January 31st, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
Thanks for the reminder, Dave.
January 31st, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^
Yes it is. Yes it is.....
January 31st, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
Thanks for the reminder.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but coughing up Brandon's extortion fee was really difficult this time around.
January 31st, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^
Made the difficult decision to not bend over and take it from Dave. So someone out there just moved up the list for season tickets.
January 31st, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:28 AM ^
Had 2 tickets for 20+ years, added a second pair for the "kid plus other" about 15 years ago, combined 'em 12 years ago. And have been taking a bath on either #4 or #3 and #4 for years.
We aren't buying via the AD this year.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
I fly in from NYC w/ the wife and kids for about half of the games. Flight is about two hours and then rent a car and 30 min drive. Not too bad.
I renewed my PSDs and will try to upgrade. I figure I have the best chance to lock in good seats during the bad years.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
in the family for a couple generations.
I love my alma mater, but some of the changes taking place have changed our thinking about how and when we will enjoy the gameday experience in Ann Arbor. Really a sad day for us.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
We're out. 4 tickets, purchased for far too much money, for too many years, for product and event/activities no longer commensurate with that price.
January 31st, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
Well you can lose money if you don't sell them or sell them too late. I.e., like if someone backs out to go a few days before and then you have to basically dump the tix.
It definitely can happen and does happen frequently.
January 31st, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
Because I don't believe it.
I made out like a bandit last year, when I sold my 4 ND tickets for $2000. I don't know anybody who did better. But the ONLY way I could have possibly "made" money was if I had sold off ND, and OSU, and not only that but timed the sale of the OSU tickets exactly right.
I just don't believe you. There is no way on earth that you can buy season tickets this year and break even. I am telling you in no uncertain terms that you will lose money.
Go ahead and tell me how I am wrong; but be specific. Start by telling me how much your PSD is, and how you factor that in to any profits or losses.
January 31st, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
There's unwitting buyers everywhere. My brother-in-law made a killing on his season tickets last year ($1000 profit). He sells them every year, but last year he found a buyer who apparently bumped their head prior to purchase.
January 31st, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^
Is your brother-in-law a fan?
January 31st, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^
Did your brother-in-law just find a single buyer who paid $1000 over face value for the whole season?
What is your brother-in-law's PSD? Did the buyer pay that too?
There is no way that I can possibly break even on my tickets. I'd sell all of my tickets, here and now, if I could break even for 2014.
Here's the price, if anybody is interested:
$2,400 (PSD) + $1875 (est. ticket cost) = $4275.
I make zero profit on this deal.
Four tickets together on the fifty yard line in what I will say is an ideal row. One year. All yours. With smart, pleasant, knowledgable people all around. I'm betting no one will take this offer.
January 31st, 2014 at 3:11 PM ^
Victors PSD is a bad deal.
I did the analysis a while back on Excel and I found Maize PSD to be the best bang for the buck if you're going to resell. Also, if you are Endzone, you will make money. I did the math based on average sold price per PSD category on Stubhub for all games vs. total expense (i.e., PSD, ticket cost, Stubhub fee, etc.).
January 31st, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
In addition, Section 1, you should net out the cash benefit of your deduction in order to get at the true cost to you.
I.e., you should subtract out approx. another $865.
$2,400 x 80% = $1,920 (allowable deduction per 80/20 IRS rule)
$1,920 x 45% = $864 (approx tax rate of someone who is in the top federal tax bracket plus average state tax). Taxes would generally be lower in MI, then CA, NY or NJ, but this is an approximation.
January 31st, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 2:06 PM ^
This year was the first season in about five that our family didn't eat a single ticket, but I strongly suspect that will change next year. It used to be you'd ask people if they wanted to go to a Michigan game, they'd jump at the chance. Now, between the cost, the hassle of parking and getting in/out of Ann Arbor on a gameday, the eroding gameday experience, it seems we're always left holding a ticket or two to most games that aren't a major conference opponent. And we only have four to work with to begin with.
Now, if we were really looking to sell tickets, there's absolutely no way we'd ever break even. Ever. Not even a possibility.
January 31st, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
Stupid not to
January 31st, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
Me too. It was so hard for me to give up my tickets. I really had mixed feelings about doing it. I just cant afford coming up with large sums of cash on Jan 31 and in May for the actual tickets any more. I plan on being at six of the seven games in 2014, but Stub Hub is the way to go. I will save alot of money this fall.
January 31st, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
Thanks for the reminder. Coudn't remember if I paid mine or not. FYI, I called the ticket office and they were able to confirm it for me if anyone is in the same boat.
January 31st, 2014 at 10:51 AM ^
Is that just for football? Or is that for basketball too?
January 31st, 2014 at 10:58 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 10:59 AM ^
someone needs to invent the electronic payment version of ass-pennies.
January 31st, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
I reluctantly sent mine in. With the recent Gibbons fiasco, the constant wringing of every cent from fans, the escalating salaries, and the fact that damn near all athletic facility gets re-done seemingly every 5 years while the CCRB and IM remain embarraassing shitholes had me teetering on the edge of not renewing. The fact that my son attends UM, and going to games is another opportunity to see him was the deciding factor.
January 31st, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
Came VERY VERY close to not doing it this year. I did primarily because my dad is still alive and I tailgate with him. If he moves south or passes away I'll probably stop.
January 31st, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
Honestly, I don't know why the "Gibbons fiasco" would affect your decision to renew tix. I feel like that is a stretch.
January 31st, 2014 at 1:19 PM ^
I had finally decided to suck it up and renew this week, though I went back and forth for a long time and it was a really tough decision. The Gibbons thing didn't really factor in for me, but it did make me feel dirty sending hundreds of dollars to the athletic department after knowing what happened. I kind of feel like I need to donate to SAPAC just to balance it out a little.
And tthe fact that when you pay the PSD online, a window pops up asking if you'd like to donate EVEN MORE to the scholarship fund just added to my hatred for Brandon.
January 31st, 2014 at 1:55 PM ^
Because I have an opinion that may or may not be different than yours, perhaps?
January 31st, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
Nope. I made the call months ago but promised others to shut-up about it.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
"... promised others to stop bragging about it."
January 31st, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
Too much expense for the return on investment these days
January 31st, 2014 at 11:09 AM ^
From the sounds of things- Under 100k game attendance coming soon to a screen near us!
January 31st, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^
is that a joke? We've been over 100K for over 30 years, that's not gonna change because a few blue hairs are pissed. Myself and other recent alums are clamoring to get tickets.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^
us have to be considered the hard-core fringe of the Michigan faithful. If we aren't going to show up, what about all of the people who sell their tickets to OSU and State fans?
However, the math will still work. Brandon will take the significantly higher price and modestly lower volume. Also, he knows that if Hoke can get the team to win consistently that we will show up whatever the cost. From a revenue management standpoint, his approach looks justified.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
...and who know nothing about MGoBlog. Among that group I see even more dissatisfaction, and I've learned that a shocking number of my unscientifically small anecdotal sample are NOT renewing ther season tickets this year.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
It is an interesting issue. I know we've had numerous chats in numerous threads on the fantastic problem Michigan has with having comparatively inelastic demand for its product, but the question always comes back to this - when does the behavior which makes it inelastic begin to change? Are we beginning to see it happen? I do wonder sometimes, although it might be years (and the decline would need to be consistent) before the university would notice financially.
January 31st, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
....is the effect that losing a part of your hard core fan base and their families might have on the sales of licensed merchandise. We are currently top 5. I would suspect that could drop.... Perhaps my view is exaggerated, but I don't see any good coming from pricing out the middle class.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
The university would give away free tickets to make the venue look full on the television. All while the season ticket holders get hosed with bad scheduling,sub standard football and no booze to numb the pain
January 31st, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^
From the sounds of things- Under 100k game attendance coming soon to a screen near us!
The seats will still be there; the tickets will still be for sale; and the marketplace might well drive the price down to where people will buy.
So the "100,000" metric is a misleading one in my view. They could well have 100,000 people in Michigan Stadium, but many of them will have purchased tickets for $30 on StubHub.
The unseen metric is the vast difference between what season ticket purchasers pay/donate, and what the market price of those tickets are. It's a rapidly-widening gap. Season ticket holders are being asked to pay sometimes 100% more than the face value of tickets, and the face value of tickets is routinely 100% more than the market value.
Michigan season football tickets are nothing more than a very large tax on alumni loyalty and family tradition associated with Michigan football.
January 31st, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
January 31st, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
They probably separated the "goods and services" portion out for tax purposes, as you can only deduct 85% of the PSD as a charitable donation