New seats at BDS

[B1GTide]

Yes, but it is useful in high demand games like the 2011 NCG, 2012 NCG, and 2017 NCG in which second hand dealers are jacking nosebleeds to the upper 1ks

The reality - the only reason that anyone should be paying into Tide Pride is a desire to provide continued financial support of the school. There is no other tangible benefit.

 

[bamacon]

The commercial real estate bubble is the concerning one for me because the scar it will leave on the city. Nothing looks worse than empty, abandoned retail and Tuscaloosa is poised to have a lot of it right in the middle of the city. While my wife was shopping somewhere in the Midtown mall, I walked around and was astounded by how many things were up for lease. The Chuy’s location in the other open air mall that opened right across the street from Midtown which is across the highway from University Mall...yep it has already closed. There are a few other places in there that I just have my doubts that they make it another 6-8 months. Downtown, the old Mellow Mushroom spot was vacated after their lease was up and they took a year to move into a spot behind Innisfree and there has yet to be anything to replace it in the original location. Feel like the owner of that building mis-measured what that location is worth or simply no chain restaurant big enough to afford that place was willing to move in.

I fear the way the city was rebuilt after the tornado is ultimately going to lead to a similar scar on the town. It is just going to be two open air malls that slowly wither up. Especially the newest ones - The Shoppes, you know it is classy when shops is spelled funny! - use to be residential housing with a mix of owners and renters from the college and local communities. I gotta tell you, a declining subdivision looks far better than an empty, weed-covered retail/commercial lot. At least the declining subdivision has utility even if you wouldn’t put it in a brochure.

Your exactly right rgw. The downtown area was booming and they bombed it with the construction project. It’s been a disaster. Also the leases are INSANE!!! Most of the businesses still there owned their building already. midtown’s leases are so incredibly high that Wings left. They told me that both other locations combined aren’t as high as Midtown by itself. One other thing that is driving this is the outside influx of students from out of state. They are willing to pay incredibly high rent because it’s still cheaper than where they are coming from. Same with tuition. I don’t see how it can keep going and like you think the bust has already begun.

 

[bamacon]

Looking at the half filled Levi Stadium yesterday at the SF game and the attendance at BDS this year is the future IMO.

 

[81usaf92]

The reality - the only reason that anyone should be paying into Tide Pride is a desire to provide continued financial support of the school. There is no other tangible benefit.

Agreed, and I fear this next generation will stop paying into it with the world of cheaper alternatives (ie second hand dealers) and 72 inch HDTVs existing at more affordable prices. Its why I think Alabama should stop thinking they are a major NFL city and start making decisions that are going to keep people coming to games instead.

 

[rgw]

Your exactly right rgw. The downtown area was booming and they bombed it with the construction project. It’s been a disaster. Also the leases are INSANE!!! Most of the businesses still there owned their building already. midtown’s leases are so incredibly high that Wings left. They told me that both other locations combined aren’t as high as Midtown by itself. One other thing that is driving this is the outside influx of students from out of state. They are willing to pay incredibly high rent because it’s still cheaper than where they are coming from. Same with tuition. I don’t see how it can keep going and like you think the bust has already begun.

Big problem with the construction project is that our state just doesn’t pay the contractors enough to get these projects expedited. We get what we pay for as a state and that means projects GDOT could get done in 6 months take 2 years done by ALDOT.

Edit: by the way, some seafood place has moved into the place vacated by Baumhower’s in Midtown. I just don’t see that surviving in a market that already has a Red Lobster that has been here for decades, Chuck’s that has been going strong for over a decade now, and another upscale seafood place that opened in the old Glory Bound spot downtown right across from Chuck’s. I give them 18 months.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Big problem with the construction project is that our state just doesn’t pay the contractors enough to get these projects expedited. We get what we pay for as a state and that means projects GDOT could get done in 6 months take 2 years done by ALDOT.

Edit: by the way, some seafood place has moved into the place vacated by Baumhower’s in Midtown. I just don’t see that surviving in a market that already has a Red Lobster that has been here for decades, Chuck’s that has been going strong for over a decade now, and another upscale seafood place that opened in the old Glory Bound spot downtown right across from Chuck’s. I give them 18 months.

You're talking about Halfshell Oyster House. It's been there for over a year now, and while I agree that it's not as good as Chuck's Fish, it continues to attract good crowds. The space is cavernous, so they need the crowds to keep the doors open. I have no idea as to profitability, but have heard no rumors of closing.

As I stated in the Gameday review, it leans heavily on fatty, spicy sauces even when the dish would be better without it. But apparently enough people like that stuff to keep them keeping on with that style.

 

[BamaNation]

What happens when downward shifts in supply and demand happen simultaneously? One reasonable scenario would have prices spiking to absorb lost revenue and increased perceived scarcity. So now you’ve priced out even more potential ticket purchasers or pushed them to alternative sources.
One solution would be an all digital ticket only available via the official exchange. Voila - no more scalping on the street. But that decreases the option value (and increases risk) by not being able to sell your ticket at will.

lots of moving parts, not least of which is Coach’s eventual retirement.

I would be all in on having all seats be modern-day-sized chairbacks throughout the stadium and recognize that would probably significantly increase prices.

one effect of the nominal $25 “stay on list fee” is it forces people to pony up or shut up so that true demand is easier to quantify.

 

[81usaf92]

Edit: by the way, some seafood place has moved into the place vacated by Baumhower’s in Midtown. I just don’t see that surviving in a market that already has a Red Lobster that has been here for decades, Chuck’s that has been going strong for over a decade now, and another upscale seafood place that opened in the old Glory Bound spot downtown right across from Chuck’s. I give them 18 months.

Are you talking about Tasty Crab? I find it funny that there are two different restaurants with the same name within a mile of each other.

 

[rgw]

Are you talking about Tasty Crab? I find it funny that there are two different restaurants with the same name within a mile of each other.

I think they both just opened too! The other one opened in a place that has been constantly rotating since Ezell’s left the location.

 

[B1GTide]

What happens when downward shifts in supply and demand happen simultaneously? One reasonable scenario would have prices spiking to absorb lost revenue and increased perceived scarcity. So now you’ve priced out even more potential ticket purchasers or pushed them to alternative sources.
One solution would be an all digital ticket only available via the official exchange. Voila - no more scalping on the street. But that decreases the option value (and increasesrisk) by not being able to sell your ticket at will.

This won't happen. I get that you are just discussing options, but this one simply would not survive in today's culture.

 

[rgw]

I don’t doubt that somebody might try to take control of the ticket in a way that they also control the secondary market. UA Athletics could theoretically make a system where they are the sole marketplace for reselling tickets and take a nominal transaction fee on each exchange in their walled garden.

Trying to take control of previously “unincorporated“ markets is one way I’ve seen across many industries over the last decade an attempt to squeeze the last little bit of revenue they can out of their customers.

 

[81usaf92]

This won't happen. I get that you are just discussing options, but this one simply would not survive in today's culture.

The Falcons do it is the reason I think he brought it up, but then again that goes back to my "improve the average joe's life first". The Falcons and 49ers revolutionized the fan experience in the NFL by making pretty much everything mobile, and installed Wifi systems capable of supporting 70k + in attendance. The 49ers even allowed you to order your food from your seat, and get it brought to you. They also allow you to pay the difference if you see an empty seat, of what you paid for yours if you wish to move.

 

[B1GTide]

The Falcons do it is the reason I think he brought it up, but then again that goes back to my "improve the average joe's life first". The Falcons and 49ers revolutionized the fan experience in the NFL by making pretty much everything mobile, and installed Wifi systems capable of supporting 70k + in attendance. The 49ers even allowed you to order your food from your seat, and get it brought to you. They also allow you to pay the difference if you see an empty seat, of what you paid for yours if you wish to move.

Falcons fans can resell their tickets on TicketMaster.

 

[rgw]

Note, UA is basically already doing a lot of this with the students. My first couple of years at UA, we got a perforated page of tickets just like season ticket holders. It use to be quite a boon for MDB members because we could sell our tickets for some extra cash since we already had a seat in the stadium. Well that disappeared when they moved to an electronic ticketing system. That change contributed to my decision to not return to the band for my senior year. It was not the primary reason but missing out on 500+ bucks - Shula era ticket value - definitely didn’t help.

UA has quite a bit more power over the students so they just kinda have to take whatever indignity put upon them whether it is losing control over what they can do with their tickets or prodding them into Big Brother style surveillance to get postseason ticket access.

That is going to be a harder ask of people who you are basically begging for their money. The freedom of what they may do with their ticket package will be hard to pry away but I don’t doubt somebody in the SEC is going to try it before long.

 

[rgw]

Falcons fans can resell their tickets on TicketMaster.

This is what I’m talking about too. Alabama signs an exclusivity agreement with a secondary marketplace vendor that probably involves a lump sum payment and a cut of each exchange.

 

[B1GTide]

Note, UA is basically already doing a lot of this with the students. My first couple of years at UA, we got a perforated page of tickets just like season ticket holders. It use to be quite a boon for MDB members because we could sell our tickets for some extra cash since we already had a seat in the stadium. Well that disappeared when they moved to an electronic ticketing system. That change contributed to my decision to not return to the band for my senior year. It was not the primary reason but missing out on 500+ bucks - Shula era ticket value - definitely didn’t help.

UA has quite a bit more power over the students so they just kinda have to take whatever indignity put upon them whether it is losing control over what they can do with their tickets or prodding them into Big Brother style surveillance to get postseason ticket access.

That is going to be a harder ask of people who you are basically begging for their money. The freedom of what they may do with their ticket package will be hard to pry away but I don’t doubt somebody in the SEC is going to try it before long.

Since students get discounted tickets, I have no problem with the rules that schools put in place around their use. These tickets are sold at a discount to allow students to attend games at a reasonable cost. They are not "full value" tickets.

 

[B1GTide]

This is what I’m talking about too. Alabama signs an exclusivity agreement with a secondary marketplace vendor that probably involves a lump sum payment and a cut of each exchange.

As long as they can be resold on an open market, that wouldn't bother me. Let them have a piece so long as I could still sell to the highest bidder. Their fee would come out of the reseller's end, not mine.

 

[BamaNation]

This won't happen. I get that you are just discussing options, but this one simply would not survive in today's culture.

agreed which is why I added the but

My comments In this thread are to emphasize that every action in this matter has a consequence. Knee jerk reactions and naive myopic views only create more issues.

We can address the consequences but those secondary effects create further consequences.

This whole thing cannot be reduced to 99/1% arguments espoused earlier. It’s not simple and not everyone is going to be happy. The best case might be that most everyone is equally unhappy. And even THAT has a consequence that must be addressed.

There are systemic and cultural and technological changes affecting demand across the sports and entertainment spectrum. Multilevel and mulivariate effects = Complex and costly changes which must be considered and implemented.

that stated, the Crimson Standard page seems to list some of the enhancements for the everyfan and current students.

(Obviously when I say “we” I’m talking about the PTB and greater UA community... I’m not at all talking about me or this board. Everyone should feel free to take any side you like but I’m going to ground my discussion in reality.)

 

[rgw]

Since students get discounted tickets, I have no problem with the rules that schools put in place around their use. These tickets are sold at a discount to allow students to attend games at a reasonable cost. They are not "full value" tickets.

They’re also paying a lot of money to go to the school. I’m not passing judgement but it simply highlights that these systems do exist in part. What once was an inferred privilege was taken away to discourage student ticket resell undercutting their primary market. I highlighted this to show that UA is willing to wrest privilege away from the ticket buyer for their benefit but they have less power over the non-student buyers. If they get desperate enough they will remove some privileges of the non-student buyer’s arrangements too.

 

[bama61]

Any bets that they won't sold out?

Think you're safe on this one, 54 were built and only 5 left... Also means that they've taken in over $7 million on the $150K premium and at $16K per year, another $4 million committed over the next 5 years. I don't know how many seats are in U1 between the 10 and 25 yard lines, but I'd bet that the remaining 50 unsold seats is a minuscule percentage. I believe the athletic department is making a killing on the new seating despite those predicting disaster. That's short term of course, what the more distant future might hold is anyone's guess. Doesn't much matter to me in any case, I've long since retired to the HDTV and recliner in my living room and the other amenities available at home, the private bath, the refrigerator, my grill, and during those mid-day games on hot days in September a quick half-time dip in the pool to cool off and freshen up for the second half.