No single game tickets means not ever!!

**DaddyMac** · 01-15-2007, 10:23 PM

Umm, yes exactly why he should be fired. I'm not sure of the language in his contract or any type of goals he might have set as part of his performance. But preventing fans from attending a game and leaving upwards and excess of a million dollars of revenue on the table doesn't sit well in my book

Not sure what you mean by your second line? That he wouldn't be fired or he wouldn't let the seats remain empty?

**Cyclone_MI** · 01-15-2007, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by BryceC

That challenge has been there for a long time though acody, and we haven't responded. We've never sold out for season tickets before, in fact we're 25,000 short of capacity. We aren't going to sell that many.

Listen, I understand the reasoning behind this, I really do. The program needs cash, bottom line. I just think this is a low brow, classless way to do things. What if I'm a donor that lives in Ohio and it's hard to get to games and now there is NO WAY to get a single game ticket to the Iowa game unless I get it from a scalper. Where's the incentive? Might as well pocket that cash because you're going to have to spend the extra anyway.

I just think there are a lot better ways to raise the money. He's already gouging us for a 33% hike in ticket prices, now he's jobbing a lot of people that want to see the game? Frankly, I think it's low class, and a slap in the face to a lot of people. It says to me that unless you're a season ticket holder you don't matter.

The only other thing that I could think of Pollard doing that was not classy was the billboard, and I totally understand why he did it and it was a success in my mind.

I view this as the single worst PR move in his time here, it pisses me off no end. There is a lot more that goes into football than just the ticket prices, it is expensive to get to Ames (especially if it a long drive) among a billion other things. I didn't mind the billboard thing because it got a lot Iowa fans going, and I thought that was funny.

But I've always thought that one of the goals would be not to screw over and **** off your own fans, but that is apparently right out the window with this move.

Bryce, I couldn't agree more with you. If this is indeed true, this is the worst move Pollard made and it will definitely leave a lot of Cyclone fans extremely upset.
Consider my case, for instance. Spent 4 years at ISU, I am from Europe (soccer is the main sport there), but really bought into the Cyclone spirit and had season tickets for football and basketball the 4 years I spent in Ames. Now I'm in Michigan and obviously won't be buying season tickets simply because it is impossible for me to go to every game. But if I plan to drive 700 miles to Ames to support ISU, at this point I either have no tickets and go to Welch Avenue or have to spend a lot of money just to go to a single game.
Pollard has to keep in mind that we donate to ISU just like anybody else and just because we don't live in Iowa, it doesn't make us lesser Cyclone fans.
I sure hope this is not true.
BTW, what was the deal with the billboard thing you describe??

**HGPuck** · 01-15-2007, 10:29 PM

Heres the way I see it breaking down. There is a real push now until the end of Feb. deadline to get as many season ticket holders as possible. These people are rewarded with getting the seating priority in addition to the other incentives. After the dust settles on this wave, they will look at the remaining seats and will lower the price on some of them and may offer a package situation as well. These seats will be very tempting for ISU fans and Iowa fans alike and will result in probably close to a full house for the Iowa game and better sales for all other home games. They are doing whatever it takes to maximize ticket revenue and this does not always mean sellouts. I am also of the opinion like many others that Pollard will not go back on his word, as mentioned above there have been several times where we didn't think he could be serious and he was correct in what he said.

**cycloneworld** · 01-15-2007, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by DaddyMac

Umm, yes exactly why he should be fired. I'm not sure of the language in his contract or any type of goals he might have set as part of his performance. But preventing fans from attending a game and leaving upwards and excess of a million dollars of revenue on the table doesn't sit well in my book

Not sure what you mean by your second line? That he wouldn't be fired or he wouldn't let the seats remain empty?

I hope you aren't serious...but I have a feeling you are.

JP should have fired because he is trying to increase season ticket sales??? Care to explain that one to me?

**DaddyMac** · 01-15-2007, 10:35 PM

We filled 18,000 of them which would wipe out any opportunity to increase season tickets if we did that this year.

In any scenario, why would you fill out single game ticket requests before you fullfilled season ticket orders? That's just bad business. Then again, look who was at the helm two years ago....

If you have 55K single ticket requests, why would you fill one of them before you let past a season ticket deadline. Hell, wait til kickoff of game 1 before you fill the singles requests - I don't care.

But the idea of intentionally leaving any sizeable number of seats empty is beyond ludicrous. And only adds to the beef about raising tickets and parking and other costs. You want current ticket holder to foot a 33% increase, yet leave a million dollar payday unrealized?

And by your numbers I'm guessing Iowa's alotment is 5K (55K - 18K - 5K- 5K = 27K, that sounds about right for two years ago doesn't it?)

**ISUFan22** · 01-15-2007, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by DaddyMac

Not sure what you mean by your second line? That he wouldn't be fired or he wouldn't let the seats remain empty?

My second line was referring to empty seats. I just don't see it happening.

**ISUFan22** · 01-15-2007, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by DaddyMac

In any scenario, why would you fill out single game ticket requests before you fullfilled season ticket orders? That's just bad business. Then again, look who was at the helm two years ago....

And that's the point I've been making...we're not allowed to buy any single game tickets until they have a better idea on season ticket sales.

Yet again, Pollard is making waves and getting media attention for ISU. A marketing maven, this man.

Will be interesting to see how this all plays out. G'night all...

**DaddyMac** · 01-15-2007, 10:42 PM

He can try all he wants. I'm all for that. But once it doesn't work - and it won't to any large degree IMO - to just leave money on the table - I can't justify that at all and I don't believe anybody else can.

Worse yet - this has become the VERY DEFINITION of money grab, strong arming, whatever you care to call it. It used to be about "the kids", then "the fans", now it's quickly becoming "how much money you have in your wallet and we'll conside letting you in?"

Damn straight I'm serious. And FWIW, this is the first thing I've criticized JP at all on.

**DaddyMac** · 01-15-2007, 10:45 PM

Ok, thanks for clarifying.

I agree, they won't stay empty. He's trying something. I don't really care for the "how" of it, but it's hard to really flip about it. But at the end of the day, those seats need to be sold.

I'll even back off a little and say that if there are in excess of 5K-10K left (very likely I think) and he releases them in a package and stands fast on that, I can live with that proposition. It's still a little strong armed, but not to quite the same extent.

**Bobber** · 01-15-2007, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by DaddyMac

Umm, yes exactly why he should be fired. I'm not sure of the language in his contract or any type of goals he might have set as part of his performance. But preventing fans from attending a game and leaving upwards and excess of a million dollars of revenue on the table doesn't sit well in my book

Not sure what you mean by your second line? That he wouldn't be fired or he wouldn't let the seats remain empty?

My goodness. JP isn't preventing anybody from attending anything. You can attend; you just have to pay.

JP is doing what all good athletic administrators do and that's bring revenue to the department. One poster projected that we'd only need to sell 22,000 season tickets at the new prices to equal what 30,000 did last year. I suspect the same numbers would work for the Iowa game. He can leave seats open(while not a popular option.) and probably still make more money.

I like JP, and I think he's got great vision. I doubt he's going to change much to appease the few disgruntled fans who don't understand how these changes help the athletic deparment flourish. However I can see him making this a two or three game package deal and still fulfill the spirit of what he said today.

Gusto · 01-15-2007, 10:58 PM

Would be intersting if Iowa retaliates. What is the typical visiting school alotmetn? Also, this will drive up the scalpers tickets. But, I believe JP idea is a good one. Tickets will be sold.

Nebraska will be included I assume.

**DaddyMac** · 01-15-2007, 11:02 PM

I think you might be misunderstanding me. We're pretty much all in agreement that a package deal would ultimately be acceptable and most likely what will happen. I don't think anybody expects 2007 to sell 45K season tickets.

My retort was that if he follows through with the season ticket only proposal and allows 20K+ seats to go unsold, that's unaccepable.

JP is doing what all good athletic administrators do and that's bring revenue to the department.

That's 100% right, and part of that isn't leaving a million dollars out there.

I'll also add that although it might not put ISU in the red compared last year's numbers, running off 8K season ticket holders ISN'T in the best interest of ISU athletics. So that's really kind of a absent point.

**Bobber** · 01-15-2007, 11:21 PM

Sorry if I did.

I doubt he'll run that many season ticket holders off. My guess is 90% of them will take this in stride and be back.

All he said today was that they wouldn't sell single ticket games right? He never said they wouldn't sell two game tickets?

I think you should all sit back, relax and see what happens and trust Jaimie Pollard.

**JHutch** · 01-15-2007, 11:36 PM

i think jamie is playing a wait and see attitude here...i think he is waiting to see if cyclone nation takes his sublimibnal challenge to buy out the stadium with season tickets...will it happen...probably not....thus releasing tickets to boosters a week or so before the game...just my thought

**CLONE2THEBONE** · 01-15-2007, 11:56 PM

"The rest will either be sold as a season ticket or will go empty."

Wouldn't you consider a season ticket as every game and not a package. If he sticks to this and sells it only as a full season, this will be quite embarassing as we'll have buttloads of empty seats for even our big games.

He also says, "We recognize that we could have empty seats. That is simply a risk worth taking." Doesn't sound like a bluff to me or something that he's going to back off of when this fails.

I have to agree with Bryce on this one. This idea stinks.

What about having the product sell itself? Why not give that a try first?