Parking? I'll pass

[UADavid]

So when the new people came in the decided to charge a cheaper price.....

The cheaper price resulted from them deleting the "free" blanket.

[Charles_in_Charge]

I have not posted on this board for almost two years. I come here often and read but this thread has me motivated to type out my feelings. I bought my season tickets last December as part of my Motor City Bowl package. If you are stating that putting 2006 season tickets on sale as part of the Motor City Bowl sales campaign was a "mistake" then you are about to flunk Sales 101. I am a bit ticked that I now have to pay more for my same parking space, less for my tickets, all while the "new" regime is touting a family package with a $5 per game ticket. When our new stadium goes up the ticket price is going to shoot through the roof and if you think the bitching is loud from us now just wait until the season ticket price goes up 200% in one year. Why you would slash prices for tickets and jack up parking in the year after a title winning season is beyond me. But what do I know, I just manage a multi-million dollar sales force for a Fortune 100 company.BTW, I still received my blanket and there is no way that it cost $20. The season ticket package I had signed up for included the blanket and a ticket to the Can't State game which I thought was a funny slap against Can't State.

[fear the brown roo]

all i know is that miami of florida is always a national title contender and the orange bowl was never sold out unless miami was playing florida state or florida. we bring in a guy who can't sell out miami's home stadium? yes, i know thomas brought him in as a fundraiser. how hard can it be to raise money where half of your alumni play in the NFL and the other half are doctors and lawyers?

[iheartkarriker]

all i know is that miami of florida is always a national title contender and the orange bowl was never sold out unless miami was playing florida state or florida. we bring in a guy who can't sell out miami's home stadium? yes, i know thomas brought him in as a fundraiser. how hard can it be to raise money where half of your alumni play in the NFL and the other half are doctors and lawyers?

Thomas also brought Waddell in from Army. They had a stadium at capacity most every home game. Was that done here?

[Charles_in_Charge]

And your point is? This is a sad thread. The parking charge is sadly misguided and the people who put it in play should be held responsible for the carnage that will result. Tearing down others, who led efforts to sell out bowl trips and bring in somme pretty big crowds over the past five years only make you look pretty little.

[zff]

Calm down Chuck.......I was just simply stating that the reason for the cheaper ticket prices.And here is a line from the ticket page at gozips.comThe first 1500 fans to purchase season tickets will receive a complimentary Fear the Roo Stadium Blanket.So Dave the blanket was NOT the reason for the cheaper prices.......

[iheartkarriker]

And your point is? This is a sad thread. The parking charge is sadly misguided and the people who put it in play should be held responsible for the carnage that will result. Tearing down others, who led efforts to sell out bowl trips and bring in somme pretty big crowds over the past five years only make you look pretty little.

I'm not tearing down what Wad accomplished. I'm just pointing out that brown roo's statement doesn't hold any water. Sure Miami is a perennial power and in the hunt for a national title. But that doesn't guarantee folks coming to the game. You would think it does, but it doesn't. Their following is fair weather. On the flip side, Army could be playing the Missouri school for the dumb and deaf and still fill up their stadium. Why, tradition.. I'm stating that a guy came from a school with rich football tradition in the sense that people went despite the record or the opponent. Check out their record and then check out their attendance. they stunk, however they still had great crowds.. You can't say that just because he was from Miami that we'll get this... And I do think you can't say just because he came from Army, you're going to immediately fill the place either.I'm sorry for not explaining myself more thoroughly.

[UADavid]

Thomas also brought Waddell in from Army. They had a stadium at capacity most every home game. Was that done here?

How sad to put down someone else when you can't do your job. Nice try Pat, I mean Putz.

[UADavid]

The first 1500 fans to purchase season tickets will receive a complimentary Fear the Roo Stadium Blanket.

Who received their complimentary blanket?

[zippyrifle32]

Thomas also brought Waddell in from Army. They had a stadium at capacity most every home game. Was that done here?

haha...of course it's going to be full. they're cadets that are severly restricted priviledges. i'm sure they take every break they can, plus any army-navy game is guarenteed sold out. please...bad example

[Charles_in_Charge]

Join me in writing Mack Rhoades and letting him know that this plan is misguided.Mack Rhoades Dir, Athletics 330-972-7080 mack1@uakron.edu He seems to be a reasonable man and someone who will listen to his fan base. This Kreger person could take a lesson from his predecessors and listen to them instead of always talking to them. I cannot imagine that Greg Burke or George Van Horn would have ever pulled something like this. For more information about special gifts to establish named scholarships, endowments, gifts-in-kind, or special projects, please contact Pat Kreger, Associate Director of Athletics, Development, at (330) 972-8590 or pkreger@uakron.edu.

[fear the brown roo]

i have a friend who was a 22 yr season ticket holder and a neighbor who was a 27 yr holder. neither are renewing their seats over this. i paid for mine last spring and am a big supporter of what JD is doing, otherwise there would be another non-renewal........and by the way pat, or whoever iheartkerriker is, 25 years of winning at miami doesn't count as tradition? i guess we'll never have any tradition until our grandchildren have grandchildren. bad agrument.

[Big Zip]

Haven't posted in awhile, but I checked gozips.com and it lists parking passes at $25. I'm wondering if this is a typo.....the 4 has the $ and is obviously right next to the 5. Not to mention depending on how it looked on the screen or the preview copy that 5 could have looked a lot like a $. The company/organization that designed the letter/flyer may have also missed the correction if someone made it for them. For the life of me I can't imagine 525 is correct for parking....especially when I can buy (according to the website) 100 tickets for $500.

[iheartkarriker]

i have a friend who was a 22 yr season ticket holder and a neighbor who was a 27 yr holder. neither are renewing their seats over this. i paid for mine last spring and am a big supporter of what JD is doing, otherwise there would be another non-renewal........and by the way pat, or whoever iheartkerriker is, 25 years of winning at miami doesn't count as tradition? i guess we'll never have any tradition until our grandchildren have grandchildren. bad agrument.

Please read what I wrote....brown rooI'm stating that a guy came from a school with rich football tradition in the sense that people went despite the record or the opponent. Check out their record and then check out their attendance. they stunk, however they still had great crowds.. RICH FOOTBALL TRADITION IN THE SENSE THAT PEOPLE WENT DESPITE THE RECORD! don't skim a post without reading it fully.I completely agree with Charles you should call Kreger or Rhoades to find out the skinny. I doubt they will dodge your questions. Until then, relax.While you're talking to them find out how much money has been raised in the past year, compared to the past 4 years.I'm not here to argue with you all. I just want to you see the other side.

[Z-P]

Wow..............3 pages in no time. Ya'll must think this is a bigger deal than I see it as.First of all, no matter what lot we qualify for, we always park in "General Public Parking" because that's where all the fun is anyway. We like to walk thru the t/gate parties, see old alum, stop for a "home made" at CK & Docs', and just generally soak up the (limited though it has been) game day atmosphere.UAM tried to do the "priviledge parking t/gate thing" last couple seasons, and it was a failure................the best fun is back at the fence.Secondly, the "General" area is the easiest to get out of after the game.............we ususally wait around a while, then cut "cross country" and out. Bingo.So I really don't see this as a big deal.However, having said all that, the "tone" and "touch" of the letter seemed a little ham handed.............Pat, or whoever wrote it could have handled the changes more diplomatically..............but it's too late now.Just my 2-cent.............Go Zips.............ILFSITF and thank the Good Lord FB's back!!!!!

[fear the brown roo]

RICH FOOTBALL TRADITION IN THE SENSE THAT PEOPLE WENT DESPITE THE RECORD! you're right, they're called cadets. there is no excuse for the orange bowl not being full for every game. i'm not impressed

[Captain Kangaroo]

I'll clarify one thing for a few - This $500.00 "donation" allows people to park in the paved lots. It has no effect on the grass area, which will still be $25.00 w/no donation.I was in the "Tailgate" paved lot last season. It cost $50.00. It was never more than half-full (8 of the 16 spaces utilized) at any given time. Those of us there made the best of it and had a good time. It was nice being out of the mud, close to restrooms and near the inflatable things the kids like to bounce around on. It was a good deal, and I would have done it again. I'd have done it again for $100.00. But $500.00...that's insane.If the University can get $500.00 for the spots, good for them. My guess is they will be stone-empty. Maybe there will be a few big donors...and a few University employees who don't need to pay the fee parking there..but that's it.Z-P is correct. The real party goes on in the $25.00 lot. I will be back there again this year, like I was for 19 of the last 20 seasons. To be very blunt: The people donating $500 to the University for parking are not a blast to party with. They're actually kind of boring. The few that will pay will arrive 15 minutes before game time and stroll in the bowl. I like to arrive 6 hours before game time and ramp things up until kick-off. Most of the others on this board do likewise.I really shook my head when I read that 3-page letter detailing the $500.00 parking cost. I can't imagine anyone reading that and saying "That makes TOTAL sense...I can't wait to write my check!!".I'm no "cheap" guy. I will up my donations to the University a bit this year because I like the coaches, the teams performance and I want the success to continue. But I ain't shelling out $500.00 to park at the Rubber Bowl. That's the most insane thing I've ever seen.I have some thoughts on how this could have been handled. Maybe I'll post them another day. It's too nice outside to be tapping on a computer keyboard.

[KingZip]

So please tell us about all of the money that has been raised in the past year. From what I heard directly from the football coaches mouths at the golf outing the fundraiser that joined the staff last summer is not much of one at all. Don't know this for a fact, but if the coaches are taking shots at the guy and talking about his consumption more than his production it would seem to call your facts into question.

[UADavid]

I'll clarify one thing for a few - This $500.00 "donation" allows people to park in the paved lots. It has no effect on the grass area, which will still be $25.00 w/no donation.

What they now call lot 1 isn't paved but apparently now requires the "increased fee".

The people donating $500 to the University for parking are not a blast to party with. They're actually kind of boring. The few that will pay will arrive 15 minutes before game time and stroll in the bowl.

They also leave before the game ends. When our group would get to our cars, the lot was usually empty. That's when the post tailgate party would begin.

[GP1]

Interesting posts. One item on the letter sticks out to me and it is on the "Priority Parking Application". It says, "__My Z-Fund contribution of $500 or more has been submitted previously." There is no line to write in an amount. There is a similar line toward the bottom of the same form. I wonder if a person gave $500 over the past year if they automatically qualify for the priority parking? If that is the case, it should have been more clearly stated. If that is the case, many on this board may already qualify. $500 is only $41.67 per month (or $1.37 per day) and it is a tax deduction. Some of you college students and younger alumni could easily take $41.67 in tip money off of bars in a month period and contribute it.In any event, many corporations give thousands of dollars and will qualify for at least three passes automatically based upon how I read the form. I don't see how this change is going to impact the average fan or even if you will notice a difference when you are at a game. Most of these spots will go to corporations and may or may not get used like you see at an Indians game, or any other big league sport in the country, in the parking decks. My guess is that all of these priority parking spots will be taken by the first game. There aren't that many spots. If they are all sold by the first game, some of you should come in here and apologize for statements about the current administration....... and then when you are through apologizing, start to bash them again for not pricing the spots at a high enough price.What we are seeing is just the nature of sports today and Akron is far behind the curve in increasing the revenue flow with sports. Just look how far behind we are with teams like Toledo and how we were with Marshall. Our falling behind didn't start with the new AD or even with Thomas and UAM. We started out behind and it's been going on for years and has been a slow crawl. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but at some point it has to change if everyone wants a new stadium and a big time program. Giving tickets away didn't work, strange festivals the weekend of games didn't sell tickets, Acme Zip didn't really sell tickets in a meaningful way. At least the new AD and staff are asking for the money.There is plenty of parking in the General Public Parking and if you drink five or six beers without going , you can pee from the general parking lot into Lots 4 & 5. If parking in general parking more closely fits your buying range, park there.

[GP1]

It's economics. You raise the price, demand goes down. You lower the price, demand goes up. Right now UAkron is struggling in the Akron/Canton market. Akron needs to create a demand. Everyone on this board is optimistic about this program and thinks this program is bigger than it is. The only way you can justify raising prices is offering more. Fireworks at the end of each game or for every touchdown???

Please no more fireworks!Anyhow, your economic analysis assumes the value of the product Akron is offering is equal to the value of other commodity products of the same type, such as drywall or lumber pricing. If there is a perceived increase in value of a product, people will pay more money for the product. Akron football is a speciality product that should be in demand because of the success of the season last year. Now is the time for them to raise prices. The real question is how much? I don't believe that if Akron sold tickets for $1.00 each that any more people would buy a ticket than they do now. If Akron sold 30,000 tickets per game at $1.00 each, they would make exactly $150,000 in ticket sales this season. Just enough to almost pay JD's salary and nothing left over to pay for maintenance on a new football stadium. If they sell 12,000 tickets at an average sale of $10 then they will make $600,000 this season and then add the walk up sales and it becomes much more than what you get at a lower price. Don't apply the laws of supply and demand to the seats in the stadium, it must be applied to the product within the stadium and that product is a damn good one that deserves a higher price.Here is the question I ask all of my customers when they complain about the price of something my company sells.....How much should it cost? So I ask everyone on this board, How much should it cost to go watch a D-1A football game, sit close to the field, watch kids play hard in a good conference, get a chance to watch UofA have a good team, enjoy an evening with your family and friends and spend time watching a sport you like at the University you went to school? I'm of the opinion that UofA does not charge enough for the product they offer.The minimum the school is asking to park is $5.00 per game to park in the general lot which is $2.00 more than you had to pay last year. There is absolutely no place in that letter that says you have to pay $500 to park to go to a game. You guys have a lot of nerve to complain about the cost of parking when hardly any of you probably had any intention of parking anywhere other than general parking. I agree with Z-P, this was a simple fundraising letter that has been completely blown out of proportion on this board. I'm ashamed that graduates and students of my University are unable to read and decipher a simple letter such as this. Shame on most of you.

[fear the brown roo]

i'll complain about what i want to complain about. i parked in lot 1 and am pissed about an attempt to gouge me out of $500. i'm pissed about cancelling plans for big tailgating parties in lot 1 like we had last year. most of us don't have corporate sponsors to pay for our tickets or parking spaces. we're the ones working so the management can make the money to give for these "priveleges". i'd be very happy to be wrong about the current administration and be the first to admit it and apologize. i want what's best for not only the team but for us fans. i don't think this is it.

[UADavid]

Some of you college students and younger alumni could easily take $41.67 in tip money off of bars in a month period and contribute it.

This is money they use to eat and pay bills. Stupid suggestion, period.

The minimum the school is asking to park is $5.00 per game to park in the general lot which is $2.00 more than you had to pay last year. There is absolutely no place in that letter that says you have to pay $500 to park to go to a game. You guys have a lot of nerve to complain about the cost of parking when hardly any of you probably had any intention of parking anywhere other than general parking.

Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can't complain about. This decision impacted me directly as well as others who we would meet before the game. The nerve!

My guess is that all of these priority parking spots will be taken by the first game. There aren't that many spots. If they are all sold by the first game, some of you should come in here and apologize for statements about the current administration....... and then when you are through apologizing, start to bash them again for not pricing the spots at a high enough price.

They are talking about large areas involving many parking spots. I'll make a guess too. The priority lots will be mostly empty. No need for you to apologize.

Acme Zip didn't really sell tickets in a meaningful way.

This proves your lack of knowledge, in a meaningful way.Untill the late '80's the Acme Zip game was always a sellout. I believe the fallout over the firing of Jim Dennison was the tipping point that soured people from going to the homeopeners like they had. It was the only game of the year with huge turnouts, but they didn't have the team they do today. Fans would have come back to see this team. That collaboration was severed years ago when Giant Eagle became the sponsor. We all want sucess for this school and team. Apparently it's much easier for you to support the shool financially. Good for you, I applaud you. Everyone is not in your position to do so and a non problem in your eyes could be a large problem for someone else.

[GP1]

Good responses UADavid and ftbr. Here is the reality of Acme Zip. Acme Zip was a give away program where people received a free ticket for buying a lightbulb. My freshman year we had the fourth largest crowd in history for an Akron home game the second year into Faust's time at UofA. Can't moved the ball up and down the field that night with Wilkerson at RB and Mason coaching them. Fan support did not die with Dennison beiing let go, it died when free tickets were no longer given away at games to the bitter, chaep bastards who live in NE Ohio.Nobody is answering the real question. What should it cost to go to an Akron game? From what I can tell, it costs a family of four $39 to buy tickets and park at a game. This is more than reasonable. It's only $60 for the same family to sit in reserved seating. I'm still waiting for answers. Does anyone think it should cost less? If so, do you want to be able to afford a stadium some day with people paying less than this amount? Do you think they can support a new stadium with the amount of money they currently bring in with tickets?

[GP1]

Some of you college students and younger alumni could easily take $41.67 in tip money off of bars in a month period and contribute it.

This is money they use to eat and pay bills. Stupid suggestion, period.

It's a joke....don't take yourself so seriously.