Been to enough softball games where yes, there many fans, but I see the softball cult in the next decade will be exactly where the MBB insiders are. Greying and going away, and not the same numbers stepping up to replace them.
And on this board there are a few complaints about the home SB schedule. It’s coming, the big conferences starting to squeeze the UL’s out.
Fact of the matter is in FBS, football drives all the buses. MBB is a distant 2nd but well ahead of all other sport, after that it is dependent on the program. For instance at UL, it is baseball, softball and then WBB, but the reality is in many P5 programs, WBB is ahead of many of these sports. We have the luxury of having a baseball and softball programs that are self stainable and many programs can not say that. Part of the reason we have a large following in volleyball is #1, our team is getting better, #2 our games are free and #3 our coach is (and this will sound sexist) very hot. We have a ton of students going to the games because of our coach and our ladies, but if it was $10 or more per ticket, the crowds would be much, much less, believe me.
If football and/or basketball games were free for the general public, you would even see more people attending. I have not made a game in the Cajun Dome this year, not because I haven't wanted to, but because of work and now we have a foster child, it has made it more difficult, that and I refuse to pay $10 plus for a beer I can drink for much less at my own home. The prices are ri-f'n-diculous and and embarrassment.
I missed no football games this year and only a handful of baseball games. But basketball as stated before I need to take a loan out to go to any of the games, it is wrong and something needs to be done about it. If the games were reasonable priced (get rid of the Ticketmaster fees) and beer was reasonable, not cheap, reasonable, I would be at almost every game.
For me to go to a game alone a $7.50 ticket cost me $23.75, which alone is crazy. Then I will drink at least 2 beers (I drink craft, so that is $20, minimum). Add in peanuts or popcorn and I am well north of $50. If I bring my family of 4, I am looking at probably close to $150 bucks a night.
A ticket to a UL basketball game that is $7.50, should cost me $7.50 and domestic beer should be $4 and craft beer should be $5. If I wanted to go to the game at a reasonable price, it should cost me no more than 20-30 bucks tops all inclusive with beer, snacks and tickets.
The reason most people like baseball and softball games is that they can get reasonable tickets, reasonable beer prices and reasonable snacks without breaking the bank.
I’m not gonna lie and say I got to all the softball games but I’ve been to plenty to agree with you. It’s a completely different crowd that football/basketball pulls. And I can also say other than regionals/super regional games there are not 1800 people there. Hell even the lsu game wasn’t sold out. Many empty seats for Texas last year as well. I’m not trying to disparage the softball program but to say that it’s more important than MBB is not true. Softball is a “national power” and averages 1800 people while MBB has sucked and been in a steady decline for years yet still average over 2600-3000 a game. It’s just not the same.
All very valid. And when they #RenovateBlackham, the admin will have control over ad space, concession prices, ticketing vendor and pretty much everything else that they can't control with the agreement that is in place with the CD right now.
We hate money more than anyone I've ever seen.
Can you imagine the crowd last year for WBB and LSU was free? Might of gotten 5k.
I just don’t know how UL gets out the intergovernmental agreement with LCG. It’s too late, but the agreement for the new Heymann Center could of included an out for UL from the dome.
And remember who owns the Midwinter Rodeo.
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