Spring games

Submitted by AeonBlue on

Looks like Wisconsin will be the next to start charging for spring games. I know there's rumor of Michigan doing this to benefit mott children's hospital that brian (somewhat?) confirmed along with rumor of coroporate sponsors. Not sure how I feel about this.

Link

His Dudeness

February 23rd, 2011 at 9:36 AM ^

You don't need to feel any way about it. They will find out if they should be charging for it by how many people show up. If the market will pay then people will show up. If not then they will quickly go back to not charging.

AeonBlue

February 23rd, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^

Probably because of the stigma of corporate economics being more and more prevailant in college sports. Some people just inherently view it as evil. Also, a lot of people have the opinion that they are owed something for nothing.

That's why I said I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Michigan hasn't charged for a spring game in my recent memory so it kind of feels like a breaking down of values (exploitation is too strong of a word) now that spring games are becoming popular to attend but at the same time who can fault someone for wanting to make a dollar for a service, be it entertainment or otherwise?

That is the crux of why I'm torn.

JD_UofM_90

February 23rd, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^

and I took them to last years spring game to let them see what Michigan football was all about.  They loved it and have turned into some really true blue Michigan fans, because of it.  Making this event "free" gives families like mine the opportunity to have an affordable way to experience a Michigan football game, without taking out a small loan for a regular season game. 

We gave a donation last year to Motts to get the free towel and teddy bear for the boys.  I think they announced at the game and that they raised over $250K for Motts via the donations.  If they want to raise more money, maybe they should consider donating the concession profits during the spring game, to Motts as well.

I think they should keep it a free game.

tolmichfan

February 23rd, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^

First off i have been to a couple spring games and they have never come close to filling the stadium.  So IMO the demand is not high enough at U of M to warrent charging money to get into the spring game.  Also i doubt they would have collected around 250K for Motts if they charged everyone 5 bucks.  Another poster below mentioned how people were donating more than the 5 bucks to get the all in towel.  For more cash they had better prizes and i believe if you donated enough you got to go down on the field for a future game. Keep the game how it is unless the fans start filling the stadium and then i could see paying for a ticket. 

 

i hope to see all you mgoblogers at this years game.

umfan

February 23rd, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^

I sure hope they don't start charging for Spring Games. Spring Games should always be free and just for fun. Of course I will admit I'm cheap. But I stick to my opinion

madtadder

February 23rd, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^

Back in the day, you had to buy tickets to the spring game. They were extremely cheap, but you needed tickets nonetheless. On the plus side of making people buy tickets to it, not only does it support a good cause but it also makes reporting the attendance actually accurate.

ChosenOne

February 23rd, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^

I agree. It may be for a good cause but I have to drive from the westside of the state to see it. Plus I'm a poor college student. I would now definitley think twice about going.

WolvinLA2

February 23rd, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^

Yeah, I don't buy that 5-10 dollars is enough to make a difference, especially if you're coming from GR. You'll block out your whole day, spend 4 hours in a car and spend the gas involved, probably have a few beers somewhere along the line and have at least one meal out on your trip. You'll probably spend 40 bucks to make it happen, but 45 or 50 dollars is a no deal to see the Wolverines play? Have one less beer the night before and you're all square.

Baldbill

February 23rd, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^

A nominal fee that goes to a great charity is not a bad thing, putting this into perspective, you can go watch a team that you like and support a good cause. Win-win. Still a fun atmosphere in a great stadium. What isn't to like.

sarto1g

February 23rd, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^

If they're looking to raise money for the hospital, they should just ask for donations at the game.  That way you get a lot of butts in the seats and still raise money.

Hail-Storm

February 23rd, 2011 at 10:49 AM ^

that last years donation plan went well.  I was there an hour before the gates opened and I felt like everyone in line was donating to Mott's. Some were donating hundreds of dollars at the gate.  A counter argument to charging everyone a nominal fee to get in might be that those who would have donated more don't.

I'd still be okay either way.  I think if they do charge, they should give away something (really anything, like the towels or a water bottle, key chain) that is pretty inexpensive compared to the charge and  would make people who might not want to spend the money, feel like they are getting something.

Any way that they do decide to do it, I hope that they keep the price low.  I am lucky enough to have gone to UofM and watch 5 years (slacker) of football, and return to at least 2 games per year.  I know that the spring game allows some fans a chance for their family to the experience the Big House that otherwise might not have the opportunity to do so.  

Magnus

February 23rd, 2011 at 9:57 AM ^

I don't see why a spring game shouldn't charge money.  Sure, it would be great if it were free.  It would also be great if Panchero's served free meals, and if the Ohio State game were free.

The bottom line is that the football team, coaches, etc. are putting on a show that serves as entertainment for thousands of people.  You can't get into a play, concert, etc. without paying money, so I don't see why this would be much different.

jethro34

February 23rd, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^

I will put a statement of quality (or lack thereof) for my opinion here before I say too much, because I don't want to spout off about things I'm not informed on: I've never been to a spring game.

Having said that, from the sounds of it sometimes the "spring game" is literally played with a game format, while others years (often depending on the coach) it's basically an open practice with some small elements of scrimmaging.  Also, some years it's combined with other features such as tours of facilities, etc.

So here's my opinion:

Donations for charity are fine, but should be left to the discretion of the giver how large or small the donation is - whether it be $1, $10, or hundreds.

But if there is a specific charge then it should certainly have a game feel.  I don't imagine people would feel great about being forced to pay to basically watch a practice.

mlGOBLUE

February 23rd, 2011 at 11:30 AM ^

There's no way I'm paying to get into a Spring Game, unless that's what I have to do to get in.  Seriously, I hope if they do charge, its a modest donation to Mott that we can all feel good about and still get our fix of Wolverine football.

SWFLWolverine

February 23rd, 2011 at 11:45 AM ^

If you don't like the idea of having to pay, regardless of the format of the spring game, then you are free to exercise your right to choose to not go. The school and program has a right to charge. If it is important to you, and you see value in it, then its worth digging into your pockets and skipping out on other areas in your budget to cover the expense. If it is not important enough for you to do that, then why would you invest your time and effort into it anyway?

Naked Bootlegger

February 23rd, 2011 at 12:50 PM ^

I live in Madison, WI.  Interestingly enough, the local newspaper quoted Barry Alvarez that stated his research - anecdotal evidence from Hayden Fry - shows that more people will attend the game if they were charged for admission.   Here's the quote:

 

Alvarez said charging for the spring game, which has traditionally been free, could actually help drive up attendance. He related a story, when he was an assistant coach at Iowa on the staff of Hayden Fry. The Hawkeyes started charging for the spring game and Alvarez said attendance went up.

"I can remember Hayden saying, `If it's free, people think there's no value in it,' " Alvarez said. " `If you just charge $2, we'll increase the crowd.' Sure enough, that's what happened."

 

So Hayden Fry says that charging for the admission will put asses in the seat, so let it be done!   Full disclaimer...their $5 admission will support the UW School of Nursing.

I have to admit that I only attended the game last year because it was free...I'm not a Badger fan, but it was nice to bring the family to a free event.  I knew my youngest child would not be able to sit through the entire game, so we left guilt-free at haltime.   We probably won't be attending this year unless someone in the MGoBlog community wants me to provide an in-depth scouting report of the Wisconsin 3-deep spring game lineup.

 

 

tbeindit

February 23rd, 2011 at 2:38 PM ^

To me, any changes to the Spring Game should work to achieve 3 goals:

  1. Assist a Charity (Mott's at this time)
  2. Increase Attendance
  3. Create an affordable event for low-budget fans to attend

Now, there are a million ways to attempt to achieve any of these goals, but what I think would be the most effective is to add a slight charge for attendance.  Now, I'm not talking $50 here, I mean $2 or $3 should cover it.  This way you can still have the people waiting at the gates, but instead of asking for donations for attendance they can still sell the towels, teddy bears, etc.  This will probably be a very effective way to ensure there is a baseline amount and get those people to go above and beyond with further donations and purchases.

I also am a firm believer that this charge would increase overall attendance.  Though this sounds confusing, I think there are several reasons why free events in general don't always bring great attendance.  People either feel there must be no value if it's free and second, many will simply forget if they don't have that physical ticket or other reminder in their hands.  Another advantage of creating "tickets" would be that they can be added to the season ticket which may result in a higher attendance from the season ticket holders (specifically students).

Finally, I don't think $2 or $3 is going to be the deciding factor for attendance for any individual.  I mean if I wanted to go to an event, whether it's free or takes a $2 donation, I really don't care very much.  I realize some will be pushed away, but this group will surely be small since most people donated when they walked into the event.

Just my two cents haha