Zip JD Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, csims0917 said: Why can’t we at least do this??? or at least call off the few remaining old guard ushers that chase students out of completely empty upper blue seat sections during the weeknight games. They act like they get a bounty for every student they toss. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip JD Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, Zip JD said: or at least call off the few remaining old guard ushers that chase students out of completely empty upper blue seat sections during the weeknight games. They act like they get a bounty for every student they toss. They even run students out of the Zips side upper deck at football games. It does not encourage attendance. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 3 hours ago, NWAkron said: then you risk upsetting the ticket holders who paid for their seats, especially if you paid a lot for a single game ticket and then a bunch of folks surround you for free. Yeah, you can't do that. Honestly, the "big picture" issue with this Athletics Administration IMO is they don't put any effort into connecting with the average fan. Everything is focused on top donors - "The Summit Circle" being the latest example. They'd rather sell less tickets at a higher price than create deals/promotions at a lower "get in" rate to more people. Watch which people the AD mingles with at games and the picture gets much clearer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 8 hours ago, Zippy87 said: Yeah, you can't do that. Honestly, the "big picture" issue with this Athletics Administration IMO is they don't put any effort into connecting with the average fan. Everything is focused on top donors - "The Summit Circle" being the latest example. They'd rather sell less tickets at a higher price than create deals/promotions at a lower "get in" rate to more people. Watch which people the AD mingles with at games and the picture gets much clearer. In what world is a $10 GA ticket considered expensive? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetg10 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 6 minutes ago, LZIp said: In what world is a $10 GA ticket considered expensive? In a world where people aren't buying them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 9 hours ago, Zippy87 said: Yeah, you can't do that. Honestly, the "big picture" issue with this Athletics Administration IMO is they don't put any effort into connecting with the average fan. Everything is focused on top donors - "The Summit Circle" being the latest example. They'd rather sell less tickets at a higher price than create deals/promotions at a lower "get in" rate to more people. Watch which people the AD mingles with at games and the picture gets much clearer. Well I mean, you can. SC just did, hence this discussion. If I had lower season tickets, I'd welcome some fans near me instead of empty seats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, LZIp said: In what world is a $10 GA ticket considered expensive? Depends on what it's for. For one of the best Zips teams in a long time playing against opponents in a very good league and entertaining games, it's probably under priced. $10 to see a D1 basketball game is peanuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 7 Author Report Share Posted January 7 Let's be frank. When in the history of Akron athletics, other than for Acme Zip games and a rare and brief run of an individual team, ever engaged the average Akron area sports fan? You'll find greater allegiance to the Browns, Indians/Guardians, Buckeyes, Cavs, college alma maters, Notre Dame and high school teams among the average Summit County folk sports fan than you'll find for the Zips. One place I see an improvement that may help a little is the Beacon's new approach to Zips athletics. The basketball coverage this year has been a vast improvement with great coverage. Actually providing the average area fan with relevant info about the team can help spark interest. Is it going to fill the JAR or Infocision, no, but maybe it will get dad to grab his son and head down to the JAR some night to see the good things that are happening. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 2 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said: One place I see an improvement that may help a little is the Beacon's new approach to Zips athletics. The next battle is actually getting eyes on these Beaven articles, a challenge in itself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip JD Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 10 hours ago, Zippy87 said: Yeah, you can't do that. Honestly, the "big picture" issue with this Athletics Administration IMO is they don't put any effort into connecting with the average fan. Everything is focused on top donors - "The Summit Circle" being the latest example. They'd rather sell less tickets at a higher price than create deals/promotions at a lower "get in" rate to more people. Watch which people the AD mingles with at games and the picture gets much clearer. The lower bowl used to rock at Zips games but now it is mostly blue hairs that don't bring the energy they used to. I'm thankful that they keep coming out to the games and that they put their $$$ into the program but the JAR is nothing like the rocking little band box it used to be. Also, I would love it if some of the lower bowl fans would stop heading out early even when it is a 3-point game with 3 minutes left. The better seats get the closer lots, but a lot of those fans are not going to fight the 1200 fan pandemonium as the JAR empties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 10 hours ago, Zippy87 said: Yeah, you can't do that. Honestly, the "big picture" issue with this Athletics Administration IMO is they don't put any effort into connecting with the average fan. Everything is focused on top donors - "The Summit Circle" being the latest example. They'd rather sell less tickets at a higher price than create deals/promotions at a lower "get in" rate to more people. Watch which people the AD mingles with at games and the picture gets much clearer. I guess the question is "why not both?" Frankly, George Van Horn an Larry Williams were notorious for only courting the biggest of donors. However, they did have assistants, Brock Kline and Tim Faix, who did reach out to the smaller donors and developed relationships with them. Guthrie on down are imports, and you know they aren't going to be here long. On the other hand, Tim and Brock moved on as well. The Summit Circle and name recognition for larger donors is important, and they should be recognized for their commitment. Most of the Summit Circle members are successful Akron grads. Which leads to my next point: The focus should be more student outreach. Gets the students hooked now on Zips basketball. Of course, the basketball schedule falls smack in the middle of holidays and Winter break. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 2 hours ago, LZIp said: In what world is a $10 GA ticket considered expensive? For a bleacher seat, it is IMO. But the more unreasonable costs are the reserved ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 39 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said: Let's be frank. When in the history of Akron athletics, other than for Acme Zip games and a rare and brief run of an individual team, ever engaged the average Akron area sports fan? You'll find greater allegiance to the Browns, Indians/Guardians, Buckeyes, Cavs, college alma maters, Notre Dame and high school teams among the average Summit County folk sports fan than you'll find for the Zips. They used to at least try. I remember game day promotions, t-shirt giveaways for students, unique ticket deals. This Athletic Department seems apathetic toward anyone who isn't a wealthy donor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 27 minutes ago, NWAkron said: I guess the question is "why not both?" Frankly, George Van Horn an Larry Williams were notorious for only courting the biggest of donors. However, they did have assistants, Brock Kline and Tim Faix, who did reach out to the smaller donors and developed relationships with them. Guthrie on down are imports, and you know they aren't going to be here long. On the other hand, Tim and Brock moved on as well. The Summit Circle and name recognition for larger donors is important, and they should be recognized for their commitment. Most of the Summit Circle members are successful Akron grads. Which leads to my next point: The focus should be more student outreach. Gets the students hooked now on Zips basketball. Of course, the basketball schedule falls smack in the middle of holidays and Winter break. I get the need to engage and keep big donors happy but yeah, have people on your team dedicated the other fans. If budget is tight, get some GAs with energy and enthusiasm. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 56 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: For a bleacher seat, it is IMO. But the more unreasonable costs are the reserved ones. Then what should the price be? A friend of mine made a good point to me about price increases last week. He said the only difference between a 5% and 10% price increase is the noise from the channels. People are always going to complain about pricing. If the price was $1.00 per ticket, there would be a certain number of people who complain. The worst seats for a Wake Forest basketball game are further away from the court than the bleacher seats in Akron and in the upper deck behind the basket. They are also the cheapest at $40 per seat plus a parking fee per game. The price of GA tickets at UA is peanuts. A family of four can attend a game for $40. That same family of four would have to pay $160 at Wake. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 The ABJ is not responsible for selling tickets and is not the problem. They are a convenient punching bag for people who want to blame someone or something, but they are not the real problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, Zippy87 said: They used to at least try. I remember game day promotions, t-shirt giveaways for students, unique ticket deals. This Athletic Department seems apathetic toward anyone who isn't a wealthy donor. I like this 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 Unfortunately Kent has had a beer for maybe 2 years now? We are pretty late to the party here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 22 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said: Unfortunately Kent has had a beer for maybe 2 years now? We are pretty late to the party here. Really? Who brews theirs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 4 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: Really? Who brews theirs? Sibling Revelry in Westlake. Kent grads run it, apparently. Fortunately, Zips beer is much better and actually brewed in Akron. The Kent stuff is a trashy waste of grain and hops. They will have the advantage of wider distribution, but Akron did better this time around. Many years too late. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 I gotta say, I sure am getting a chuckle out of all the bitching about a $10 ticket price and the athletics adminstration not schmoozing said cheap patrons. SMDH🫢 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip JD Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 18 minutes ago, Hilltopper said: I gotta say, I sure am getting a chuckle out of all the bitching about a $10 ticket price and the athletics adminstration not schmoozing said cheap patrons. SMDH🫢 Agreed but $10 parking doesn’t help GA sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 2 hours ago, GP1 said: Then what should the price be? A friend of mine made a good point to me about price increases last week. He said the only difference between a 5% and 10% price increase is the noise from the channels. People are always going to complain about pricing. If the price was $1.00 per ticket, there would be a certain number of people who complain. The worst seats for a Wake Forest basketball game are further away from the court than the bleacher seats in Akron and in the upper deck behind the basket. They are also the cheapest at $40 per seat plus a parking fee per game. The price of GA tickets at UA is peanuts. A family of four can attend a game for $40. That same family of four would have to pay $160 at Wake. Why are we comparing Akron to Wake Forest, a good ACC team with a legitimate arena that has hosted the NCAA Tournament multiple times? Do people there sit on old bleachers, some of which have an obstructed view of the game? Part of marketing in knowing and being realistic about what you have to offer. Yes, $10 for any non-chair ticket is too much. Something like $7 would be a fair price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, Zip JD said: Agreed but $10 parking doesn’t help GA sales. How do you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 4 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: Why are we comparing Akron to Wake Forest, a good ACC team with a legitimate arena that has hosted the NCAA Tournament multiple times? Do people there sit on old bleachers, some of which have an obstructed view of the game? Part of marketing in knowing and being realistic about what you have to offer. Yes, $10 for any non-chair ticket is too much. Something like $7 would be a fair price. You can barely see the game going on from those seats. To watch them play Delaware State, NJIT, Presbyterian and Charleston Southern? Going from $10 to $7 is meaningless. Going from $10 to $13 would be equally as meaningless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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