Solution for USF attendance at basketball games

[Guest]

EcoNerd, help me out here, wouldn't lowering ticket prices not be beneficial. Say we get an extra 700 fans a night because we drop prices from 25 to 15

Paying fans (not students)

2500 * 25 = 62500

3200 * 15 = 48000

The reason I ask is because you're the expert (it's in your name!) in this area. I am counting on my basic economics (and a ticket internship with an Arena League team I had once)

The problem is, I don't think USF has 2,500 paying fans.  I think it's more like 1500 paying fans right now... IF that many.

1500 * 25 = 37,500

2200 * 15 = 33,000

And I am willing to bet that more than 700 new fans show up with lower ticket prices, virtually eliminating the net loss.

[Economics_Nerd82]

I ran the data from the past 66 home games (this includes C-USA) games and is based upon reported attendance, not actual.

Those numbers which are statistically significant have astricks next to them.

This is what I got:

Intercept: 2,848**

Big East: 203

Vs. Conference Team: 447

Vs. Ranked in the AP: 1,946**

Vs. In State Opp: -743**

On TV: 864**

Winning Record: 103

Interpretation

Intercept: No matter what else, we will always have a base attendance of 2,848. (Note: remember it's based on reported attendance)

Big East: We get 203 more people per game simply for being in the Big East.

Conference: Playing against a conference opponet will bring an added 447 people.

Ranked: Play a team ranked in the AP Top 25 will bring an added 1,946 people.

In State Team: Playing an In State opponet will lower our attendance by 743 people

Game on TV: 865 people who up when the game is on TV.

Winning % (last five games): We bring in 103 people if we won one game in the last five, 206 if we won two of the last five, 309 if we won three of the last five, 412 if we won four of the last five, and 515 if we won five of the last five games. Believe this as you wish.

Note: This is what happens ON AVERAGE.

Example:

If we were to play a home game, against a conference opponet that was ranked in the AP Top 25, we won the past 5 home games, and the game was on TV, we would expect an announced attendance of 6,827.

That has to be some of the best analysis I've seen.

lol thanks. Hopefully it wasn't sarcastic. The problem is, those things listed only explain half of the variation in bball attendance. I'm sure price of a ticket should be in there, is football (pro or college) being played at the same time, is there a Lightening game, and other such things should be in there. But, I don't really have data on those things. I plan on doing a similar analysis for the football games and another one for bball after this season is over.

[WoolyBully]

As for giving tickets away, you never never should give tickets away to any sporting event unless an outside company pays for it (or in some cases they are given to a charity) and that is made clear to those getting the tix. You devalue the product. If I get free tickets to a basketball game and they don't regularly sell out, when it comes time to try and get me to go to another game why would I pay $25 for a ticket? And don't say because you had fun, studies show it doesn't work that way.

I couldnt disagree more.

You have to expose people to the product. What would make Joe Blow - football, nonbasketball fan - to come to a bball game and spend $25 on a ticket, on a whim? Answer: nothing.

Now, let's say you and a buddy are going to the game(youve been to many other games) because u got free tickets, and your friend Joe Blow talked to you earlier and told you "hey, if yall do something tonight, let me know. I've got no plans...." So you give him a call, and he decides to join you at the game.

Joe Blow has a great time, and leaves the building thinking, "you know what, next time I've got nothing going on, I'm gonna bring the kids to a game, that was fun."

Now you have a new fan, who wouldnt have come, but since he was exposed to the product, is now going to come back and spend 3 times as much money as he did at his 1st game. Yeah, you take a $25 hit on the 1st free ticket, but when they come back for game 2 and 3 you get it back, and more.

Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesnt'. I personally don't believe it works.

Let's suppose someone gives me $X value tickets to an event.

I use the tickets - have a good time - but don't necessarily value

the experience as WORTH [highlight]my[/highlight] $X.  

My experience has been that I've given away - FREE - tickets to

USF football games. And what became of them? "We decided to

go to Ybor instead", "my girlfriend had a movie on TV she wanted

to watch so we stayed home", "I took the kids to a movie". And that,

sportsfans - is the use of free tickets.

On the other hand, when I've collected funds for my unused tickets,

the purchaser has always shown up (I don't cut a discount).

So that's my experience. First-hand !   8-)

[Joe]

Shoop,

This just isn't coming from me, this is coming from every sports marketer out there. There have been several studies.

People know what basketball is, chances are they know what a game is like, this isn't Cameron Indoor so you're not paying for the uniquness of the expirence.

If you're going to give away free tickets the best way to do so is "buy 1 get 1" or the recent craze, Family 4 packs (4 tickets, 4 food/beverage items, 4 souviners for X price). Those 4 packs are usually 2 tickets written off to the house, food written to the house (hoping you'll buy soda/food to go with it), and souviners with some sort of title sponsor on it.

Giving away pure tickets just devalues the product. Joe Blow, who goes to the game for free, does in most cases say, "I got into that game for free last time, it was fun, but not $25 worth of fun."

There is an Oklahoma University study recently on it that was in Sports Business Weekly. I'll see if I can pull it up on the net.

[BigShoop]

USF will sellout exactly ZERO basketball games this season. What is the harm in giving away 100, 200, or hell 500 tickets? USF basketball has ZERO fanbase, the only way to develop that is to expose people to the product. Of course winning will bring people to the arena, but those are bandwagoners who, at the 1st losing streak, will go back to their non-attending ways.

If you open up a brand new restaurant, how do you get people to spend their money there? If you have beer specials at your bar, does that de-value your product?

[Joe]

Beer specials, Not giving a whole night's worth of drinks and food away.

Further, Alcohol is an item that does not have any other legal competition and is something that is much cheaper for a single serving than a ticket to a basketball game.

A better example would be a new theme park opening in Tampa. You think to draw away from Busch Gardens or the beach, they would offer free tickets? No. They will offer discounts or buy-1-get-1s, however you won't see free tickets.

The same is true for sports,

[BigShoop]

Beer specials, Not giving a whole night's worth of drinks and food away.

Further, Alcohol is an item that does not have any other legal competition and is something that is much cheaper for a single serving than a ticket to a basketball game.

A better example would be a new theme park opening in Tampa. You think to draw away from Busch Gardens or the beach, they would offer free tickets? No. They will offer discounts or buy-1-get-1s, however you won't see free tickets.

The same is true for sports,

fair enough, fair enough........but you go ahead and let me know when you see buy 1-get 1s or discounts for USF basketball tickets.

what about giving some to charity? or maybe some elementary/middle schools? I just dont see the harm in it. reach out. instead of waiting for fans, CREATE them.

[Triple B]

Beer specials, Not giving a whole night's worth of drinks and food away.

Further, Alcohol is an item that does not have any other legal competition and is something that is much cheaper for a single serving than a ticket to a basketball game.

A better example would be a new theme park opening in Tampa. You think to draw away from Busch Gardens or the beach, they would offer free tickets? No. They will offer discounts or buy-1-get-1s, however you won't see free tickets.

The same is true for sports,

fair enough, fair enough........but you go ahead and let me know when you see buy 1-get 1s or discounts for USF basketball tickets.

what about giving some to charity? or maybe some elementary/middle schools? I just dont see the harm in it. reach out. instead of waiting for fans, CREATE them.

Bottom line in all this is that the fans that are really needed at games right now already get in for free. They're the ones who can create the excitement in there that gives us a true home court advantage. Free beer, pizza, contest give-aways, whatever is needed to get them in there. I really don't think there's anything much you can do to get the casual non-student fan in for the non "name" games, even if we're winning. This just isn't a big basketball area.

Another thing that could be done is to make all the games Jr Bulls Club games. Not sure why they cut back this year ...

[Joe]

Trip, Gave up on the Colts after the beatdown they took today?!

I agree there do need to be more discounts and family 4 packages (didn't they do these a few years ago?)

As for the charities, it's always a good thing to do because you canget cost for it as a write off. I dunno if they do work with charities, I'm sure they do however.

Anything to get bodies in the building within reason.

[aly20xx]

I ran the data from the past 66 home games (this includes C-USA) games and is based upon reported attendance, not actual.

Those numbers which are statistically significant have astricks next to them.

This is what I got:

Intercept: 2,848**

Big East: 203

Vs. Conference Team: 447

Vs. Ranked in the AP: 1,946**

Vs. In State Opp: -743**

On TV: 864**

Winning Record: 103

Interpretation

Intercept: No matter what else, we will always have a base attendance of 2,848. (Note: remember it's based on reported attendance)

Big East: We get 203 more people per game simply for being in the Big East.

Conference: Playing against a conference opponet will bring an added 447 people.

Ranked: Play a team ranked in the AP Top 25 will bring an added 1,946 people.

In State Team: Playing an In State opponet will lower our attendance by 743 people

Game on TV: 865 people who up when the game is on TV.

Winning % (last five games): We bring in 103 people if we won one game in the last five, 206 if we won two of the last five, 309 if we won three of the last five, 412 if we won four of the last five, and 515 if we won five of the last five games. Believe this as you wish.

Note: This is what happens ON AVERAGE.

Example:

If we were to play a home game, against a conference opponet that was ranked in the AP Top 25, we won the past 5 home games, and the game was on TV, we would expect an announced attendance of 6,827.

That has to be some of the best analysis I've seen.

wow...good job nerd....

In State Team: Playing an In State opponet will lower our attendance by 743 people.......

this is def wierd