[Should] Brandon Waive PSDs?
Like many of you I want to see a full Michigan stadium for each game. Based on the product for the past six years plus the cost of purchasing season tickets, I fear that there may be empty seats next year. Don Canham always said (paraphrasing) it's better to have excess demand than one empty seat. He also preached that the Michigan ticket holder should feel they are getting the best deal around. Based on recent performance and the weak home schedule next year - should Brandon waive PSDs for our loyal season ticket holders? Why or why not?
[MOD ED: modified title for clarity]
January 5th, 2014 at 12:34 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
and break the 100k streak. Just pick a bad opponent and if possible bad weather.....
January 5th, 2014 at 2:13 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 2:38 PM ^
You need to update your avatar to Braxton Miller getting picked off by Clemson.
January 5th, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^
I had a conversation with a friend at Yost this fall about this exact subject. And if Michigan has another down year or two, we're staring this possibility right in the face.
The perfect storm would be a game against East Ditchdigger Tech (not located in Michigan, because there is some demand to see the directional Michigan schools), on a rainy, shitty day, where people are being asked to pay ~$100 per ticket, plus the PSD, plus parking, plus concessions.
Mr. Grapetine will announce attendance as something like 97,201. Everyone will be shocked....and then the shit will hit the fan in the athletic office.
January 5th, 2014 at 9:45 PM ^
My laptop is being a complete A-hole to me at this time. The above reply was intended for the comment about boycotting a game and causing the 100K streak to go bye-bye.
January 5th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
PSDs, ticket prices, all part of the same calculus. The athletic department costs money to run and the better piece or view you want of the product, the more you have to pay.
Little bro tried to pull a big PR stunt by shafting donors on Rose Bowl tickets so the "ordinary" season ticket holders could get some. Well, guess what, it's the donors largely paying the freight and the outrage will cost Staee in the long run.
It's Brandon's job to maximize revenue, and whatever price structure does that should be implemented. Michigan home football games are an event, period. Regardless of opponent or record.
Was the place empty during the RichRod horror? That was far worse than this.
January 5th, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^
The problem though is that PSD's are being used to upgrade EVERYTHING meaning the football fan has to pay the freight for all the non-revenue sports upgrades and a lot of season ticket holders have had enough. When we spend over 250MM working on the faciilities that have nothing to do with football, people get pissed. Women's Field Hockey, for example, got 13.5MM spent on a sparkling new facility - paid for on the backs of people like me who have never and will never attend a womens field hockey game.
http://www.annarbor.com/news/non-revenue-soft-athletic-facilities-to-get/
January 5th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
Frustration understood, but isn't there something altruistic about college sports? Non-revenue sports wouldn't exist without some subsidy, pretty much by defeinition.
And I'm going to guess the lion's share of the facilities work money went toward the Big House and Crisler, though I'm open to correction on that.
At any rate, your support is much appreciated.
January 5th, 2014 at 1:46 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 4:30 PM ^
You're not really speaking to me at all with this. What I object to, is making a couple of revenue sports responsible for supprting a massively expensive operation. Forget the members of the Victors Club; I don't think that's good for the football and basketball players, or the system in general.
I know that a lot of people object to the pressure that we put on scholarship football players, some from impoverished backgrounds, allegedly to support (through their on-field play) the million-dollar salary of Dave Brandon or the three million dollar salary of Brady Hoke. That's actually the least of it. What they are really supporting is the many, many, many millions of dollars for two-dozen other teams, plus ever-increasing epenses for all sorts of things unrelated to playing football and mens basketball.
We have 14 different womens intercollegiate athletic teams, none of which support themselves. I'd like to know what they cost, in comparison to some of the other bogeymen of "let's pay NCAA athletes" crowd or the Title IX crowd.
January 5th, 2014 at 2:31 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^
Unfortunately Brandon squeezed this "golden goose" just a bit too hard and a bit too long and now he no longer has my support. But I'm sure there are tens of thousands of people chomping at the bit to replace my financial contribution so no worries.
The money supply is endless according to Brandon.
January 5th, 2014 at 1:11 PM ^
People weren't being charged what they are now nor were they being fed big bravado talk by the coach and AD.
January 5th, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^
That might be how Brandon seems to approach the job. That doesn't mean it's smart or right.
January 5th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 4:59 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 1:00 PM ^
For the renovation of the stadium the initial primary reason for the PSD? As I recall with my aging memory, UM floated a bond issue for approximately $250 million to pay for the renovation of the Big House. I believe that the initial justification for the PSD's was to pay off the bond indebtedness. If and when such occurs, then might we hope that the PSD's will be eliminated? Or has the AD become drunk on the revenues that they generate?
Two PSD's in Section 23 plus the cost of the tickets is a lot to pay for watching mediocre football.
January 5th, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
PSD may follow the same path.
January 5th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
Predated, by a long enough period of time to convince me that the two are not intrinsically linked.
Michigan PSD's coincide with other team sports doing the same. And particularly other high-profile college football teams doing it. Michigan is asking for the payments because the competition is doing it and the Michigan Athletic thinks the traffic will bear it.
I want to make this part clear; my objection is not so much that we had a frustrating season of football games. Nor that we haven't been to a Big Ten championship game.
My frustration is with the insane costs of PSDs and tickets, compared to the real market. The simple fact now is that season ticket holders are being expected to pay amounts for tickets, that the free market is sneering at.
By the way, who is getting a credit and/or a deduction for their PSD on their Michigan state tax return? Not me. Am I doing something wrong?
January 5th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^
as a deduction to your gross income. the final adjusted gross income , with the deduction included, is used to calculate yur michigan taxees. so its in there.
January 5th, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^
I dropped mine after the 2011 season. I saw no point in paying $90 face for EMU ect. Glad I got out when I did between the product on the field and the outragous prices for OSU,ND and MSU. Its sad for my son that Michigan football games are no longer for every family.
January 5th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 2:53 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
PSDs fund all the sports that have no legs. Fact. I think people will keep paying but may not show up for the games.
Like ohio where people only support the team when they are winning. Not real fans. Plus reflects on Dave also ...
Sorry. Just the facts.
January 5th, 2014 at 3:13 PM ^
But then we have to cancel water polo, tennis, wrestling, baseball, track & field, field hockey, rowing, and probably 5 other sports.
January 5th, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
No one states the real economics of it. The market dictates that PSDs and the current pricing is what the market supports, if there isn't the requisite demand, then the price will come down.
Owning Michigan Football season tickets is not a right but a luxury. Not everyone get's to drive a BMW, so if you can't afford season tickets you might just have to buy 1-2 games ala carte.
January 5th, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 4:39 PM ^
Brandon could keep raising prices, and find the point at which his market is maxed out. And in the process, he will enrage some of the most loyal (mostly alum) long-time season ticket patrons in Michigan Stadium. I don't know who he'd get to replace them. Because once his patrons have given up on seats that they or family members have held for 20, 30, 40 or more years, he likely won't get them back. And a large number of interested alums will just have a sour taste about the University in general. University fundraisers will be confronted with the loss of the generation who were students during the Schembechler heydays. And Brandon will be trying to sell season tickets to a generation that prefers their iPhones and HD televisions to cold days in the fall.
January 5th, 2014 at 7:59 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 3:27 PM ^
No he won't
January 5th, 2014 at 4:14 PM ^
Stadium wasn't empty during RichRod years but the premium seats weren't sold out, hence how I jumped the list and got tickets 4 years ago. They didn't sell out till RR was fired. Now, at $1250 per seat PSD, bad product, bad schedule and prohibition from selling premium seats on StubHub, can't do it anymore.
January 5th, 2014 at 4:40 PM ^
No doubt the tipping point is getting closer as to the on field product value not being commensurate with the ticket and PSD cost. Will anything be done about it PSD-wise? I doubt it. I don't hate paying it, but damn, field a great team and keep concessions reasonable.
January 5th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
Oh yes the Athletic Department relies on giving. Not just for special projects (naming gifts, etc.) but for general operating funds.
More than television.
More than merchandising.
More than gross nacho chips and expensive water bottles.
http://support.mgoblue.com/our-vision/the-need/
January 5th, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 7:43 PM ^
$600 per ticket.
About $85, per ticket, per game.
So four tickets to a CentralEasternWestern Michigan game cost me something like $660.
January 5th, 2014 at 7:41 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
Another question. Are season tickets generally available for new purchasers? If so, why not just cancel this year and repurchase next year? I'd only pay $200 per ticket for a rival or top 12 opponent. Which next year is something like 0-fer.
January 5th, 2014 at 7:57 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 6:39 PM ^
Should he? Yes. Will he? No.
January 5th, 2014 at 7:40 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 7:57 PM ^
January 5th, 2014 at 10:12 PM ^
is everything that is wrong with business today.
January 6th, 2014 at 1:06 AM ^
I know several people who are giving up their seats and plan to come to an occassional game or two each season through stub hub/scalping, etc...
The main reasons are financial but the product on the field doesn't help. There is no longer a waitlist for season tickets and a psd for all tickets is ridiculous. Even though I've gone to almost every home game in my lifetime, I'm seriously considering giving up my seats because paying 475 or plus the ticket per seat is more and more seeming like a bit too much.
Brandon needs to use his supposed marketing skills and complete some more thorough research on his real customer base instead of pretending we can all afford huge donations.
January 6th, 2014 at 1:10 AM ^
And although no way official, there is talk around town that 1000's have turned back ticket forms already saying they aren't renewing (they'll never officially tell us anyways)