Spring games

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

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.

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.

They in a sense charged admission last year by taking donations at the gate for Mott.  You didn't go inside without giving a donation did you?

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.

discern that he is a poor college student.

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.

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.

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?

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.

If I drive all the way from upstate NY can I write the $5 off on my taxes as a charitable donation?

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