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Post by baseba1111 on Aug 1, 2019 9:54:27 GMT -8
Why buy season tickets when tickets are readily available and the product on the field is s%#t? To some this maybe unimportant, but to me the introduction of alcohol sales has made games increasingly unbearable. I don't go to bars to watch games, Reser is becoming one giant bar. The last few seasons as more and more tix were on the secondary market we got to sit with asshats who have no real buy in to seeing OSU succeed and were there to simply tailgate with cheap tix. Fine I can go with that, until the tailgating is inside Reser ALL game long!. BUT, it gets very old when those same drunk/obnoxious folks are not only asshats, but sitting in seats they paid 1/4 of what I did for each of my 6 season tix... with no donations paid. NOW... top that off... asshat, non-season ticket "guy" with super cheap seat drinking heavily. Cuz of course they can afford multiple beers per person and are up and down 10+ times per game and don't give a s%#te about blocking your views, standing in the aisles chatting or trying blocking traffic... or trying to find their seat after beer 6. I hated the sale of alcohol in Goss (yep people snuck it in)... the fans have slowly turned from knowledgeable baseball fans to half only there to drink and swear at umps and the opposing team. No longer have season tix there... go to a few home games, rather travel to all the away games. I do not care what happens at other schools... some of my worst trips were to places that sell alcohol to large crowds. I gave it the one year with alcohol in Reser... dropped all season tix. Plus for the next 3-5 years, depending on success and band wagon fans, I can go to any home game and sit where ever I want for half of a season ticket and chose sections/adjust that are not full of cheap ticket drunks. Plus I go to almost every away game as many vacas. I still donate to school departments/programs, but family/parents had some type of season tix since 1974 that I continued on and added sports from 1982. This will be the first season my family will not have ANY season tix. MBB and WBB are in travel seasons, but tix are easy to get and still attend 70-80% of home contests. To each their own... my tix were never based on a teams' performance... held them and had great times and memories all through the 70's, 80', and 90's. But, the combo of athletic department fiascoes/decisions making, Mr. Ray's blind support of the Pac12 office/Mr. Scott, and alcohol sales within the stadiums... I see no reason to buy season tix. Unfortunately I do not see much changing to too bring folks back. Donating and buying tix doesn't really get at some of the root issues at the school/Pac12. When does tossing your personal $ at it seem plain stupid when there are other options for games and places to send your $$??
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 10:04:09 GMT -8
As one that still has skin in the game - owner of three season tickets and donor, I'd be interested in knowing if other posters are investing more than just words on a free message board or are they hoping that someone else will do the heavy lifting for them.
Sorry, but that's kind of a dick move on your part. Why put down others for not having the resources or capability to do the "heavy lifting"? What do you get out of it? A holier-than-thou attitude? There are probably many reasons people on this board do not have season tickets--finances, location, or time, to name just a few. Sure, there also may be a handful who post here who are not happy with the state of the program and so will not support it with their cash or time. Perhaps those were the people you were addressing, but your blanket statement includes all of the others. If you want to call out the fair weather fans, then I'm right behind you. But just remember that there are fans sitting at home tuning in on the radio or stuck at work who would gladly be in your shoes while you tailgate and enjoy the atmosphere of Beaver football. Not a dick move at all. Wasn't calling out folks that have dropped tickets for financial reasons, I specifically targeted those that are sitting on the sidelines until Beavers win again. Read what I wrote first, then you can criticize.
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 10:07:27 GMT -8
I've had 6 season tickets since 1997 and will be there again this year. I'm not sure if that makes me a "heavy lifter" or just gullible. You are investing in the future of Beaver football and we can all do this in our own way. You are not gullible.
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 10:11:42 GMT -8
I'll play along... Was a season ticket holder - probably beginning with Riley 1. During the GA years, my season tix went from 6 to 4 to 3. Mainly because the kids got older, had their own interests, weekend jobs and activities and watching the Beavs get throttled on Saturdays wasn't really appealing to them. Plus the product on the field meant that I would occasionally run into trouble finding people who wanted to come along when I had unused tickets. "So you're telling me I can have a free ticket to sit in the rain AND watch us lose by 30 and then leave the game 4 hours later completely frustrated? Sign me up!" Last year I finally decided not to renew, but still managed to make it to 4 games. This year I went with mini-package that will cover me for the 1st half of the season. 2nd half of the season will likely conflict with other activities, so I'll be a game-day decision from November on... Pretty certain i'm not helping get the West-side remodeled, but the mini-plan works perfect for me. But you're still supporting - that's what's important. We all talk about how Coach Smith is the right guy, but there's fewer of us actually putting our money where it's needed.
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 10:14:08 GMT -8
No official announcement has been made on the number of season tickets sold.
After the Fiesta Bowl, season ticket sales averaged between 20000 and 25000 each year. Sales began falling in 2013 and dropped to 17500 in 2016. Last season, sales had further declined to 15393.
Some are predicting that sales will fall below 10000 this season. If those predictions come true, that is a loss of 15000 season tickets off the high mark. The last time OSU sold less than 10000 season tickets was in 1998.
I'm hoping that doesn't happen but a lot of fans have walked away from Beaver football since 2013. Most of those who left have adopted a wait and see attitude. As one that still has skin in the game - owner of three season tickets and donor, I'd be interested in knowing if other posters are investing more than just words on a free message board or are they hoping that someone else will do the heavy lifting for them.
It's not always easy to justify, even to myself, but I have continued to donate and buy tickets since 1997. I did take a year off as a season ticket holder in 2007, but I still donated. It's been a while since I feel I got "rewarded" for attending games in person, but I sure am glad that I was there for some of the biggest wins in our history....hopefully there will be more home wins over ranked teams in our future. I don't donate much, relatively speaking, and I totally understand that some die-hard, dedicated fans don't have the resources to donate anything at all, but I definitely do not subscribe to the theory that I should cut my donation if the product on the field is bad. That, to me, is the opposite of how it should be. I feel like they need my donation more than ever right now. As long as I can, I want to try to be part of the solution.
Go Beavs! Mike '84
Thanks Mike for being a part of the solution and supporting Coach Smith with more than just words.
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 10:19:57 GMT -8
No official announcement has been made on the number of season tickets sold.
After the Fiesta Bowl, season ticket sales averaged between 20000 and 25000 each year. Sales began falling in 2013 and dropped to 17500 in 2016. Last season, sales had further declined to 15393.
Some are predicting that sales will fall below 10000 this season. If those predictions come true, that is a loss of 15000 season tickets off the high mark. The last time OSU sold less than 10000 season tickets was in 1998.
I'm hoping that doesn't happen but a lot of fans have walked away from Beaver football since 2013. Most of those who left have adopted a wait and see attitude. As one that still has skin in the game - owner of three season tickets and donor, I'd be interested in knowing if other posters are investing more than just words on a free message board or are they hoping that someone else will do the heavy lifting for them.
The Republican tax overhaul will have a big impact as tickets aren't tax deductible anymore. It isn't just OSU that is having trouble selling season tickets. For example it used to be 50% of the cost for entertainment was deductible for businesses. Prior to last year, donors could deduct 80 percent of the purchase of season tickets to athletic events. The Internal Revenue Code now reads that donations to universities cannot be deductible if “the taxpayer receives (directly or indirectly) as a result of paying such amount the right to purchase tickets for seating at an athletic event in an athletic stadium of such institution.” But the thing about charitable donations is that they are supposed to be charitable, meaning the donor cannot expect anything of value in return for the donation. There is a joke here is that Beaver season ticket holders SHOULD be able to claim to be a charitable cause (though its close) given we get nothing in return of value. As my wife likes to say when this is brought up, "so you're only a fan if you can get a tax deduction?" Yes, we know "fans" that have given up their season tickets because of this.
My question is this - why not get seats with a lower seat donation requirement? That will offset the loss in deduction but maintain season ticket status and the ticket holder's financial outlay at the previous level.
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Post by irimi on Aug 1, 2019 10:29:09 GMT -8
It's not always easy to justify, even to myself, but I have continued to donate and buy tickets since 1997. I did take a year off as a season ticket holder in 2007, but I still donated. It's been a while since I feel I got "rewarded" for attending games in person, but I sure am glad that I was there for some of the biggest wins in our history....hopefully there will be more home wins over ranked teams in our future. I don't donate much, relatively speaking, and I totally understand that some die-hard, dedicated fans don't have the resources to donate anything at all, but I definitely do not subscribe to the theory that I should cut my donation if the product on the field is bad. That, to me, is the opposite of how it should be. I feel like they need my donation more than ever right now. As long as I can, I want to try to be part of the solution.
Go Beavs! Mike '84
Thanks Mike for being a part of the solution and supporting Coach Smith with more than just words. I dunno but I think Coach Smith appreciates those who support with just words, too. After all, look what happened when words turned against Mediocre Mike. Public opinion may be as valuable or more valuable than the $$$.
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Post by NativeBeav on Aug 1, 2019 10:34:48 GMT -8
I'll play along... Was a season ticket holder - probably beginning with Riley 1. During the GA years, my season tix went from 6 to 4 to 3. Mainly because the kids got older, had their own interests, weekend jobs and activities and watching the Beavs get throttled on Saturdays wasn't really appealing to them. Plus the product on the field meant that I would occasionally run into trouble finding people who wanted to come along when I had unused tickets. "So you're telling me I can have a free ticket to sit in the rain AND watch us lose by 30 and then leave the game 4 hours later completely frustrated? Sign me up!" Last year I finally decided not to renew, but still managed to make it to 4 games. This year I went with mini-package that will cover me for the 1st half of the season. 2nd half of the season will likely conflict with other activities, so I'll be a game-day decision from November on... Pretty certain i'm not helping get the West-side remodeled, but the mini-plan works perfect for me. But you're still supporting - that's what's important. We all talk about how Coach Smith is the right guy, but there's fewer of us actually putting our money where it's needed. As my kids have gotten older and have started families of their own, I have found it harder and harder to fill the tickets for each home game. But, I do enjoy going, I generally can find a couple of my sons, and their friends, that want to go. In the spirit of full disclosure, even though I have 4 season tickets, and have had them for roughly 12 years, they do not have a BASF donation attached to them. Look forward in the coming years to doing a little more donating in that arena - voluntarily, not with a gun to my head, so to speak. But, even without the BASF, we are still contributing. Reason we originally got season tickets? Our neighbors had their sons in league football, and couldn't use their tickets - so they gave them to us. We had a blast, and decided to get our own. So, giving tickets you cannot use to friends/ family can also have a positive outcome.
For those who think it is a waste of time/ money - I have news for you. I have friendships that have developed over many years with my fellow season ticket holders around me, and I look forward to seeing them each year, and to catch up. Plus, there is nothing more glorious that attending a fall football game when the weather is nice/ reasonable, and seeing the sea of orange and black, the energy from the crowd, and future NFL players on the field. Not gonna lie - freezing my a@@ off in November, while we get our butts handed to us by a Washington team, the pathetic PSA's, obnoxious fans that are sometimes nearby, etc. can suck, but I still enjoy it.
Live stadium sporting events are unique experiences that a big screen TV and snacks at home just cannot replicate. And besides - why yell at the TV at home when the zeebs make a bad call, when you can do it in person!
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Post by beaverbeliever on Aug 1, 2019 10:45:12 GMT -8
The reasons for declining sales are well documented - and many are very defensible. That said, I'll never be able to give up my season tickets (short of some unfortunate fiscal turn of events). Even when we're terrible, the possibility of winning each week gets me excited even if it's borne out of delusion. I love fighting the good fight with the rest of the suckers that show up week after week even in the down times. Sitting through the Pettibone years made the Riley and Erickson eras so much more fun.
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Post by biggieorange on Aug 1, 2019 12:22:23 GMT -8
The Republican tax overhaul will have a big impact as tickets aren't tax deductible anymore. It isn't just OSU that is having trouble selling season tickets. For example it used to be 50% of the cost for entertainment was deductible for businesses. Prior to last year, donors could deduct 80 percent of the purchase of season tickets to athletic events. The Internal Revenue Code now reads that donations to universities cannot be deductible if “the taxpayer receives (directly or indirectly) as a result of paying such amount the right to purchase tickets for seating at an athletic event in an athletic stadium of such institution.” But the thing about charitable donations is that they are supposed to be charitable, meaning the donor cannot expect anything of value in return for the donation. There is a joke here is that Beaver season ticket holders SHOULD be able to claim to be a charitable cause (though its close) given we get nothing in return of value. As my wife likes to say when this is brought up, "so you're only a fan if you can get a tax deduction?" Yes, we know "fans" that have given up their season tickets because of this.
My question is this - why not get seats with a lower seat donation requirement? That will offset the loss in deduction but maintain season ticket status and the ticket holder's financial outlay at the previous level.
I hear you, I'll add that sports even sports at our alma mater are essentially entertainment, and for people that are coming from out of town the extra $ that they might have saved from the donation has to have an affect on ticket sales. I know it has on businesses and their "entertainment" budget.
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 12:31:04 GMT -8
More than just season ticket sales are suffering. Here's the overall per game attendance at Reser since 2009:
Year Attendance per game 2010 45509 2011 42420 2012 43424 2013 42964 2014 42176 2015 36079 2016 37725 2017 34754 2018 35209
Even with available tickets all over the stadium, those dropping season tickets are not purchasing high numbers of single game tickets as attendance has been plummeting. We're missing 10000 fans. They all didn't lose their job or hate the late night games so bad that they're unwilling or unable to travel.
I get that it's painful to sit through a loss, but if you're a fan you'll endure that pain and know that you supported the program when it needed the money.
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Post by OSUprof on Aug 1, 2019 12:43:11 GMT -8
Thanks Mike for being a part of the solution and supporting Coach Smith with more than just words. I dunno but I think Coach Smith appreciates those who support with just words, too. After all, look what happened when words turned against Mediocre Mike. Public opinion may be as valuable or more valuable than the $$$. Mike Riley has never been mediocre, you don't get to win or even coach that many games by being mediocre. Words or public opinion did not hurt him at OSU or at Nebraska. Ultimately for many fans including the ones that I'm calling out, it's all about winning, not public opinion.
I'm sure that Coach Smith would prefer to have us at the game supporting the team rather than saying good things about him on a message board that he doesn't have time to read. That show of public support helps the program financially and sends a message to prospective recruits that we care about Beaver football.
Buy a season ticket, a single game ticket, or a plan, or buy one in the secondary ticket market. Be at the game and support the team. That will help this program the most, a six-page argument on a message board does nothing for the program.
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Post by tnarg33 on Aug 1, 2019 15:03:12 GMT -8
More than just season ticket sales are suffering. Here's the overall per game attendance at Reser since 2009:
Year Attendance per game 2010 45509 2011 42420 2012 43424 2013 42964 2014 42176 2015 36079 2016 37725 2017 34754 2018 35209
Even with available tickets all over the stadium, those dropping season tickets are not purchasing high numbers of single game tickets as attendance has been plummeting. We're missing 10000 fans. They all didn't lose their job or hate the late night games so bad that they're unwilling or unable to travel.
I get that it's painful to sit through a loss, but if you're a fan you'll endure that pain and know that you supported the program when it needed the money.
My take all along is how the whole program felt different as soon as Riley was gone. Before the first game of the Andersen era I heard that everyone was excited and optimistic etc. about a new regime. I personally thought Andersen was an idiot already but was still willing to let results speak for themselves. Then I got to that first game and the place was dead. It was quiet, everything felt disconnected. Then I see these numbers and it wasn't just me that felt like it wasn't OSU football anymore with Andersen at the helm. That is a pretty drastic drop in one year and the only thing that changed was the coaching staff. We've been bad before and it didn't drop that much.
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Post by joeavocado on Aug 1, 2019 17:31:16 GMT -8
That's a crazy drop in attendance for a first year coach. Almost 15% of the fan base stops showing up. You would think there would be a honeymoon bump in attendance, not the opposite. That shows how quickly people recognized the train wreck that was occurring. It was a hire that OSU had to get right and it really turned out about as awful as you could imagine, other than the fact OSU didn't have to pay his full contract.
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Post by baseba1111 on Aug 1, 2019 17:40:28 GMT -8
That's a crazy drop in attendance for a first year coach. Almost 15% of the fan base stops showing up. You would think there would be a honeymoon bump in attendance, not the opposite. That shows how quickly people recognized the train wreck that was occurring. It was a hire that OSU had to get right and it really turned out about as awful as you could imagine, other than the fact OSU didn't have to pay his full contract. It's weird, as those I know that dropped tix at that time were really upset at the AD and athletic department. Maybe 30-50 tix I knew we're dropped completely or less bought based on the perception of why MR left/how he was "treated". It really was far different than the overall vibe on PO and here at that time. But... I'm all in on JS and staff. Like the new vibe.
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