Poll: Did you renew your FB tickets this year?
I know the mgoblog audience is not necessarily a representitive sample of the overall Michigan Football ticketholder universe, but it seems like there are enough people here to provide an indication about 2014 football renewals. There have been several times in the last couple years when people on this site confidently declared they will not renew season tickets anymore (due to losing games, ticket price increases, dynamic pricing, The Noodle, Dave Brandon, etc).
So I'm curious, now that we are past the renewal deadline ... did you ACTUALLY give up your tickets? Either you did or you didn't.
Not sure if we'll get enough responses to draw conclusions, but I'll suggest a template for responses and include my own responses as an example.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alum
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 9
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 2
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 4
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? (No for me)
I thought about letting all 6 go but just couldn't do it.
2. Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 2
Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 1
Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No
1. Alum
2. 8
3. 0
4. 4
5. No
I donated to the University this year -but not the Athletic Department.
This year I pocketed my PSD and bought a new TV.
I don't know if I will be going back - maybe just 1-2 games a year and I'll purchase the tickets on gameday or Stub Hub.
My loyalty to my school and its FB team is not correlated to the number of season tickets I buy and the number of years I buy them.
Go Blue
Alum
20 years/seasons
6 tickets
0 let go
No, I am in this for the long haul. I like my seats and wouldn't risk losing them to avoid a bad season, team, schedule, whatever.
ChelseaRick, are you related to Hedo Rick?
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alum
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 12 (including as a student/grad student)
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 0
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 2
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? Not at all.
I may differ from some of y'all here, but my reasons for not renewing are straightforward -- I no longer view my status as a season ticket holder to be all that important of an identifier as far as my UM loyalty goes. I love UM more than almost anything -- my wife and I have 4 degrees from UM, and my son's first learned phrase is "Go Blue"; in fact, the first word he learned on sight is "Michigan."
But it comes down to cost/benefit. With the continued increase in ticket prices and my living in Chicago, at what point does the status of being a season ticketholder not matter enough to me? Well, not sure the precise point, but I'm past it. I'll still plan on going to a game or 2 this year (same as always since I've moved to Chicago), but I won't pretend to like the approach of this current AD. I'm loyal to UM; but I think the diluted gameday experience (my opinion only), rising ticket prices, shit scheduling, and other general thumbing of the nose towards the fan base is irritating.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alum
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 6
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 0
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 2
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No
In all fairness, I still plan on attending every game. I just think it will be cheaper to stub hub them in the long run.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Student
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 2
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 1
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No
I can understand why some students don't want to buy tickets this year because of cost and the lack of good home games. I'm buying tickets because I'd feel pretty guilty if I didn't. Always want to support the team, through good times and bad.
- Alum
- 8
- 0
- 2
- Nope. Purely, financial decision. I see little benefit from being a season ticket holder when I can get similar tickets or better for a discount on stub hub.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alum
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 11
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 2
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? Nope, not at all.
I did request a seat change b/c my budy knows the people next to him were not renewing. We'll see if I get moved.
And for me, it's not worth the hassle of going to stub hub for everything. I'm making a donation to the University and know that I'm covered for every game. And I know where my seats are going to be.
1. Did not attend
2. 6
3. 0
4. 2
5. Nuss Hiring helped but did not sway my decision. My seats were not great the last few seasons. Recently I was in section 19 row 61. At a $500 donation, and then zero games I wanted to attend from Philadelphia it was an easy decision. I may jump back in next year if the state of the team improves.
1. Alum
2. 31 years
3. 2
4. 0
5. Kinda made me think about not renewing
BONUS: I immediately sold my pair of tickets to someone for the first time ever. Money up front, 10% discount (plus I ate the $150 PSD). I am very happy. I plan on going to all the games anyway for an average of $20 a game or less. I may have to miss a game (typical - Special Olympics commitments) and I kind of look forward to not liking a price on a game, walking from tailgate to a bar to watch before leading the post-tailgate. Funny that I am not actually looking forward to watching the football game in person. Hmmmm. 32nd year of having seats, but I am not immune to the effects of Hoke & Brandon.
1. Student (PhD)
2. 4
3. 0
4. 2
5. No
I'm still planning on going to all of the games (except Penn State) but I'm going to pay secondary market prices and save a bundle.
I'm not going to Penn State because my alma mater happens to be visiting ND that day, so I'll be going to that instead.
Alum
25 years
0
4
No it did not
Going the StubHub route this year. Will save $$$.
People, please note: During the 2013 season, the mgoblue dynamic ticket model had between hundreds and THOUSANDS** of seats available on the Thursday/Friday before the game, EVERY game. This means that not only were plenty of seats available to add to your haul last year, but you'd have had better games to enjoy with your upgrade/increase. Don't increase this year, because there are now even MORE tickets available, with this lousy slate. Buy next year.
**Akron announced attendance was below 109,000, including the Ath Dept counting of every hanger on, recruit, player, band member, media member (which usually takes our tallies up over 113k). And that was WITH the $200 for 4 seats, programs, 3D poster and hot dog inducement.
YMMV
4 as student, 20 as alum (I am so crusty), renewed all 4 and asked for one more. (Haven't heard if I got it or not, on pins and needles here...)
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Did Not Attend
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 19
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 1
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? (No for me)
Alum,
Didn't renew last year but still attended all of the games.
Might go to a few this year also (probably most if not all) but I find myself so disgruntled, that some days I ask why do I keep doing this to myself.
I had season tickets for about ten years when I dropped my renewal last year.
1. Alum 2. 4 3. 12 4. 0 5. No
1. Father = Alumnus
2. 30+ (How long ago was 1972?)
3. 4
4. 0
5. No
Reason: Family sat in same spot since my dad played + how impossible will it be to get tickets when the team is good again?
Admission: We are getting very close to being priced out of the stadium.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alum
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 24
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 2
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No
I renewed today, but almost missed it. I did send an email to the ticket office chastising them for moving renewal date up from May 15th to tax day (WTF I see more than enough money go out of my account that day, just stick another fork in me) and for not sending out their maize renewal envelope this year about 45 days in advance. The first notice I received was the email Tuesday notifying me I was late and had until this Friday. Not real happy with their process this year.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alums (5 generations)
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: every year since Michigan Stadium opened in 1927.
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 4
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? NO.
Unofficial #6-7:
6. Number of tickets renewed for 2013: 4;
7. Number of tickets not renewed for 2013: 8
We did our big cull in 2013. Our development officer in the athletic department called us 24 hours after the deadline to ask what was up, and we gave him an earful about value for money and gouging the ticketholders. We then turned around and gave our PSD money to (1) the Engineering school (Dad's degrees); (2) the Ed School (mom's 2nd degree); (3) LS&A (my BA, mom's BA, brother's BA); (4) the business school (my MBA); and (5) the debate program. Made quite clear that our money (beyond our remaining 4 tix) isn't coming back to the AD until they stop gouging for inferior experience. Said we'd be quite happy spending our money on the secondary market to acquire tickets for games we'd actually like to see.
2. 21 years (including as a student)
3. 4 tickets renewed
4. 0 tickets not renewed
5. Bonus: no bearing on decision at all
Additional data....my dad did not renew. Let 4 tickets go after bring season ticket holder for 40+ years. Lives out of area and probably would have let go anyway, but high prices and licenses didnt help.
1) Alumnus
2) I have had tickets continuously since 1996
3) Two tickets
4) I have always only had the two tickets.
5) No, it did not. A late bump in some freelance income did. I seriously considered not renewing because of the price, but I made enough extra on something to do what I need to do around here in 2014 and have the tickets, so it is a reward to myself essentially.
2. 14 for me grandpa for 50 seasons prior
3. Had 3 renewed all
I will always renew. Nuss and PSU were good announcements but I'll be there regardless.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Did Not Attend
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 9 in my name, but tickets have been in the family for 30 years at least
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 0
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 2
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No, for me it's not about winning and losing. I renewed my tickets all through the Rich Rod years without even thinking about it. To me, it's all about price point. When it becomes cheaper to buy tickets on the secondary market than it is buying season tickets, I feel like a sucker for buying season tickets. I still plan on going to every game this year as I have in past years, but I will be buying my tickets on the secondary market instead of sitting in my same seats. Even last year with the good schedule I figured out that it would have been cheaper to buy tickets on the secondary market.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Alum 98
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 10
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 4
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No
- Did not attend
- 3
- 2
- 0
- I enjoy the Saturdays I get to spend in Ann Arbor, I look forward to them all year and am young enough to have not developed the get-off-my-lawn attitude that seems prevelent here :)
- Alum
- 6
- 2
- 0
- No
1. Alum
2. 35
3. 8
4. 0
5. No
1: DNA (but joined the faculty in '98)
2: 14
3: 2
4: 0
5: no
I thought about not renewing, but only momentarily.
- Did not attend
- 20+ (although most of these were my parents' (both alums), after transferring them to me, it's been 3 years now)
- 4
- 0
- No
These never ending threads are just so people can feel proud about dumping their tickets and they want to know how many other "smart people" are out there like them.
Just dump your tickets and move on.
Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 16
Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 2
Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 0
Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? No, I plan to always renew.
- Student/Alum/Did not attend: Student
- Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 3
- Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 0
- Number of tickets NOT renewed for 2014: 1
- Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? Nope
Simple reason - the secondary markets will be much cheaper.
Alumni,
3 years
renewed two seats
0 non renewed seats
No for both
1. Alum
2. 48
3. 4
4. 0
5. No
6. Bonus Bonus; student ticket package for 6 games in 1966 was $12.
Fan
9
2
0
No
1. Alum
2. 34 Years
3. Renewed 0 tickets
4. 6 Tickets not renewed
5. No.... I like the rawk music and most of the showbiz stuff and unlike most here don't care much for all the tradition and the band etc. The stadium, however, is the most uncomfortable place I have ever watched a game (I've been to several other Big Ten and NFL venues). The space for your "seat" is riduclulously small. That in concert with the tickets now costing more than the market rate led me to cancel. I still love the University, the coaches and the team, but will support them in other ways.
Anyone else just get their recorded phone call from Jim Brandstatter asking them to renew?
1. Student
2. Tickets since 2011
3. 1
4. 0
5. Almost didn't renew since the night game is over Fall Break and I won't be able to go.
Number of previous seasons you purchased season tickets, as student or not, excluding 2014: 9
Number of tickets renewed for 2014: 2
Number of tickets not renewed: 0
Bonus question: Did the Nuss hire or the Penn State night game announcement sway your decision? Had no impact.
The main theme I see in this thread is the pricing is out of line. When the tickets are priced at market or better (Canham's tenet) then sales will go up again, provided people are not jilted.
7
0
4
Hoke canning Borges and hiring Nuss was almost enough to get my renewal, but I just couldn't justify it. The fact is I couldn't go to all the home games anyway, and I couldn't sell those tickets for anywhere near face value. After realizing that , I just couldn't pull the trigger.
26 or 27 years
2
0
No