"Tickets for the game will cost no more than $30. Conference USA will commit to purchasing $400,000 worth of tickets, according to C-USA Associate Commissioner Alfred White. The league has the same agreement with all of its bowls tie-ins."
At an average price of $30 they would buy 13,333 tickets, at $25 avg they would buy 16,000 and at an avg of $20 they would buy 20,000 tickets. This is not alot if you can secure a matchup of local teams.
HUSKIEFOOTBALLFAN Wrote:"Tickets for the game will cost no more than $30. Conference USA will commit to purchasing $400,000 worth of tickets, according to C-USA Associate Commissioner Alfred White. The league has the same agreement with all of its bowls tie-ins."
At an average price of $30 they would buy 13,333 tickets, at $25 avg they would buy 16,000 and at an avg of $20 they would buy 20,000 tickets. This is not alot if you can secure a matchup of local teams.
I disagree. That's quite a commitment for a conference to make. May not sound like much, but I bet it puts a lot of minds at ease at the bowl offices.
many or most conferences have to guarantee a LOT to get these bowls and I think it applies to the big boys as well (some times one of their schools will travel poorly for a uninteresting match).
There are stories way back when that Marshall claimed to have LOST money on some of their bowl games, presumably having to eat a lot of unsold tixs which meant that they had to buy more tixs then their share of the bowl money.
Not a good gig.
C-USA, like the Big 12, shares all conference revenues equally from whatever source. If there is a loss, one would assume the loss is also shared equally by all conference schools. No individual team greatly benefits or greatly loses with the equal sharing policy.
If a ticket is roughly 30 bucks, that's only 13,333 tickets needed.
Considering the many teams in close proximity to the BHam Bowl, I'd say that's far from a monumetal task.
Almost EVERY Pre-Christmas Bowl game has challenges...especially those that play right before Christmas Eve/Christmas Day.
Remember, most years...these will be 7-5 teams probably playing in this game...and all visiting fans will have to travel home on "Christmas Eve"...which many don't like to do....and flights are almost impossible to find (especially just 2-3 weeks in advance).
The only way this bowl (as with most pre-Christmas Bowl Games) can survive is thru local interest.
BHM probably has to sell sponsorship tickets/packages, etc...and get at least 15,000-20,000 locals to support this bowl.
Otherwise...it will probably fade away in a few years.
KL
Quote:If a ticket is roughly 30 bucks, that's only 13,333 tickets needed... I'd say that's far from a monumetal task
Considering that UAB, in the host city, has had *home games* in recent years that haven't drawn that many fans, and that's about 4,000 more fans than C-USA has ever taken to Mobile (excluding Southern Miss), a far more appealing city to visit, I'd say that's more than a formidable task and financial risk.
C-USA will take a bath on this game unless they get the right team in there, and that will be hard to do given the circumstances of the bowl. In most years, you're looking at a 7-5, fifth-place team. Usually, fan bases of said teams aren't energized to travel en masse to a second-tier location. Big Ten, Big XII and SEC schools will often only bring 6 or 7K in a similar situation, sometimes less.
So long as Univeristy of Alabama at B'ham has a winning record, the bowl will almost always take them. I would imagine that would cover CUSA's expenses. The problem will be for the Big East, assuming they have an equivalent guarantee as CUSA. BE will likely lose money since I doubt their represenative would take many fans to go to a UAB home game.
Papa Lou BSU Wrote:Quote:If a ticket is roughly 30 bucks, that's only 13,333 tickets needed... I'd say that's far from a monumetal task
Considering that UAB, in the host city, has had *home games* in recent years that haven't drawn that many fans, and that's about 4,000 more fans than C-USA has ever taken to Mobile (excluding Southern Miss), a far more appealing city to visit, I'd say that's more than a formidable task and financial risk.
C-USA will take a bath on this game unless they get the right team in there, and that will be hard to do given the circumstances of the bowl. In most years, you're looking at a 7-5, fifth-place team. Usually, fan bases of said teams aren't energized to travel en masse to a second-tier location. Big Ten, Big XII and SEC schools will often only bring 6 or 7K in a similar situation, sometimes less.
Well, if they don't **** up last year and send UCF to Mobile.....we would have filled that stadium quite nicely.
The stadium in Mobile was still filled quite nicely, anyways, thanks to the great local support and a huge travel party from Toledo...
IULurker's point is a good one... if UAB or USM get in there, they'll probably make that guarantee or come close enough to it that it won't be a big deal. But if the only team available is someone like UTEP, Rice, Houston or SMU, the conference is going to lose their shirt on that deal.
Look, I hope the Birmingham Bowl does well, especially since it looks like the MAC will have at least semi-regular access to it. But a ticket guarantee of 13K+ for a non-BCS team that's likely to be no better than 7-5 (and may be 6-6) is steep, even if that team is a short drive away. There are BCS teams with much larger fanbases -- going to much more desirable locales with plentiful airfare options -- every December that can't bring those numbers.
That's all I'm saying. I'm not one of these types who gets bent out of shape by new bowl games. The more, the merrier, I say...I'll watch 'em all...
Papa Lou BSU Wrote:The stadium in Mobile was still filled quite nicely, anyways, thanks to the great local support and a huge travel party from Toledo...
IULurker's point is a good one... if UAB or USM get in there, they'll probably make that guarantee or come close enough to it that it won't be a big deal. But if the only team available is someone like UTEP, Rice, Houston or SMU, the conference is going to lose their shirt on that deal.
Look, I hope the Birmingham Bowl does well, especially since it looks like the MAC will have at least semi-regular access to it. But a ticket guarantee of 13K+ for a non-BCS team that's likely to be no better than 7-5 (and may be 6-6) is steep, even if that team is a short drive away. There are BCS teams with much larger fanbases -- going to much more desirable locales with plentiful airfare options -- every December that can't bring those numbers.
That's all I'm saying. I'm not one of these types who gets bent out of shape by new bowl games. The more, the merrier, I say...I'll watch 'em all...
Well with 5 bow tie ins, I'm sure CUSA will make arrangements to keep regional teams there.
The Knight Time Wrote:Papa Lou BSU Wrote:The stadium in Mobile was still filled quite nicely, anyways, thanks to the great local support and a huge travel party from Toledo...
IULurker's point is a good one... if UAB or USM get in there, they'll probably make that guarantee or come close enough to it that it won't be a big deal. But if the only team available is someone like UTEP, Rice, Houston or SMU, the conference is going to lose their shirt on that deal.
Look, I hope the Birmingham Bowl does well, especially since it looks like the MAC will have at least semi-regular access to it. But a ticket guarantee of 13K+ for a non-BCS team that's likely to be no better than 7-5 (and may be 6-6) is steep, even if that team is a short drive away. There are BCS teams with much larger fanbases -- going to much more desirable locales with plentiful airfare options -- every December that can't bring those numbers.
That's all I'm saying. I'm not one of these types who gets bent out of shape by new bowl games. The more, the merrier, I say...I'll watch 'em all...
Well with 5 bow tie ins, I'm sure CUSA will make arrangements to keep regional teams there.
You had 5 bowl tie-ins last year and C-USA didn't make those arrangements. They shipped UCF to Hawaii despite being the #2 team. They shipped UTEP to Alabama and Memphis all the way to Detroit. Did any of these make sense?
Champ Tulsa went to liberty ... Gmac wanted to sell the Price back to alabama thing... thus the picked the #3 team rather than #2. Haw gets 3rd pick they chose #2 UCF. Nawlins wanted local team..USM fit perfect same for ft worth and houston. Memphis was the odd man out at #6... detroit wanted them so they went... detroit is not a CUSA bowl.. and memphis was the closest CUSA bowl team available. so other than Utep UCF switch it all pretty much went to plan.
