I didn't realize it was largely our fault the UW-M game didn't sell out

[PE8983]

MU season ticket holders pay for 19 games or so.  Now, they should feel obligated to pay (at one point for a 4 game ticket package) for essentially a buy game on an opponents home floor?  And when they don't get it, you should bail out UWM for their poor fan support at the last minute.  Not to mention the fact that MU's students are on Thanksgiving break.

[brewcity77]

I don't think anyone can say half the crowd was MU.

The announcers may have said that, I don't know because I was at the game, but I'd agree that it wasn't 50% Marquette. Maybe 30-35% Marquette, but for them to sell out, they needed it to be 50-60% Marquette, simply based on the number of fans that will regularly attend games for the two schools. Milwaukee draws an average of 2,883. Figure for a big game, you won't double the home crowd, but maybe an extra 75%, bringing UW-M fans to about 5,000. The Cell seats 10,783, so you still need another 5,700 Marquette fans to pack the place.

If UW-M wanted to sell those tickets, they needed to find a way to draw that many MU fans in. They probably brought in around 2,000. So what could they have done? I'm not sure. Certainly opening single-game seats sooner would have helped. Maybe try cooperating with Marquette's Athletic Department. See if they would allow UW-M to send out a mailer to season ticket holders with a discount code, or a mass email to students, again with a special code. Give Marquette 10% of the profits UW-M made off those tickets (based on the code) and you might have an incentive that would lead to them agreeing to help you sell out the building.

And of course, when they aren't selling, drop the 4-game packages. If you really want a package, sell a 2-game pack for either Butler or Northern Iowa. Hell, offer that for $25 and I bet they would have sold more of those packages than the 4 games for $40.

There were a number of things UW-M could have done, but it would have required two things. First, cooperating with Marquette's Athletic Department, and second accepting that to fill the gym, Marquette fans would have to outnumber UW-M fans. It seems either they weren't willing to do either, or any attempts they did make fell short.

If Marquette agrees to extending the series, UW-M officials will have to have a long, hard think about how they market this game in the future, and weigh whether they'd rather have a stronger UW-M fan presence, or give that up to sell seats.

[GGGG]

Part of the problem is without an athletic director, they had no real person to act as a leader on this issue.  Had Koonce worked out, there very well could have been some coordination with MU given his connections.  Look, they thought they had a great idea that would fill the building and generate some income....but it just didn't work out.  They realized it too late to do anything substantive and probably wanted to save some face by not dealing directly with MU anyway.

[Brewtown Andy]

If Marquette agrees to extending the series, UW-M officials will have to have a long, hard think about how they market this game in the future, and weigh whether they'd rather have a stronger UW-M fan presence, or give that up to sell seats.

It depends on how much it costs UWM to operate the Arena for a game.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The announcers may have said that, I don't know because I was at the game, but I'd agree that it wasn't 50% Marquette. Maybe 30-35% Marquette, but for them to sell out, they needed it to be 50-60% Marquette, simply based on the number of fans that will regularly attend games for the two schools. Milwaukee draws an average of 2,883. Figure for a big game, you won't double the home crowd, but maybe an extra 75%, bringing UW-M fans to about 5,000. The Cell seats 10,783, so you still need another 5,700 Marquette fans to pack the place.

If UW-M wanted to sell those tickets, they needed to find a way to draw that many MU fans in. They probably brought in around 2,000. So what could they have done? I'm not sure. Certainly opening single-game seats sooner would have helped. Maybe try cooperating with Marquette's Athletic Department. See if they would allow UW-M to send out a mailer to season ticket holders with a discount code, or a mass email to students, again with a special code. Give Marquette 10% of the profits UW-M made off those tickets (based on the code) and you might have an incentive that would lead to them agreeing to help you sell out the building.

And of course, when they aren't selling, drop the 4-game packages. If you really want a package, sell a 2-game pack for either Butler or Northern Iowa. Hell, offer that for $25 and I bet they would have sold more of those packages than the 4 games for $40.

There were a number of things UW-M could have done, but it would have required two things. First, cooperating with Marquette's Athletic Department, and second accepting that to fill the gym, Marquette fans would have to outnumber UW-M fans. It seems either they weren't willing to do either, or any attempts they did make fell short.

If Marquette agrees to extending the series, UW-M officials will have to have a long, hard think about how they market this game in the future, and weigh whether they'd rather have a stronger UW-M fan presence, or give that up to sell seats.

Perfectly stated.

And I know we are all playing a little Monday morning QB here... but this stuff isn't rocket science. The athletic department and ticket office get paid to know this stuff.

Playing the game on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend probably cost them almost 2000 tickets right there (MU students and alumni who were out of town). How many student season ticket holders does MU have?

Not sure how much power UWM had in picking the date, but it was either A. terrible (cost them revenue) or B. Brilliant (kept an additional 2K MU fans out of the building).

[ChicosBailBonds]

Are you saying "your" as toward myself or UWM?

UWM and you....it was their broadcast, they supplied the announcers

I understand you are a MU fan, as well, but you seem to be here representing UW-M's interests in this particular thread.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Is it's MU responsibility? No, but where are the MU fans to just support Marquette.

They're NOT INTERESTED in the game.

If MU went and played at Cardinal Stritch, or St. Norberts, or UW Osh Kosh, or whatever (Chicago State) would they pack the rafters?  No.  It's a bye game, any way you look at it.  There's very little interest in going where you're putting money into another school's coffers and having to deal with another school's rabid obsessive fans, etc.  Just isn't there.

MU fans already don't want to pay for tickets to Longwood, Coppin State, Prairie View, etc, but at least in those games the money spent is going to the MARQUETTE athletic department to help MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY.    UW-madison fans don't like paying for cupcakes either, but that's the deal.

The attendance at this game was a monumental bust and should be tattooed to Michael Hunt, Dale Hoffman and Garry Howard's head!!

[Jay Bee]

I understand you are a MU fan, as well, but you seem to be here representing UW-M's interests in this particular thread.

I like this quote coming from Chicos!

[Ari Gold]

Is it's MU responsibility? No, but where are the MU fans to just support Marquette.

A) Bars with other friends/fans
B) Home/traveling for thanksgiving
C) In Chicago area (see A or b) unwilling to make the drive for a noncon game against an unraked oppo

[Mr. Nielsen]

UWM and you....it was their broadcast, they supplied the announcers

I understand you are a MU fan, as well, but you seem to be here representing UW-M's interests in this particular thread.

I"m a season-ticket holder for Marquette, who goes to every home.

No, I'm not representing UWM. I'm taking pros and cons on both sides of the it.

[Mr. Nielsen]

I like this quote coming from Chicos!

[dgies9156]

MU came away with nothing positive from the game. Embarrassed at the final score in a win. Whined at because our fans didn't show. This is just a stupid series for MU to play.

Totally agree. The Division 1 pre-conference season of Bucknell, South Dakota, Green Bay, UWM and the Little Sisters of the Poor up on the east side does no one at MU any good. D1 powers should play D1 powers, like we did in Kansas City. Like we have in Orlando, Alaska and Hawaii as well.

The real test of our team is when we play Duke, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. You want a sell-out, have Marquette play these teams instead of a group of never-were's. Or have us play Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern or Illinois, like we once did from time to time.

[🏀]

Totally agree. The Division 1 pre-conference season of Bucknell, South Dakota, Green Bay, UWM and the Little Sisters of the Poor up on the east side does no one at MU any good. D1 powers should play D1 powers, like we did in Kansas City. Like we have in Orlando, Alaska and Hawaii as well.

The real test of our team is when we play Duke, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. You want a sell-out, have Marquette play these teams instead of a group of never-were's. Or have us play Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern or Illinois, like we once did from time to time.

Except that is impossible.

[brewcity77]

On the plus side, this little dispute over why the game didn't sell out seems to have taken the attention away from the margin of victory that had everyone's panties in a bunch over the past weekend 

[Brewtown Andy]

On the plus side, this little dispute over why the game didn't sell out seems to have taken the attention away from the margin of victory that had everyone's panties in a bunch over the past weekend 

Florida losing at Central Florida tonight takes some of the sting out of it, too.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Florida losing at Central Florida tonight takes some of the sting out of it, too.

I don't know if you saw the UF-UCF game, it was in Orlando at the Magic's new arena. Many Gator fan there. Fun game to watch.

[Brewtown Andy]

I don't know if you saw the UF-UCF game, it was in Orlando at the Magic's new arena. Many Gator fan there. Fun game to watch.

I did not, I just saw UCF listed as the home team.

[jaybilaswho?]

the Magic's new arena.

Please call it by its correct name: The House that Dwight Built.