SIAP: Brandon To Cut Student Ticket Prices Next Season
Title says it all. Didn't see this posted but I am sure it's in one of the threads. Looks who's trying to make the PR move of PR moves the day he knows his fate will be determined.
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/10/u-m_athletic_depa…
October 16th, 2014 at 4:54 PM ^
Exactly. If he saves his job then he will go back to being the arrogant man that he is.
October 16th, 2014 at 8:49 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 8:46 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 4:43 PM ^
And the PSLs just went up $20 to compensate.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:44 PM ^
ALL ticket prices need to be lowered for next season. Not just students. And Dave shouldn't be the one to do it.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
Honestly, for me, the biggest takeaway from the entire exchange from the CSG is that it was necessary for the CSG to enter negotiations with the Athletic Department. Two years in a row.
The idea that the students need to negotiate with the Athletic Department about how students treated speaks volumes not just about the students' eagerness to fix this, but the utter absurdity of how the Dave Brandon Athletic Department handles criticism and implements change.
It's amazing that Brandon and Lochmann see this as, essentially, a contract, instead of as feedback on how students are treated when they go to watch their classmates play a sport.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:57 PM ^
You are on to something here, I think. Brandon acts like he is the students' overlord, and behaves as though he is bargaining for wage concessions from pizza delivery drivers. The fact is, he is a servant of the University, the people of the state of Michigan, and the students at the University--not the other way around.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^
This is a great point and something I didn't even think about myself until you brought it up. The Athletic Department has treated students as nothing more than a commodity for years and it's finally starting to come around. Maybe they can turn the tide, but I think it will be a LONG time before they can even hope to reestablish a respectful relationship with the student body AND the young alums. Even if DB does an about face on his policies toward students - certainly possible given the trends - there is going to be a big group of classes that are going to have a negative perception. Overcoming that with DB at the helm is not going to be easy.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^
Desparation time for Brandon. This change, while welcomed, is cosmetic. Cynical even, implying that student unrest comes down to their own individual pocketbooks.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^
this guy.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:01 PM ^
If nothing else comes of this, I'm ecstatic that at least ticket prices will come down for students. Raising student ticket prices was one of the three reasons I had for why Brandon should be let go. Being able to pay for college is hard for many students. The one thing that all students should be able to enjoy together is a football Saturday at the big house. It should not be an experience reserved only for those who can afford it. Doing something because you can, like raising student ticket prices, is not the same as doing it because you should. I still remember not being able to afford football tickets one year when I was a student even at the then exorbitant price of $55/season (yes, I’m that old) and I was crushed. When it comes to the students, making it easier for all to attend should be the goal, not maximizing revenue, so this is a step in the right direction. [<---obvious]
October 16th, 2014 at 5:17 PM ^
There is a problem college football wide that students are not attending games in the same numbers, despite the price point of the tickets. Even if the prices are lowered to around $150 per season, where is the guarantee that the students will show up or even arrive in a timely manner? If you cut costs this low, there's an even greater opportunity for a student to sell his ticket to a non-student for profit (this will all depend on the student ticket transfer policy that gets hashed out). Is that one of the results you're looking for?
I have a lot of sympathy for anyone who thinks ticket prices at sporting events are too expensive. But just lowering them is no guarantee that student behaviors are really going to change, even if they team is playing well.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:20 PM ^
Providing an opportunity for all students to attend is a different issue than providing a reason for them to partake in that opportunity.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:02 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^
You'll be subsidizing the costs thanks to your generous donation of an extra $40 per year for your PSL. Dave Brandon says if you don't donate, you don't support the students.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:06 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 5:07 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 5:11 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 5:18 PM ^
This is the same argument people were making when students marched on the President's lawn, "that if the football team was winning no one would have this rally." It's simply not true. Having a shitty team and a shitty coach may be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to say, but the AD has been marginalizing and downright antagonistic to its core group of consumers since Brandon was installed. It not only hurts current revenues but a student who becomes an alum is gonna remember being treated like garbage and they aren't gonna be keen to donate, thus harming future revenue as well.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:30 PM ^
Beat Statez.
October 16th, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
You and the rest of us on MgoBlog are not exactly representative of the student body on the whole. We are the most avid and most willing to pony up the dough. The average student is gonna seriously think twice about paying $300 for 7 or 8 home games. The student survery the CSG cited says as much. Cost is definitely a factor for the majority of students.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:47 PM ^
Agree. If the team was good no one would care how expensive tickets are. Paying top dollar for a championship team is not unreasonable. However raising prices when the teams sucks is wrong.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:13 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 5:29 PM ^
TY Our Dear Benevolent Leader. The masses appreciate it.
October 16th, 2014 at 5:33 PM ^
To little, too late...
October 16th, 2014 at 6:13 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 6:28 PM ^
I read the survey that was linked in the article. I always wondered if the things we express concerns about here are shared by the students.
What interested and surprised me was that the whole thing about tradition isn't just something that only the blue hairs (including me) care about. The students want less piped in music, more band, and a return to tradition.
One of the conclusions drawn was that students want the experience their parents and grandparents had!
There were no complaints of not enough cellphone coverage, or the need for better wi-fi.
There were plenty of complaints about treating the students like customers instead of part of the Michigan family, about being priced out of tickets, and about selling Michigan as a brand instead of a tradition.
My kids went to Michigan, and in the future, I want my grandkids to attend. I think they're going to want to be a part of that tradition, too. Go Blue!
October 16th, 2014 at 8:39 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 7:12 PM ^
Nobody should have to pay a 100 dollar minimum for the worst seats at Michigan for any game.
October 16th, 2014 at 7:20 PM ^
You mean Michigan will cut student ticket prices. The title makes it sound like it's all about Brandon. The results of that survey make it clear that the cost was a significant issue.
October 16th, 2014 at 7:35 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 8:18 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 9:50 PM ^
October 16th, 2014 at 10:12 PM ^
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