Single Game tix

[Pony_Fan]

$45 for sideline Tech tickets?? Seems a bit steep to me. I don't recall any games being near that last year.

[PK]

Probably due to the price we had to pay to get Tech to come here and play us.

[DiamondM]

Idon't believe we paid Tech anything for our multi-year home and home. Knight saw the benefit of playing in Dallas.

As for the price, I think it was fairly close to that last year, if not the same. I agree that it is steep, but if we have a full house and can sell them, why not make the money. On the other hand, I would rather have a full house than be a couple of thousand short because people that might have come for 30$ are discouraged from coming because tickets are priced so high. They can go to the Mavs or the Stars for less. It remains to be seen whether the line has been drawn in the right place, but my sense is that our tickets should never be more than equivalent tickets to the Mavs. Although I would rather go see a college game than an NBA game, for most of Dallas that is not the case and there needs to be more incentive. Bobby Knight is no longer a novelty like he was his first year and I think the $45 price may scare some off.

The problem is even worse for Wake. Dallas is not a sophisticated enough sports town to want to go see good college sports teams. It doesn't matter if a team is ranked in the top 25. It has to be a "name" program, and around here former SWC teams are more "name" than a good Tobacco Road team.

[PK]

Are you saying that you don't think Tech required a minimum "gate receipts" clause? Knight even made it a point last year to point out about how much money he was bringing in to SMU for showing up here to play. Do you think they are playing here just to have something to do?

[LA_Mustang]

I'm sure they are getting a little something extra but seeing how Knight's best player is from Dallas and that some of the best recruits in the country are coming from DFW, I think playing in Dallas might have more to do with showcasing Tech to local recruits than money. Also, Knight has already gotten a local kid in Greenville's junior Justin Wilkerson to give a verbal. He will be one of the top recruits in the country next year.

[Pony_Fan]

Well, I will Pony Up for my ticket (no pun intended) but it is too high if you ask me. I myself, enjoy a good college bball game. Wake is pre-season Top 25 no? Idiot Dallas fans don't recognize a good thing when they have the opportunity - only if it's the *cool* thing to do. ie Mavs, Cowboys (when they are winning)

They are available online if you didn't know and go on sale to the public on Nov 17th.

[HorseRaider]

I disagree about Dallas sports fans not being sophistcated enough to see "name" college schools when they come to the metroplex to play basketball or football. Wake is a name school and should draw well. Even with the $37/$20 ticket prices. I've been around a long time and always have come to Moody to see the "name" schools play, and usually Moody is pretty full when they do. Of course if your're an SMU diehard, you're going to be at Moody no matter who shows up to play.

I can name the schools I've seen draw the big crowds here..Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, North Carolina State when Valvano was coaching them..Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and others playing SMU. The crowds will come, believe me.

I still can't see how they can charge $47/27 for Tech, when Tech is going to be in Dallas again three weeks after playing SMU, over at the AAC playing Iowa. I think that might hurt the ticket sales for SMU-Tech knowing they can see Tech at a better venue for less money against a good Big Ten opponent.(I thought it was a better value to pay $39 a ticket for prime seats for that game...you can get into that game for as little as $10). Or you can drive two hours to Waco and see Tech when they play Baylor for $10. But I guess the SMU folks decided this is where they can get some extra needed revenue.

<small>[ 11-10-2003, 07:28 PM: Message edited by: HorseRaider ]</small>

[DiamondM]

PK, I don't get your point.

"Knight even made it a point last year to point out about how much money he was bringing in to SMU for showing up here to play. Do you think they are playing here just to have something to do?"

Yes, he said he made a lot of money for the Methodists, not for Texas Tech. We did not pay them to come, and unless something has drastically changed from how gate and concession revenues work in college, they really don't see any of that, just like we don't see anything from their gate in Lubbock. Their benefit is a recruiting gig in Dallas.

[PK]

DM, I admit I was making an assumption when I posted that, but the football teams split the gate do they not? I mean that is supposedly why teams like Texas, etc. won't play us home and home because of the small gate we would provide. And why would a UNC or NCS come all the way to Texas for an OOC game without some kind of compensation for travel, etc.? Isn't basketball the same? Perhaps there is no gate split for conference games, but surely for OOC games, or am I totally wrong (which wouldn't be the first...or last time)?

<small>[ 11-11-2003, 11:07 AM: Message edited by: PK ]</small>

[Uncle Morty]

I'm going to have to hop on the "totally wrong" side of this one. When teams play a home and home series, there is no splitting the gate revenue. They keep what they make at their place, and we keep what we make at ours.

[Charleston Pony]

visitors payouts are negotiated and schools that can pack a 10,000 seat arena typically pay at least $25k per game for their opponents. I have no idea what we are paying TTech to visit, but based on those ticket prices, my guess is that we are paying them a lot more than that $25k. SMU got somer kind of guarantee for playing at Tech last year. Would be interesting to know who is getting the "better" deal, but from Knight's comments last year, I'm sure it is "the Methodists". We obviously don't command the same ticket price in Lubbock as they do in Dallas.

[PK]

Originally posted by Uncle Morty:
I'm going to have to hop on the "totally wrong" side of this one. When teams play a home and home series, there is no splitting the gate revenue. They keep what they make at their place, and we keep what we make at ours.

Well, between your post and CP's post, I'm still unsure how "totally wrong" I may be. Would I be correct in assuming conference games and OOC games are handled differently? Where is Prof X or the CPC when you need them? :hmm:

[DiamondM]

Raider Red has told me that there is probably a guarantee for each team when they travel to the other place. But my point is that this is not the kind of team that you would typically offer a huge guarantee (over and above what they guarantee you) or a 2 for 1 series to get them to condescend to play you. Something you might be forgeting that when the 4 game series was negotiated, Texas Tech wasn't a great team -- it's just that they had hired Bobby Knight after some not so great years under Dickey. They did not expect to turn it around and be in the tourney the first year under Knight. And they are not so much better than us (sorry RaiderRed) to warrant having to offer some additional carrot (above what they are giving us when we go to Lubbock). They've beat us both years we've played, but it's not like we're bringing in a perennial Sweet Sixteen team or even a guaranteed tourney team when we play Tech. Knight, the traditional SWC rivalry, their strong alumni base in Dallas, and the prospect of a competitive contest make them a great draw here, but again, it benefits Texas Tech to play here -- recruiting in Dallas, energizing their local alums (i.e. plenty of fundraising).

[EastStang]

With the Wake and Tech situations, it is hard to tell because about the same time that we signed the basketball deal with them, we signed football deals as well. There may be some moving around of numbers between the two contracts. I honestly believe that Wake wouldn't have agreed to a home and home in basketball without a football deal.