Link: UA Offering Season and Mini-Package Tickets

When I was student, a long time ago in a galaxy far away, we paid an activity fee. Tickets were free my freshman year. They went up to $10 by my senior year. One year I bought a ticket to the Sugar Bowl when we played Arkansas to win the MNC. I still have the ticket. My wife created a shadow box of Bama paraphernalia to hang on my wall. I love to show people that ticket. It was $10. There are 2 other tickets in that shadow box. They are for the UT game in the early '80s. Talk about inflation! They were $15 each. Game was when Curry was coaching and we beat UT like a drum that day.

This has no direct bearings on the topic. It's just my early days have shaped how much I think I should pay. Most I've ever paid has been last year's homecoming game against Missouri. I paid $130 for upper deck seats. Too much lol.

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Someone joked about dorky fans but I think there's something to that, as well.

I'm not making a judgment on how anyone enjoys the game, but I think the Big Sort has made snobby fans snobbier and has made crazy fans crazier.

Normally,.my dad and I have used the opening game as a destination trip to spend some quality time together. We have much more enjoyed the opening games in Dallas than Atlanta. I kind of hate to see those go although I wont br attending the Duke game which is ridiculous as a marquee opener. I always hoped the would have moved the opening venue around like DC, NYC, Chicago, or Boston to take our brand on the road into some other markets.

It will be neat to have some H&Hs with Texas, Okie, and ND but the ticket opportunity to make the return trip to their stadium will likely be unavailable as the ticket allotment will likely be less than a neutral site venue.

Honestly, the schools probably dont want to do it, but you probably have to discuss whether they recover some lost revenue by adding a 9th conference game rather peddling these mini packages with the crap games. An extra conference game probably helps ticket revenue and TV revenue both. Whereas now it looks like one is suffering at the benefit of the other with the weak scheduling.

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So, if I read this right, you have to pay $395 for the seat, $30 processing, and $160 donation. Then, for the cheapest plan, $145 per ticket and $15 order fee.

So, if my math is correct, that comes to $1,035 for 3 games, or $345 per game. 2 of which are crap cupcake games. In the south upper end zone as well, good luck seeing much.

Those prices are ridiculous, reminds me why I love my HDTV and couch so much. It’s a better view also.

CrimsonNagus said:

So, if I read this right, you have to pay $395 for the seat, $30 processing, and $160 donation. Then, for the cheapest plan, $145 per ticket and $15 order fee.

So, if my math is correct, that comes to $1,035 for 3 games, or $345 per game. 2 of which are crap cupcake games. In the south upper end zone as well, good luck seeing much.

Those prices are ridiculous, reminds me why I love my HDTV and couch so much. It’s a better view also.

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Your math is not correct. For the season ticket package that they are offering: You will pay a donation fee of $160, $ 395 for a season ticket (1 ticket for each of the 7 home games) and a $ 30 processing fee for a total of $ 585 - which is a little over $ 83 per game.

They also have 3 game, 4 game, and 5 game mini-ticket packages available that you can do without paying a donation fee.

TiderMan said:

Your math is not correct.

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Whew. Glad to know that.

We T

selmaborntidefan said:

You need to tell me where to find these people.

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You won’t. It’s a total straw man argument.

I’m basically joe six pack. I’m lower middle class in income. I used to go to Tuscaloosa a couple of times a year to see the games, and I am fortunate to know someone plugged into the athletic dept through a current employee whereby I could tailgate on Bryant Dr through this contact with all the free food and drink that I want. I stopped going to games two years ago cold turkey. One of the reasons? The schedule. I want to watch a game against a worthy ooc opponent, not against a directional school that will never really be competitive. I simply will not spend that kind of money in gas and other expenses to watch what we all know up front will be a blow out.

I very rarely agree with Clay Travis on anything, but one thing he’s gotten right is this- these large stadiums were built for a bygone era. With all of the TV options & other factors, I think you’ll see more & more of this.

As far as the south end zone packages are concerned, I’ll never pay more than face value for end zone seats. I don’t care how the market it (I.e., the Zone).


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deliveryman35 said:

We T

You won’t. It’s a total straw man argument.

I’m basically joe six pack. I’m lower middle class in income. I used to go to Tuscaloosa a couple of times a year to see the games, and I am fortunate to know someone plugged into the athletic dept through a current employee whereby I could tailgate on Bryant Dr through this contact with all the free food and drink that I want. I stopped going to games two years ago cold turkey. One of the reasons? The schedule. I want to watch a game against a worthy ooc opponent, not against a directional school that will never really be competitive. I simply will not spend that kind of money in gas and other expenses to watch what we all know up front will be a blow out.

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Total straw man argument? I question how many games you’ve been to in the last 4 years, let alone how many scalpers you’ve actually talked to because it’s a well known fact that you’ll get tickets well under face value to 90% of games (to include “big” SEC games) 2hrs prior to game time. I go , and have gone,to EVERY Alabama home game since 2014. I’m there from 6 am til about 4 hrs after the game is over and see scalpers all day long. With the exception of a handful of games (All LSU games, 2014 IB, and 2015 Ole Miss) I’ve seen handfulls of tickets go down under $50 everytime despite it being Auburn, Tennessee, or an SEC opponent.

Point is folks just aren’t coming to games regardless of the opponent. Making a schedule more “exciting” isn’t going to bring all of the fans from the 90’s to the first 5 years of the Saban era back.

81usaf92 said:

Total straw man argument? I question how many games you’ve been to in the last 4 years, let alone how many scalpers you’ve actually talked to because it’s a well known fact that you’ll get tickets well under face value to 90% of games (to include “big” SEC games) 2hrs prior to game time. I go , and have gone,to EVERY Alabama home game since 2014. I’m there from 6 am til about 4 hrs after the game is over and see scalpers all day long. With the exception of a handful of games (All LSU games, 2014 IB, and 2015 Ole Miss) I’ve seen handfulls of tickets go down under $50 everytime despite it being Auburn, Tennessee, or an SEC opponent.

Point is folks just aren’t coming to games regardless of the opponent. Making a schedule more “exciting” isn’t going to bring all of the fans from the 90’s to the first 5 years of the Saban era back.

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As a UA employee, I used to get faculty/staff season tickets every year. The least year I got them, 2016, I tried to GIVE my tickets to a scalper because I was working, and he wouldn't take them because he said he couldn't sell them. And that was the Mississippi State game.

rolltide_21 said:

I very rarely agree with Clay Travis on anything, but one thing he’s gotten right is this- these large stadiums were built for a bygone era. With all of the TV options & other factors, I think you’ll see more & more of this.

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The NFL figured this out decades ago - you need a stadium large enough to allow for a healthy secondary ticket market, but small enough to keep demand for tickets high at all times, even when a team has a poor season. TV is the rain maker, but the fans want to be able to watch a game at home once each season. But very few football fans actually want to attend every game.

It is possible to get fans into the stadium. Look at MLB. They still attract healthy crowds where teams have a solid fan base, and they have 10 times as many home games each season as college or NFL teams. But sellouts are just not as common anymore - in any sport.

B1GTide said:

The NFL figured this out decades ago - you need a stadium large enough to allow for a healthy secondary ticket market, but small enough to keep demand for tickets high at all times, even when a team has a poor season. TV is the rain maker, but the fans want to be able to watch a game at home once each season. But very few football fans actually want to attend every game.

It is possible to get fans into the stadium. Look at MLB. They still attract healthy crowds where teams have a solid fan base, and they have 10 times as many home games each season as college or NFL teams. But sellouts are just not as common anymore - in any sport.

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MLB also has an entire different fan base as well, and an entire different season ticket holder situation. Most of your casual MLB fans don’t go for Wins and Losses, but go for the feel of the game, the promotion that night, or just something to do. Promotion nights (especially concerts, thirsty Thursdays, and bobble head nights) drive huge crowds. You also have those 50/50 raffles every night in which a fan can walk away with anywhere from 6k to 25k depending on the pot. MLB games are also typically at decent times of the day where you can go and not worry that much about work the next morning and are not burning up unless you go on a Sunday or that rare week day game.

Also there are far different options to be a season ticket holder, and many incentives to be one as well. For example, if you wanted to be an A-list member for the Atlanta Braves right now then you could get a partial season ticket package and choose to make it a personal package, a business package, or a premium package. With all of them you get free parking, discounted food, meet and greets with players and staff throughout the year, first options for post season and the 2021 All Star game, and discounted merchandise. If you only wanted to go to certain amount of games, we’ll say 8 out of 30, then you can donate those 22 tickets back to the Braves for upgraded seats with no extra cost. Also like I’ve hinted at, there really isn’t a wait list unless you get into very specific seating.

The MLB goes out of its way to make casual fans and season ticket holders extremely happy like no other sport with perks and overall experience. But also consider the number of games, types of people going, and type of game. The Atlanta Braves can take more financial risks for fan happiness than Alabama because you are talking about 80 plus games vs 8 games.

But I do think Alabama should do some things like the Braves do to make the fan experience better, like maybe have fan zones because your casual fan is only going to go and see the Bryant Museum only so many times. The Braves built an area behind the stadium with bars and shops called the Battery in which fans could mingle before, during, and after the game and get a 1st class experience. They have made bank because of it. I have came around to UAfan4life’s ( sorry if misspelled) idea of a concert or something after some of the cream puff games, but the problem with that is that you have no idea if that game is a 11 am, 3pm, or a 7pm game while the Braves know 95% of the game times in January already.

deliveryman35 said:

We T

You won’t. It’s a total straw man argument.

I’m basically joe six pack. I’m lower middle class in income. I used to go to Tuscaloosa a couple of times a year to see the games, and I am fortunate to know someone plugged into the athletic dept through a current employee whereby I could tailgate on Bryant Dr through this contact with all the free food and drink that I want. I stopped going to games two years ago cold turkey. One of the reasons? The schedule. I want to watch a game against a worthy ooc opponent, not against a directional school that will never really be competitive. I simply will not spend that kind of money in gas and other expenses to watch what we all know up front will be a blow out.

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To clarify - I was referring to seats to SEC games so cheaply.

LSU will never be that. I went to the 2015 game, and I met a scalper well up Bryant Drive (e.g. not even close to the stadium). I got the lowdown from him on it because I'd paid about $230 on Stub Hub per ticket to the game. He said that the LSU game was the highest one they had, and on Game Day tix were about $200. If you'll recall the 15 game - which was a top four showdown - it rained all day that day and was a pretty nasty walk.


The 2016 MSU game, I'm not really surprised. That was an 11 am kickoff against a 4-5 team. My first BDS game was the 2012 MSU game, where the Dawgs were undefeated - and despite the fact that MSU and UA are the geographically closest schools in the SEC, there were virtually NO Bulldog fans to be found anywhere. Yes, it was a cool, overcast day that turned cold plus a late kickoff, but you've got #13 vs #1 and both teams are undefeated.

At the 2016 MSU game, virtually the ENTIRE upper deck on the Alabama side (west side of the stadium) was completely empty. I mean NOBODY. It did get quite a few fans well into the first quarter, but it was pretty lame.

I went to the 2013 UK-MSU game at DWS. Including StubHub fees, I paid $9 per ticket.

selmaborntidefan said:

To clarify - I was referring to seats to SEC games so cheaply.

LSU will never be that. I went to the 2015 game, and I met a scalper well up Bryant Drive (e.g. not even close to the stadium). I got the lowdown from him on it because I'd paid about $230 on Stub Hub per ticket to the game. He said that the LSU game was the highest one they had, and on Game Day tix were about $200. If you'll recall the 15 game - which was a top four showdown - it rained all day that day and was a pretty nasty walk.


The 2016 MSU game, I'm not really surprised. That was an 11 am kickoff against a 4-5 team. My first BDS game was the 2012 MSU game, where the Dawgs were undefeated - and despite the fact that MSU and UA are the geographically closest schools in the SEC, there were virtually NO Bulldog fans to be found anywhere. Yes, it was a cool, overcast day that turned cold plus a late kickoff, but you've got #13 vs #1 and both teams are undefeated.

At the 2016 MSU game, virtually the ENTIRE upper deck on the Alabama side (west side of the stadium) was completely empty. I mean NOBODY. It did get quite a few fans well into the first quarter, but it was pretty lame.

I went to the 2013 UK-MSU game at DWS. Including StubHub fees, I paid $9 per ticket.

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Also consider the 2015 LSU game had an undefeated LSU, 2 Heisman contenders, and was a #2 vs #4 matchup. Scalpers were going to be high until the game started.


But take the 2016 Auburn game, I knew a guy who got his wife, his 2 kids, and himself tickets on the 30 yard line for 25 bucks a piece by waiting until 30 minutes until kickoff. Ive personally got me and a guy at our tent $10 tickets on the 40 to the 2012 Auburn game. This is the Iron Bowl that we are talking about.

81usaf92 said:

Also consider the 2015 LSU game had an undefeated LSU, 2 Heisman contenders, and was a #2 vs #4 matchup. Scalpers were going to be high until the game started.


But take the 2016 Auburn game, I knew a guy who got his wife, his 2 kids, and himself tickets on the 30 yard line for 25 bucks a piece by waiting until 30 minutes until kickoff. Ive personally got me and a guy at our tent $10 tickets on the 40 to the 2012 Auburn game. This is the Iron Bowl that we are talking about.

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I was at both of those.

We need to meet up next time I'm there because I'm getting gouged.

The 2016 stadium was packed (not a sellout but close).

2012? heh.......

selmaborntidefan said:

I was at both of those.

We need to meet up next time I'm there because I'm getting gouged.

The 2016 stadium was packed (not a sellout but close).

2012? heh.......

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Sounds like a plan, but also take into account those prices are determined by how good Auburn is or if Alabama fans are out for revenge. If Auburn fans believe they have a chance or Alabama fans are mad then prices are going to be way up. The 2014 game was a hard ticket because Auburn fans believed Gus's offense was unstoppable and Alabama fans wanted revenge for the Kick Six. It also was the first night Iron Bowl in a long time. But if Auburn comes in limping then its an easy ticket.

LSU is a different beast. I think much of it is due to the fact LSU fans travel well, and its a reason for every Alabama tailgate to have 10 pots of gumbo. The cheapest non zone ticket Ive ever seen from a scalper was about $150 (which is an awesome deal).

But my overall point in all of this is that if scalpers have boatloads of tickets and selling them under face value for Auburn and Tennessee games then its not exactly an elevated opponent issue. Its more of a "I rather watch football on my high def tv than pay ludicrous prices for hotdogs, wait in lines for bathroom and concessions, sit with donkeys I don't know, and have to deal with the weather and traffic" issue. Sure I think replacing a neutral site game vs a blueblood with a home and home vs one will probably gain you one more good attendance, but I highly doubt replacing NMSU with Baylor, TTU, or practically 90% of the P5 is going to fix or drastically improve attendance. In fact I think its going to do the opposite after there is a prolonged championship drought and when scalpers/ second hand dealers start really controlling the price of tickets.

deliveryman35 said:

We T

You won’t. It’s a total straw man argument.

I’m basically joe six pack. I’m lower middle class in income. I used to go to Tuscaloosa a couple of times a year to see the games, and I am fortunate to know someone plugged into the athletic dept through a current employee whereby I could tailgate on Bryant Dr through this contact with all the free food and drink that I want. I stopped going to games two years ago cold turkey. One of the reasons? The schedule. I want to watch a game against a worthy ooc opponent, not against a directional school that will never really be competitive. I simply will not spend that kind of money in gas and other expenses to watch what we all know up front will be a blow out.

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All due respect, but this is a weird argument. We've never had consistently strong OOC games at home - UCLA in 01, Oklahoma in 03, Penn State in 10. Beyond that - what? The schedule is no different now than it has been for thirty years! The problem, it seems, is that our SEC foes have been woefully inconsistent.

I have been a season ticket holder since 1998. I think this could be my last year. I use to love going to games but it all changed when they made the stadium bigger and changed the parking. I live two hours from the stadium but it takes about 5 to 6 to get home after a game.
T-town does not have the roads for 100,000 people. I also hate parking at the mall or two miles from the stadium. If it was up to me we would built a new stadium with nice seats holding about 65,000 to 70,000.

Home and home with Wisconsin is attractive. Badger fans have been known to drink a beer or two.


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I will go to Madison. Probably one of the best atmospheres ever.