Why do we sell so many tickets to our opponents?

Submitted by ThadMattasagoblin on

This has been bugging me for a while, and I understand it's done as a courtesy gesture, but why do we give Ohio 15000-20000 tickets to the Big House when Ohio gives us a meager 5000 tickets to THE GAME in Columbus.  I've noticed the same thing with MSU with seeing a smaller block of Maize and Blue in their stadium than what they get in Ann Arbor.  Another example is Penn State.

ek43

July 10th, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^

hey me and my friends re goin to the notre dame game and we need a place to stay after the game anyone got a place we could stay at or atleast check us into a hotel cus wer under 18. wed pay you like 100 bucks or so no joke

BiSB

July 10th, 2012 at 11:26 PM ^

But those weren't seats that UofM reserved for Ohio fans. Michigan fans, who weren't anxious to see their team get its ass kicked, sold their tickets to Ohio fans, who WERE anxious to witness said ass-kicking.

Stupid free market principles...

Section 1

July 11th, 2012 at 11:30 AM ^

This has already been discussed umpteen times.  So what comes after "umpteen"?  "Eleventy-seven"?

Look, the game in 2009 featured the most remarkable number of Ohio State visiting fans I have ever seen in 30 years of going to the games.  And there was a reason.  It wasn't faithless Michigan fans.  But you are partly right, it was "the marketplace."

What happened was that in 2009, the Athletic Department was hitting the zenith of its season-ticket "banking" program.  Wherein every season ticket that was turned in, for several years, was not re-sold as a season ticket to a Michigan fan.  Instead, season tickets were banked by the Athletic Department and sold as one-year-only package tickets.

The reason was that, by attrition, the Athletic Department was trying to assmeble enough spare seats to be able to widen the aisleways and expand handicapped seating in the main bowl.  As you probably know, the overall Stadium renovation involved a significant net loss of seats in the main bowl, which was slightly more than overcome by new seating as club seating and boxes in the two new concourses.

Result -- in 2009, Michigan had thousands of banked seats, scattered all over the Stadium.  They were released to the public, and to a great extent gobbled up by ticket brokers.  Who then sold them at profit to anybody willing to pay.  Ohioans liked that opportunity, and bought them.

I know what you are thinking; goddamned facts.  It was such a better story, when we thought that Michigan fans had given up...

In reply to by Section 1

danimal1968

July 11th, 2012 at 11:34 AM ^

But all of the OSU fans sitting around me in 2009 were sitting in the seats of season ticket holders who did not go to the OSU game.  Not sure how that fits into your  theory.

Section 1

July 11th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^

I'm looking forward to your diary post, featuring interviews with those same faithless season ticket holders, that might give us something to extrapolate to 15,000 other people.

In the realm of "anecdotal," since I too saw OSU fans in the Section 1 tunnel, I was curious enough to politely ask, "Hey, these are some good seats you got; how'd you get them?"  One group of four [four ladies all in their forties, it turned out] said that their boss had gotten them from a ticket broker.  Another pair of guys [these guys were great; wearing authentic OSU away jerseys (one was a Katzenmoyer jersey, I think) and Appalachian State ballcaps] told me the same thing, except more explicitly; how they had gotten them from a ticket broker way before the season had begun.  Around me, I saw a number of OSU fans in seats that I knew to be "banked," and virtually none of the season ticket holders had given their tickets up.  As is often the case, including with my own self, there are also large numbers of season ticket holders who bring, as their guests, their own friends from the opposition schools...

danimal1968

July 11th, 2012 at 12:37 PM ^

You recognize the same people who sit in them game after game.  In my row and the rows in front of and behind me, I identified at least 14 Buckeyes who were sitting in seats normally occupied by people I either knew or had identified as season ticket holders - and I did not see the season ticket holders.  I think it's reasonable to believe that if someone was at every game but the OSU game, in the same seats, they were a season ticket holder, and those season ticket holders either gave their seats to OSU fans, sold their seats to OSU fans, or sold them via a ticket broker to OSU fans. 

 

I'm not saying your account is wrong; I'm just saying that in the area I could observe, it wasn't the case.

 

Incidentally, I first became a season ticket holder that season so it's not like they banked all of the available season tickets that year.

In reply to by Section 1

M-Wolverine

July 11th, 2012 at 2:58 PM ^

They didn't just save those seats for the last game. Yet we weren't overrun by Notre Dame fans, which is closer. Or Penn State fans, who had come off their first win against Michigan in a long time, so if ever there was a time to visit. Or by Michigan fans who would finally get an opportunity to see their team when they've normally been shut out. Who bought all those "one year only package deals" you mention?  All Ohio State fans, for that one game? 

You need to know the difference between "facts" and "theory."  But even if that theory was correct, there was a reason all those tickets were snatched up by Ohio fans and not Michigan fans. Hint: it wasn't because they have more money to spend, it was because only one team thought they had a prayer of winning.

smdsparty

July 10th, 2012 at 11:04 PM ^

hey everybody so me and my friends are tryin to go to the notre dame game cus thats goona be sick cept we need a place to crash afterwards so i was wonderin if anyone had a place we could crash at or at least check us into a hotel cus were under 18. wed pay you like 100 bucks or so no joke just let me know. or maybe if you dont feel comfortbale with that you could lend us a tent or some shit cus we could bring sleeping bags or sleep in your car for the night if you dont want us in your house/apartment there.  

or if you have no heart or soul you can let us sleep on the streets and get beaten by angry and drunk notre dame fans right aftter a loss i guess thats cool but then you dont get 100 bucks so ur choice i guess

hmu i made a private email [email protected]

rob f

July 10th, 2012 at 11:07 PM ^

Where do you get that information from?  I've been to every home game in the Ohio-Michigan rivalry since 1977 and have yet to see the designated Buckeye seating area ever be large enough to accomodate 15-20000 truckdrivers.  The seating for those opposing fans has been moved, over the years, from the NE corner to the SW corner and then primarily to the upper reaches of the South End Zone, but never has there been nearly that many seats set aside for "them". 

OTOH, waaaaaay too many Michigan ticket holders allow their seats to fall into the hands of Ohio fans, a mistake I would never make with my tickets.

Bluefishdoc

July 11th, 2012 at 7:32 AM ^

My first job out of residency was at OSU. I had season football tickets and used to root for whoever was playing against them. As a season ticket holder I was able to buy away tickets to the Michigan game. The application for the away tickets stated there were only 5000 available. That was back in the Cooper era so even though I had the lowest priority I still got tickets in 1991.

smdsparty

July 10th, 2012 at 11:16 PM ^

heyyyyyy the guy named blue in south bend you live there right? can you help me out man? 100 bucks dude.

haha damn nigerians. jk i know your being sarcastic 

 

ThadMattasagoblin

July 10th, 2012 at 11:29 PM ^

It was more than a few thousand as well this year as well.  They had about 15-20 of the top rows between the luxury suites and a big section down by the field as well.  I believe, they also got a small section in the north endzone too.

smdsparty

July 10th, 2012 at 11:25 PM ^

oh jeez you must be a walmart wolverine yourself, ouch. then why isnt your name blue in lansing??? honestly im not joking about the hotel part i can understand if your emberassed about your undersized or messy house or whatever but legitametely me and my friends are good guys we just need you stand with us when we check into the hotel