

The commitment required for young children's sports is just beyond ridiculous these days.

These are the two biggest reasons I've heard of for people not renewing. We lost about 6 couples in our section last year because they couldn't afford the tickets, and we're only in premium two. In fact, we're splitting our tickets this year with another family because the cost is getting harder to make acceptable when we've got tuition to pay, fees for soccer, gymnastics and year round swim team, not to mention just regular old rising costs of things we have to have like gas and electric that we didn't have when we first got our tickets back in 2002. It's also because of the time commitment like Nigel mentioned. If you're paying all that money and barely make 1/3 of the games because you're running to and fro with kids or you're out of town on business trips, it's even harder to justify almost $1000 for two tickets. I doubt we'll renew at all next year,and that has more to do with our ability to make the games than the product on the floor, the administration, the coaching staff, etc. We will still try to go to games here and there, but we have to be smarter about where our money goes.

[MuskiePimp23]

I am in the camp that did not renew because of Fr. Graham and wanted the school that he runs to feel the impact of not having my financial support for the year since that is the only place I feel I have a voice is with my wallet. I am back on board again this year and renewed my tickets and even contributed to the AFO as well as attended the AFO golf outing this year.

I will NEVER donate to the University outside of the athletic program as long as Graham is on board.

[Muskie1000]

Just a suggestion for those who are struggling with the higher cost. I sit in the end zone (section 201). There is no seat "donation" and the cost of those seats is so much less than everywhere else. Is it as good as on the side, probably not, but you get what you pay for and I don't really mind it. I think for 4 tickets we pay around 1200.

[bleedXblue]

Just a suggestion for those who are struggling with the higher cost. I sit in the end zone (section 201). There is no seat "donation" and the cost of those seats is so much less than everywhere else. Is it as good as on the side, probably not, but you get what you pay for and I don't really mind it. I think for 4 tickets we pay around 1200.

You can get upper level tickets with whatever view you like (side, end zone etc) and not have to pay for a seat license. I believe that the side view seats for the first 10-12 rows requires a license, but after that they dont. Last year we paid less than $800.00 for two seats.

[sgarcia]

Just a suggestion for those who are struggling with the higher cost. I sit in the end zone (section 201). There is no seat "donation" and the cost of those seats is so much less than everywhere else. Is it as good as on the side, probably not, but you get what you pay for and I don't really mind it. I think for 4 tickets we pay around 1200.

I do the same thing. I live in PA and hardly ever make it out to a game but most of the time I'll ask friends if they want to use the tickets. It's $600 for the season and I'm in the 1st row that's non premium for the end zone seats (Row E).

[blueblob06]

Yep, I sit in the corner (but it's almost the "side", I can see across to the Xavier bench which is nice) and I don't pay a license/donation. Best deal dollar for dollar in Cincy sports by a landslide.

[bleedXblue]

What makes it all the better is the fact that UC fans will get to watch a bunch of dung and we'll get to see Big East games now.

How well do you think UC is selling season tickets right now? Move it downtown and you will have no one there.....

[danaandvictory]

Yep, I sit in the corner (but it's almost the "side", I can see across to the Xavier bench which is nice) and I don't pay a license/donation. Best deal dollar for dollar in Cincy sports by a landslide.

Absolutely. Been in that general vicinity since the joint opened.

[X-man]

Yep, I sit in the corner (but it's almost the "side", I can see across to the Xavier bench which is nice) and I don't pay a license/donation. Best deal dollar for dollar in Cincy sports by a landslide.

I do as well, but I am in 104 on the lower level. I do pay a seat license averaging (over the contract) $500 per seat annually, but it is still a great deal. I love my seats, and all my pals are seated around me with very little turnover.