Boise State next year?

Spot50B · Post by **Spot50B** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:15 pm

factman wrote:Our highest pricest seat is $18, not counting loges or stadium club and students get in "free" with a student ID. I would guess a sellout of 25,000 would be in the vicinity of 15,000-18,000 paying customers at an average ticket price of $12-$14. If you take those top figures, our gate would be in the vicinity of $250,000 not counting concessions and parking.

A couple comments:

1. Students really aren't free. I'm sure Bowling Green students pay an activity fee of some kind to the athletic department for the right to go to the games for "free." Since all full time students pay this regardless of whether they have gone to the game or not, the students definitely do contribute to the football budget.

2. You really have to include loges and stadium club seats in any average of ticket prices b/c they markedly increase this average. My guess is that a sell out has to net a more than $250k, but your point is well taken (can you really get a prime seat on the 50 yard line for $18?).

3. You do have to pay the teams that come here, but unless that team is 1-AA, the cost for a home and home is essentially neutral.

Here is a link to Bowling Green's (and every other school's) income/payouts for 2008: http://data.desmoinesregister.com/resul ... p3VpU68%3D

If you do get $200k for playing at a team like Boise State (and potentially $750k for a team like Ohio State), I can see why your AD may consider picking up more gurantee games. This also helps me understand why MAC teams are relatively willing to accept one and dones.

For comparison, each Boise State game last year netted about $1.8 million (it will be more than that this year). For us, a home game against a 1-AA team nets us at least $1 million more than playing a guarantee game against a team like Florida. Our stadium only holds 32,000.

Class of 61 · Post by **Class of 61** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:26 pm

Spot50B wrote:
factman wrote:Our highest pricest seat is $18, not counting loges or stadium club and students get in "free" with a student ID. I would guess a sellout of 25,000 would be in the vicinity of 15,000-18,000 paying customers at an average ticket price of $12-$14. If you take those top figures, our gate would be in the vicinity of $250,000 not counting concessions and parking.
A couple comments:

1. Students really aren't free. I'm sure Bowling Green students pay an activity fee of some kind to the athletic department for the right to go to the games for "free." Since all full time students pay this regardless of whether they have gone to the game or not, the students definitely do contribute to the football budget.

2. You really have to include loges and stadium club seats in any average of ticket prices b/c they markedly increase this average. My guess is that a sell out has to net a more than $250k, but your point is well taken (can you really get a prime seat on the 50 yard line for $18?).

3. You do have to pay the teams that come here, but unless that team is 1-AA, the cost for a home and home is essentially neutral.

Here is a link to Bowling Green's (and every other school's) income/payouts for 2008: http://data.desmoinesregister.com/resul ... p3VpU68%3D

If you do get $200k for playing at a team like Boise State (and potentially $750k for a team like Ohio State), I can see why your AD may consider picking up more gurantee games. This also helps me understand why MAC teams are relatively willing to accept one and dones.

For comparison, each Boise State game last year netted about $1.8 million (it will be more than that this year). For us, a home game against a 1-AA team nets us at least $1 million more than playing a guarantee game against a team like Florida. Our stadium only holds 32,000.

Spot: What are your ticket prices, or at least the "range"... the info provided to you re: our ticket prices is pretty accurate...my seats are on the 50 yd. line and were $18 each last year. The total cost of tix this year will be more because, for the 1st time in a long time, we're playing 6 home games...But I've said for years that our ticket prices are among the best bargains in the country.
FWIW, I don't think we EVER got anything near the 750K you mentioned that OSU pays out...it's a funny thing that I'd never thought about before, but OSU playing a MAC school virtually every year for the last 12-15yrs. or so actually saves THEM money, because they can argue that our costs for travel etc. aren't as great as when they used to bring in the 'patsies' like Rice (70-7 last time if I recall correctly).

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:29 pm

Spot50B wrote:
2. You really have to include loges and stadium club seats in any average of ticket prices b/c they markedly increase this average. My guess is that a sell out has to net a more than $250k, but your point is well taken (can you really get a prime seat on the 50 yard line for $18?).

My season ticket renewal came in the mail late last week. My pair of tickets which is pretty much RIGHT on the 50 yard line will cost me $96 per seat this year. 6 games makes the average price of those tickets $16. These are not the most expensive seats since I am in the bench section, I think the chair sections are going to cost around $19-22 or so on average, but the point stands.

And this is somebody who has season tickets and is paying full price. As a general rule we struggle to get attendance up and every year there are countless buy one get one deals, or buy 4 tickets for a big discounted rate, or all faculty get free tickets days.

Our home games do not make us much money because we struggle so mightily to fill the seats. It's a shame, but we make FAR more money by playing a guarantee at Oklahoma, OSU, UM, etc, than we do by playing home games.

Spot50B · Post by **Spot50B** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:51 pm

I'm paying about $425/seat for season tickets for nosebleed seats on the 20 yard line (about 5 rows from the top). This is for 7 home games. Starting this year, all seats that are not in the end zones (or the corner of the end zones) are considered priority seating and require membership to the Bronco Athletic Association (BAA). I have the cheapest membership rate, which is $140/year for two seats (though they are only making new members pay half price this year.

Seating on the 50 yard line is $387 per season ticket plus $925 for two BAA priority seats-- so this would be $849.50 for one or $1699 for two seats. A portion of the BAA membership is tax deductable, however. These seats really aren't available, so you would have to pay this amount for a few years and sit in an inferior seat in order to work your way to the 50 yard line.

If you want to sit in a sky box, it is $48,000/year for 16 seats PLUS each person in the skybox must buy tickets separately ($387/person for season tix). I don't know if these folks have to pay BAA membership or not. Loge seating is for 4 and is around $12,000/year + tickets. Club seats are $2,200/seat + tickets. The boxes and loges are sold out and the club seats are 2/3 sold out. These are long term contracts, so hopefully we will not see a big drop off because of the economy.

Our 32,000 seat stadium reserves 5,000 seats for students. The cheapest seats that you can get (North End Zone) are $215.

I would say that your prices are a steal!

Spot50B · Post by **Spot50B** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:48 pm

FWIW, I don't think we EVER got anything near the 750K you mentioned that OSU pays out...it's a funny thing that I'd never thought about before, but OSU playing a MAC school virtually every year for the last 12-15yrs. or so actually saves THEM money, because they can argue that our costs for travel etc. aren't as great as when they used to bring in the 'patsies' like Rice (70-7 last time if I recall correctly).

Costs have gone up a lot in the last few years (take a look at my link above. OSU paid $650k to play Youngstown State last year as well as $700 to Ohio U and $800,000 to Troy. If you guys were to get a guarantee game, you could easily make this.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:20 am

My season ticket renewal form came last week as well. 4 tix on the 50 yd line will be $432. We have some of the best ticket prices in all of college football.

Spot,
I'm sure the demand in Boise is pretty high. One, you have a GREAT program. Two, Boise State football is the only game in town. BGSU must compete with OSU, UM, MSU, ND and 10 other MAC schools within a 3 hour drive. Not to mention all the pro sports teams in OH, IN and MI. BG has a lot to compete with for ticket sales.

Our stadium holds 24,000...8,000 less than yours.

michhiker28 · Post by **michhiker28** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:47 am

"Two, Boise State football is the only game in town. BGSU must compete with OSU, UM, MSU, ND and 10 other MAC schools within a 3 hour drive. Not to mention all the pro sports teams in OH, IN and MI. BG has a lot to compete with for ticket sales. "

Ding Ding Ding. That's it right there, as demonstrated by the 2/3rds of our student body who would rather drive the hour+ to see the Bucks than walk the 300 yards to the Doyt even with free tickets. That should tell you something.

--MH

Class of 61 · Post by **Class of 61** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:15 pm

Spot50B wrote:
FWIW, I don't think we EVER got anything near the 750K you mentioned that OSU pays out...it's a funny thing that I'd never thought about before, but OSU playing a MAC school virtually every year for the last 12-15yrs. or so actually saves THEM money, because they can argue that our costs for travel etc. aren't as great as when they used to bring in the 'patsies' like Rice (70-7 last time if I recall correctly).
Costs have gone up a lot in the last few years (take a look at my link above. OSU paid $650k to play Youngstown State last year as well as $700 to Ohio U and $800,000 to Troy. If you guys were to get a guarantee game, you could easily make this.

Spot,
When we last played OSU , I think I recall that we got about 400K for the "guarantee" game.... You're probably right, re: the increase in costs..(travel etc. included, even from BG to Columbus)... and I wasn't aware that OU had received 700K last year. We've played OSU FOUR times since the early 90's, more than any other MAC school, but I really don't recall us getting anywhere near that 750K you mentioned, ever.

Spot50B · Post by **Spot50B** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:45 pm

You're right about Boise being dominated by Boise State football. Boise has a population of about 200,000 but the metro area is almost 600,000 (almost half the population of the state)-- and you have to drive at least 6 hours away to find a bigger city (Salt Lake or Portland). We have all of the minor league sports, but obviously that doesn't compare. So football dominates and game day is a very big deal.

It really is great. But 7 or 8 years ago, no one knew who Boise State was-- and that was kind of special too in its own way. The Broncos felt like they were my team a little more than they do now.

One last comment on ticket prices-- I'm pretty sure that you couldn't buy season tickets on the 50 yard line 30 years ago in Boise for the price you guys pay (we've only been D1 since 1996). I would expect this price more at a school like Buffalo or Kent State-- but Bowling Green has had a solid program for a long time...

That being said, it is probably very hard for me to appreciate the amount of competition that is available with the pros, OSU, etc.

murphdogg · Post by **murphdogg** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:54 pm

Spot50B wrote:That being said, it is probably very hard for me to appreciate the amount of competition that is available with the pros, OSU, etc.

Probably a majority of the students that go to BG would rather watch Ohio State on TV than go to a BG game in person, even with free tickets. We are essentially in the middle of a triangle formed by the top 3 football programs in the Midwest, between South Bend, Ann Arbor and Columbus. Penn State isn't far away either. Frankly, I think location more than anything else is hurting our attendance

Spot50B · Post by **Spot50B** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 pm

I've really enjoyed talking with you guys about our respective schools. Hopefully, as the game gets closer we can start talking strategy a little more. Your team came into Boise last year and played us as well as anyone did (especially on the Blue). Fortunately fo us, our defense was able to bail us out-- I don't believe we scored a point in the second half.

Our spring game is on Friday. If our O-Line doesn't get things going this year, we may not be as good as we think we can be.

You guys are in an interesting situation with the new coach-- but what I understand to be a pretty experienced team, correct? I really think that this has the potential to be a good one...