Stadium not filled to capacity for first time since 2001

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

According to MVictors, Saturday was the first time since 2001 against illinois (107,085) that Michigan Stadium was not filled to capacity. 

The attendance was 107,120. 2,781 seats not filled. Yikes.

EDIT: Changed the title. Sellout wasn't the right word to use.

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maizenbluenc

September 16th, 2013 at 10:37 AM ^

the crowd didn't even buy all the tickets. Which means supply overshot demand for the given level of opponent, and the individual game ticket prices should therefore have been lower.

Dynamic pricing didn't allow for the lower than face value case.

Bottom line: they need to keep the season ticket holders buying (either by reducing PSDs or improving level of opponents), or there will be a lot more under capcity games, particularly in the MSU/OSU away years.

Joined: 07/21/2009

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RabidWolverine20

September 16th, 2013 at 11:11 AM ^

This..So much This.

 

The tickets that weren't sold and seats that were obviously empty were the single game tickets which are no above the student section. Those seats were empty all game. 

You either need to have the entire stadium filled with season ticket holders or a schedule without any cupcakes to ensure the insatiable appetite for UofM football never outlives the supply of tickets. This week, that appetite resembled an aenorexic chick.

Joined: 10/17/2012

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pinkfloyd2000

September 16th, 2013 at 8:23 AM ^

After ND, I WANTED an opponent like Akron -- the inevitable letdown game, but the idea is that even if you letdown some, you can still roll your inferior opponent. And...yeah, it didn't quite go quite as we all expected, but...

 

 

Joined: 01/27/2009

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Zok

September 16th, 2013 at 8:44 AM ^

Usually UM still ""sells out" but there are still empty seats. its pretty bad from a $ perspective that they couldn't get the "sell out" for this game. Will probably we a recurring issue for the weaker games, esp after BIG BIG games.

Joined: 03/24/2009

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exmtroj

September 16th, 2013 at 8:45 AM ^

Anybody else there for Northwestern '08? No way in hell the Akron game was worse attendance-wise. I remember when they announced the official attendance that day as over 100,000, the whole stadium laughed. All 12 of us who were still there at that point, anyway.

Joined: 10/24/2008

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ontarioblue

September 16th, 2013 at 8:48 AM ^

As a season ticket holder I spent $300 for 4 tickets plus $100 for the seat tax.  I sold the tickets on Stubhub $200 less their 15% and received $170.  It cost me $230 to dump this game.  Scheduling games like this is not just a waste of time for the football team but financially it hurts as well.  Next year's season is a nightmare for season ticket holders.  Unless you are able to attend every game live, the chances of getting rid of your extra tickets and breaking even are next to none.  

Joined: 06/30/2008

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jabberwock

September 16th, 2013 at 9:48 AM ^

You were'nt supposed to sell your tickets, you were supposed to use them.

You bought your season tickets knowing both the price you were being asked to pay and the quality of the home game opponents right?

I don't know if you went to UTL2 or not, but I'm pretty sure if you had sold those tickets as well you'd be in the black overall.

I don't like Michigan playing crappy teams either (though it's the only way i can afford tickets)
but it's not like you weren't aware of the financial risks in the ticket market.

Next year sounds great to me:  season ticket holders like you will buy your tickets at gun point, wuss out & sell your tickets while complaining the whole time; and I'll get to go to a bunch of Michigan home games I normally couldn't afford.

Thanks!

Joined: 07/04/2008

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1464

September 16th, 2013 at 10:09 AM ^

This is a tad bit dramatic.  It was a bad week, for sure, and it can't be explained away in full.  But there was a perfect storm that created this, and we still won the game.

- Devin decided to wait a week to reenact the Denard / ND game of last year.  He is way more talented than Denard in terms of throwing the ball.  This can and will be corrected.  Eliminate mistakes and you are left with the player who singlehandedly beat ND.

- The gameplan was likely not "beat Akron," instead my guess is the coaches went into this considering it a glorified scrimmage that they could use to work on their weaknesses.  My guess is they don't do that again.

- The defense was playing without QWash, Ryan, and with an injured Courtney Avery.  Usually a team degrades through the year, but our defense (knock on wood) should get healthier for B1G play.

- We are still 3-0, despite all the fire and brimstone.

- We have a few tune up games that we will not have a let down for.  We should still be undefeated going into PSU.

Our lines are a huge concern.  I have hopes the the OL can congeal into something resembling a solid line.  They're very young inside.  Losing Williams hurt a lot for blocking.  Funchess should become a receiver.

The DL, on the other Hand, is a complete loss for this year.  We need playmakers to come in and fix it.  Hopefully Ryan helps hide that blemish.

Joined: 06/21/2010

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Space Coyote

September 16th, 2013 at 8:59 AM ^

And it's still a great experience. This isn't just about the kids though, it's about everyone. This game, or what this game was supposed to be, are some of the best games to bring families to, to tailgate at, to simply enjoy and watch for fun. With only a couple of these on the schedule this year, there isn't an excuse. Next year, alright, I get it. But an early September game with beautiful weather should sell out easily.

Joined: 06/18/2009

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stephenrjking

September 16th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^

Except that the word is out. Why pay big money for tickets from the office when there are literally thousands available for steep discounts online? Those single-game seats are impossible to sell now.
Meanwhile, a season ticket holder who can only make five games is going to choose to miss the two worst teams on the schedule. They're still going to five.
This is the new normal.

Joined: 03/15/2012

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Toasted Yosties

September 16th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^

a "I'll only attend the games against big name oppnents" kind of fanbase?  I live in Texas, and the Akron game is the only home Michigan game I'll make this year.  I mentioned this in another post, but I've never been so disgusted in the Michigan fanbase as I was during that game.  So many empty seats, and the seats that weren't were filled with the quietest fans out there.  Standing up to cheer for the defense led to me being yelled at, until standing and cheering became acceptable on third down near the game's end.  It's funny that we expect the team to be up for an Akron when the spectators themselves are incapable of just attending the game and cheering.  So disappointed.

Joined: 06/05/2013

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Come On Down

September 16th, 2013 at 9:10 AM ^

An easy way to rectify this issue would be to lower ticket prices.  I don't have too much of an issue with dynamic pricing but the same argument that's used to increase ticket prices for high demand games could be used to lower prices for low demand games.

Joined: 05/15/2013

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Niels

September 16th, 2013 at 9:15 AM ^

Does anyone know what the lost revenue was for scalping from UTL II? 

This is the fundamental question. While sellout streaks and serving long-term season ticket holders is important, the economics of dynamic pricing may overwhelm this all. 

For example, imagine the following

1) UM keeps momentum and a Top 10-ish team for the next decade

2) Fans are willing to pay a minimum price for ANY game for the "gameday experience" that may be below current prices for an average game but still above the marginal cost of supporting the team, etc

3) The amount generated from high-profile games from dynamic pricing (ie capturing from the scalpers the true ticket price), even if only for 1-2 games per year, overwhelms the revenue generated from seat licenses, etc.

4) The backlash from all this would be minimized due primarily to 1)

In this scenario, it makes complete financial sense to try and move towards dynamic pricing. While I think that next year (and non-OSU/MSU years, of note Brandon seemed reallyp*****d about the MSU change when speaking to Boston alums recently) would be a scenario where people did NOT renew in large numbers, that would simply open up more seats for dynamic pricing in future years.

Note I am not saying this is what SHOULD be done irregardless of the $$$ (I'm agnostic as an out of state alum) nor am I saying that the baseline assumptions are correct/will occur. However, this is a strategy that, while risky, makes a fair bit of sense imo.

Joined: 09/04/2009

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MaizeAndBlueWahoo

September 16th, 2013 at 9:49 AM ^

Because I kind of like the 100,000 streak and seeing it placed in jeopardy because Dave Brandon is likely deaf to the obvious sign that people are being priced out of games is mildly alarming.

Dave Brandon is a CEO.  If he had sold fewer pizzas but improved shareholder value, he would've been rewarded.  He still thinks that way, only there are no shareholders to show his oh-so-impressive bottom line to.

Joined: 07/02/2008

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MI Expat NY

September 16th, 2013 at 11:10 AM ^

But this is in a year with ND, Ohio St. and Nebraska at home to boost season ticket sales.  What happens next year when Penn St. is the high mark for home games?  

The full home slate: Appy state, Miami (NTM), Utah, Minnesota, Penn St., Indiana, Maryland.

How many people are going to be willing to pay all the costs on top of ticket prices to be guaranteed seats to that slate?  And if that happens, is it really hard to imagine not selling 100,000 to Miami (NTM)?

Joined: 07/24/2008

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ak47

September 16th, 2013 at 10:55 AM ^

So if Dave Brandon evil CEO intent on taking down our traditional game day experience is to blame why exactly did we not sell out against illinois, a big ten game, in 2001?  Had he already started his masterful plan? Or maybe we did not sell out this week because Akron provided no draw a week after everyone who could get to the game spent a lot time doing it and it came on Yom Kippur for a school which has a relatively large portion of its alumni and students who are jewish.  Now I don't like the price inreases and I think it is out of control but I don't blame it on Dave brandon, especially since many schedules are created 4-5 years in advance.

Furthermore, how does the AD continue to raise additional funds year over year without raising ticket prices?  Expanding the capacity of our non-revenue sports means continually raising revenue not just maintaining it.

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ak47

September 16th, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^

For one i did not realize that and I apologize but based on the metrics discussed sell out or not is based on tickets sold not butts in the seats, so while that does explain the attendance figure it doesn't change the fact that the game wasn't sold out prior to the season starting.

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michclub19

September 16th, 2013 at 9:34 AM ^

Does anyone have information on how ugly the number of tickets sold would have been without the Alumni Association making you buy an Akron ticket in combination with the ND ticket for UTL II?  I ended up with 2 tickets to Akron because of this and am wondering how many of the 107k were in the same boat?

(For what it's worth I attended Akron but couldn't find anyone to take the other ticket)

Joined: 01/12/2013

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Soulfire21

September 16th, 2013 at 9:35 AM ^

Not an issue for big games, obviously (Notre Dame, and I expect Big Ten games like Nebraska, Ohio State as well).  But when you hike up ticket prices/license fees on season ticket holders and then bring Akron to town, well, that's the effect.

Nobody really wanted to see this game.

If we've got 107,000+ in the stands for lowly Akron, I'm not sure we should worry.  At least not yet.

Joined: 03/18/2010

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wresler120

September 16th, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^

It's tough to go to the game and pay those prices when Akron rolls into town. On top of it there's nothing good that comes from this type of game. You either destroy them like the country expects you to, and u sit there and watch a lopsided victory against an Inferior team. Or, the game is ridiculously close, you win, but its embarrassing and your not happy. Or the worst case scenario is you lose (like we really should have) and you go home wishing u were never at that game.

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