Tickets going fast, U-M nears sellout of Sugar Bowl tickets . . .

Submitted by ImSoBlue on

Article (as of 4:30 PM yesterday) says we sold 14,000 of our 17,500 allotment.  VT only 5,000.

Here is an idea for bowls to sell more tickets:

The team that sells the most tickets gets to be the home team.  If both sell out then the normal rules apply.

 

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111206/SPORTS0201/112060410/1131/?source=nletter-sports

 

Trebor

December 7th, 2011 at 8:09 AM ^

The home team in bowl games is kinda pointless. Basically you get to wear your home jerseys and that's it (maybe choice of locker rooms, but I have no idea, and I doubt the difference between locker rooms at most bowl venues are drastically different). It's not like hockey where the home team gets last change or anything. You have a 50/50 shot at the coin toss regardless, so it's entirely on the crowd anyway to make it feel more or less like a home game. If Michigan somehow ends up with a 70/30 split in the fans, it'll be as close to a home game as you can have in Louisiana.

Jasper

December 7th, 2011 at 8:15 AM ^

"The team that sells the most tickets gets to be the home team."

I like it.

Also, cheers to the UMich alum base for showing *exactly* why bowls are excited to get them. Go Blue.

Indiana Blue

December 7th, 2011 at 8:37 AM ^

This kills me ....  For the first time in my life,  my wife & I went to every single game this year, home and away, and cheered my ass off for Team 132.  After the Sugar Bowl announcement I even lined up flights, & hotels (taking 3 adult children from various parts of the US), only to show up to work on Monday and the reality hit me than I cannot be gone from work during that first week in January.  Sucks for me ... but no choice.  I HATE watching on TV !

Go Blue! 

mGrowOld

December 7th, 2011 at 9:35 AM ^

I see your disapointment and raise.  I too went to all home games (no away) and i've BOUGHT four tickets to the game, got a hotel, car and airfare.  Secured a babysitter for my 7 year old and let wife buy a bunch of new Michigan gear.

Yesterday I get a notice that the company wants to conduct an off-site "team building" excercise for executives Jan 2 - 4 with no TV, computers or cellphones.  I'm trying every way I can to get out of this but if I cannot I swear to God I'm going to absolutely lose it.

Don

December 7th, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^

The business of "team-building" retreats is one of the biggest scams in corporate America today. The "team-building" consultants pull in big bucks stating the obvious in Powerpoint sessions, the CEO uses it as an opportunity to blather to a captive audience about their "team-oriented vision," and you get to participate in incredibly important games of "fall backwards into your team member's arms" and joining forces to hoist a heavy object over a high wall. Meanwhile the Chinese laugh as they count their money.

You have my sympathies.

lilpenny1316

December 7th, 2011 at 8:46 AM ^

I'm sure those ticket prices will drop like a rock closer to January.  The prices were at $142 Sunday night and they've already dropped to $114.  I know we'll sell out our allotment, but I can't bring myself to shell out face value for those tix.  

RickH

December 7th, 2011 at 10:36 AM ^

Also, student tickets just went on sale today.  I'm sure they'll fill their part or at least get close, but it's still going to take longer than it will for Michigan to sell out.  I've talked to multiple people that don't even want to watch the game because they think they're going to get destroyed.

UMgradMSUdad

December 7th, 2011 at 9:01 AM ^

The Sugar Bowl officials must be kicking themselves right about now for selecting VT.  I wonder if getting blown out by Clemson has fans leery.  I know I wouldn't be inspired to shell out a couple thousand dollars with the expectation that my team might get blown out.  I would think KSU would have drawn more fans than that to New Orleans.  Of course, there is still a chance VT will start selling a lot of tickets, but if they're only at 5,000 now, it doesn't look good.

gopoohgo

December 7th, 2011 at 9:14 AM ^

In fairness, VaTech has not opened ticket sales to the general public.  They are only selling to season ticket holders and 'Hokie Club' members.

From their AD website;

"Priority Deadline is Dec. 9 at 12 noon.

Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public Mon., Dec. 12 at 12 noon."

StephenRKass

December 7th, 2011 at 9:32 AM ^

Mercedez-Benz Superdome capacity is a bit north of 76K.

  • So, do Sugar Bowl organizers sell the remaining 41,000 themselves?
  • What is the pricing comparison between Sugar Bowl controlled tickets and those released / foisted on Michigan & VT?
  • When UM sells out their allotment, will Sugar Bowl release more to Michigan?
  • Who controls the luxury boxes for the game? Are those "owned" by whoever buys them for Saints games, or are they sold for all non-Saint venues?

Like all economic realities, supply and demand determines the price, face to some degree and secondary market for sure.

M-Wolverine

December 7th, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^

  • Lot of it is corporate, bowl tie-in, and promotions.  And local sales. Or people just buying tickets to the Sugar Bowl. You could actually buy tickets before they announced who was in it, just not in the University seats.
  • Ticket prices at face value should be the same (other than the University processing fee that goes to the school).  Now, on the aftermarket it's all up in the air. Interestingly, it seems some of the seats are cheaper for the bowl than the same seats are for a Saints game.
  • Possibly, if VT doesn't sell out. But more likely to go into the Bowl pool, since VT is paying for them anyway.
  • Not sure at the Superdome, but every other venue I've been/worked/seen at if you buy a box, you're buying it for the year, for all events. At the Palace, if you have it for basketball, you have it for concerts.

BlueNote

December 7th, 2011 at 9:53 AM ^

Interesting idea to have the seller of the most tickets get to be the home team.

In practice, however, I don't think it works.  Is it reasonable to think that people will buy tickets when they don't know where the game will be?  For instance, what if someone hates airplanes, and will not attend a game if he or she has to travel?  What if someone can afford a single game ticket (let's say $150) but can't afford a plane and hotel ($500 or more on top of the game ticket)?  That could easily be the case with students.

I fear that the uncertainty of where the game will be held will prevent people from buying tickets, resulting in less tickets being sold rather than more.

 

 

Indiana Blue

December 7th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^

The Sugar Bowl allows this and then if you team doesn't make it - you can "sell" them back and it costs you something like $25 per ticket.   Also the hotels in New Orleans always puts together packages that include tickets to the game and you could have purchased the packages several weeks ago.

Go Blue!

Darth Wolverine

December 7th, 2011 at 9:53 AM ^

I'm assuming the higher ranked team gets the home jersey, but I have seen times where the higher ranked team wears white. Look at our bowl game last season. We were ranked lower than MSUs but we wore blue jerseys.

Don

December 7th, 2011 at 10:48 AM ^

I thought one of the major justifications for choosing VaTech over Boise or KSU was that VaTech would "travel well." Not so much, it appears.

ak47

December 7th, 2011 at 11:47 AM ^

been addressed but VT only has tickets available to season ticket/donors right now, the general public sale starts on monday i believe, kind of comparing apples and oranges at this point. Also we should probably stop knocking VT for not deserving to be in over Kstate and baylor and such, we beat all of one team that finished ranked, both kstate and baylor have more "quality" wins.  Stones and glass houses and such.

BrownJuggernaut

December 7th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^

From last year's Orange Bowl:

Partially because of this fact, ticket sales were slow. By December 23, Tech had sold just 6,500 of its 17,500-seat allotment, while Stanford fans had purchased 9,000 tickets from their allotment.[70] These figures increased slightly as the game day approached, but the schools were hampered by several factors. The tickets assigned to the schools were in less-desirable seats, and many seats were available far more cheaply in the secondary market. In one example, an upper-deck ticket sold by Virginia Tech cost $65, while a similar ticket was available for $12 through an online ticket seller. The two schools were forced to purchase the remaining unsold tickets, costing each several hundred thousand dollars.[71]

So it's not a new thing, but factors such as timing (people returning to work), the location of the seats, and the exodus on the secondary market kept the event from selling the seats. 

BrownJuggernaut

December 7th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^

But after New Orleans, Miami seems like the most desirable place to be on New Year's right? If you're going to make a trip? I mean the Rose Bowl is always nice with that tradition, but Miami sounds more fun than LA. Although I'm probably biased since I do not like LA. 



So what's the problem here? Both Clemson and West Virginia are public universities and have a lot of alumni. Clemson hasn't been to a BCS in a while right? Is the supply too much? Is it the economy? 

AZBlue

December 7th, 2011 at 11:11 AM ^

...."Wait how many tix have you sold to your actual bowl?"........"We would sell more if we weren't going to a bowl that was below us":  (end scene)