(12-17-2013 03:29 AM)SayWhat? Wrote:  

(12-17-2013 12:51 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(12-15-2013 12:22 PM)BIGDTiger Wrote:  

(12-15-2013 12:11 PM)Chi-Town Wrote:  Sorry, but pissing off big money is not worth it to give some free seats away, it is that simple. You can argue that it would be a better setting if the students were on camera, and could be seen, but that is the only argument. They are not going to factor into the outcome of the game.

So other programs that have & are doing this, including mid majors, even smu, are pissing off money? And you don't think that a rowdy environment can create what most have estimated to be a 10 point home court advantage for the schools that do it effectively? You don't think duke benefits? Or that Florida benefits? Heck, I've watched smu benefit against us...you don't think the Seattle Seahawks benefit? Or that the Red Sox fans rattled Wacha in game 6? Or that cards fans rattled kershaw? If you don't think fans can alter outcomes you are wrong. Sorry. And the fans buying tickets are going to buy them regardless of where they are and regardless of price. That has already been proven on many fronts. There would be no affect on ticket sales or income.

Duke has an endowment of over $1 billion and doesn't even sell out its games. The money is meaningless. $1.5 million per year isn't meaningless to us.

SMU has paid attendance of 3,400 per game; which probably means actual attendance of 2,500 in a 9,000 building. You aren't pissing people off or depriving them of anything. You would be doing BOTH if you gave the best tickets to the students.

You mentioned Florida? Right now you can go onto their website, and buy a 3 game package of very good seats (the equivalent to lower bowl FEF) to see Kentucky, Tennessee and Richmond for $75...with ZERO contribution.

Florida Gator Tickets

Florida doesn't sell out its 12,000 seat facility; has thousands of empty seats at most of its games; so by putting the students there you are not pissing anyone off; not costing them a lot of money; and the money you lose is nothing compared to the tens of millions of dollars they make off of basketball.

The bottom line is that the students have access to perfectly good free seats; have access to transportation to and from games, and they don't use them. They don't deserve the best seats in the house.

When the students start filling the seats they have; start being more organized, vocal and active; then maybe they can talk about improving their seats.

Just to get the endowment amounts correct, Duke has between $5.555 to $6 billion not just over $1 billion. In the AAC we have 3 schools that have over a $1 billion endowment, SMU, Tulane and Cincinnati. If you want to include Florida (SEC) for sake of discussion, they have $1.263 billion. Memphis by comparison has $183.4 million (not billion) in endowment funds.

I was lazy; thank you for correcting me. It makes the point even stronger. I also meant to say that Florida makes a lot of money from football, not basketball.

Sadly many students just don't care. If they did care then they'd find a way to get down there. As mentioned, many who claim it's too far or too expensive seem to make it down there plenty of other nights and spend a whole lot more money at the bars/clubs than they ever would at a Tigers game.

(12-16-2013 11:34 PM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(12-16-2013 09:05 PM)dan o Wrote:  

(12-15-2013 03:41 PM)tigerfansincebirth89 Wrote:  Show me UNC, Duke, etc.'s student section when they play teams like UALR or Northwestern State. Then show me ours when we bring in Louisville, Gonzaga, Cincy and UConn and we can have this discussion.

Turn on the Duke vs Gardner Webb game on TV. The Duke students look mighty active to me---and lots of them.

Just saying

duke student attendance problems...

fifth ranked duke has small crowd for unc ashville game

I'm sure if one is so inclined that opposite examples can be found.

I was simply referring to the game on TV just the other night.

Our fan base is old sadly, no offense to any older people its just not secret that students are more active and loud at games & our student section is a joke. Iv seen D3 colleges have more kids at games.

fwiw I sit in the lower bowl and ALWAYS give away my tickets to people I know will use them, should I not be able to attend. That said I miss VERY few games.

Don't know if it's still true, but about 10 years ago, the average age of a U of M student was 27. Most also had jobs and a family (kid, wife, etc.).

So, I think the main problem is that we are thinking there are 20,000+ traditional aged college students with nothing but coursework on their plate and plenty of free time to make it to just about every game then go out partying afterwards regardless of the night of the week.

I just don't think that there is that huge of a pool of students like that. So, combine that assumption with the other excuses, lame of not, that have been tossed out there and I think that we see the problem facing getting students to show.

I personally would love it if the FedEx forum was filled to capacity every single game for Tigers and Grizzlies games and that they were having to turn away students because all student seating was used up, but I just don't know what the answer is.

My wife's company seats are in the lower bowl and we generally use them if we can or give them to other employees if we can't go. My issue is every time I stand up, there is the same older gentleman who says "Sit down, down in front" Every year since 2005, it's the same guy every game.

(12-17-2013 06:45 PM)UMTiger02 Wrote:  My wife's company seats are in the lower bowl and we generally use them if we can or give them to other employees if we can't go. My issue is every time I stand up, there is the same older gentleman who says "Sit down, down in front" Every year since 2005, it's the same guy every game.

Establish a "no standing" seating area and double the ticket prices. Use the additional revenue to bribe the students to come

This argument seems to pop up every season, nothing will change. I used to be a student who hated our seating arrangements.

I do find it funny how when watching a game, my gf who knows nothing about basketball, instantly notices the lower bowl being older people.

One day, I'll be one of those older people who can afford lower bowl seats.....one day.....

(12-17-2013 01:48 AM)21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:  

(12-14-2013 02:30 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  The student section has good seats...and is often half full.

I pay about $500 total for my nosebleed seats, and I have to look down on a huge section of the student seating with no one in the seats. Really is annoying.

It's also perplexing and annoying that for many games there are so many empty seats in the lower bowl. People spend all that money to be down there and then don't show up and don't give their tickets away to someone who will. Looks bad on tv, too.

My gf was so mad the other day when she wanted to buy tickets to a game for me, but they were sold out, only to see the lower bowl pretty much dead majority of the game. And she was just trying to get nosebleed seats for me.