Reseating...

[Dr. Blackheart]

A few things of note for upcoming reseating...

• Any price increase will be confined to the lower bowl.
• With the Fan Advisory Committee input, a loyalty card program has been added, the "We Are Marquette Club". Most of the advantages were already available to STHs, but some nice new benies: One free ticket for each season ticket to an OOC game (excluding UW), attendance to a private practice, a raffle for dinner with Wojo. Also included is a Spirit Shop discount for entire season, BBQ half price, other sponsor discounts and giveaways, and a "special" gift for those with a ticket scanned for EVERY game.
• If MU adds a quality team at the BC, the free ticket offer is a nice reward.
• Reseating runs June 1-7.
• The Coors Light Corner remains for alums of the past five years.
• All STHs will get a 20%-50% discount on single ticket purchases, including UW.

Edited to remove the Gavitt Games reference.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Lower bowl seat increases...

• Floor money seats: +$100
• The three continuous sections of corners: +$30
• All other court facing seats (majority), despite the section: +$50
• No seat donation increases.

[Nukem2]

A few things of note for upcoming reseating...

• Any price increase will be confined to the lower bowl.
• With the Fan Advisory Committee input, a loyalty card program has been added, the "We Are Marquette Club". Most of the advantages were already available to STHs, but some nice new benies: One free ticket for each season ticket to an OOC game (excluding UW), attendance to a private practice, a raffle for dinner with Wojo. Also included is a Spirit Shop discount for entire season, BBQ half price, other sponsor discounts and giveaways, and a "special" gift for those with a ticket scanned for EVERY game.
• MU will host a Gavitt game at the BC which makes the free ticket offer above a nice reward.
• Reseating runs June 1-7.
• The Coors Light Corner remains for alums of the past five years.
• All STHs will get a 20%-50% discount on single ticket purchases, including UW.

That Gavitt Games game is for the 2017-18 season per the reseating package not the 16-17 season .  That's the final season in the BC.

[Dr. Blackheart]

That Gavitt Games game is for the 2017-18 season per the reseating package not the 16-17 season .  That's the final season in the BC.

Good catch...my bad.  Still if we have a decent home and home series, with next season being MU's home, the complimentary ticket deal is nice.

[GooooMarquette]

Good catch...my bad.  Still if we have a decent home and home series, with next season being MU's home, the complimentary ticket deal is nice.

Agree.  Small perk, but a nice one.

[bradley center bat]

As a STH depends where you sit, it's a 20% to 50% savings, compared to single ticket pricing.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

This reseating-every-year crap is getting old.  I feel like I just went thru this process.

[GooooMarquette]

This reseating-every-year crap is getting old.  I feel like I just went thru this process.

Because you did.

Agree, though.  Getting to be a pain doing it every year.

[bradley center bat]

It does suck, but it takes what 10 minutes on your computer.

[GooooMarquette]

It does suck, but it takes what 10 minutes on your computer.

For me, it isn't as much the time as the prospect of different seats year after year.  I had been sitting among the same group of fans for several years and really enjoyed our chatter before the games and during halftime.  The constant resisting has spread people out over the past couple of seasons.

Not a life-changing issue, but a pain.

[brewcity77]

This reseating-every-year crap is getting old.  I feel like I just went thru this process.

Unfortunately there's no other option. State law made this mandatory.

[Nukem2]

Unfortunately there's no other option. State law made this mandatory.

But if its just for the tax deductibility of donations in WI, that's just a pain in the arse for the relative $$ benefit on a state tax return.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

One problem yearly reseating creates is it allows season ticket holders to get cheaper seats during year's when they know the team won't do well.

For the past decade, we've had "nice" upper bowl seats on purpose (even though we have the points for the lower bowl).  What's to stop all of Section 200 from moving to Section 400 for next season only?  Once MU gets back on their feet, you can always just move back to the nice seats.

[Marquette_g]

But if its just for the tax deductibility of donations in WI, that's just a pain in the arse for the relative $$ benefit on a state tax return.

Yes, this is the issue.  For the nominal tax savings I'd rather just give up that benefit and keep the same seats. 

[GGGG]

If I understand it correctly, MU doesn't have a choice.  You can't just give up the deduction unless MU decides to get rid of all of them.  (And the Congress might take care of that anyway.)

[brewcity77]

But if its just for the tax deductibility of donations in WI, that's just a pain in the arse for the relative $$ benefit on a state tax return.

You're looking at it from the wrong side. Yes, it's an inconvenience for us as individual fans. But for Marquette to continue attaching tax free donations to this, they have to reseat every year. It might only be a few hundred for you, but I have to think the donations Marquette takes in are well north of $1M tax free.

For Marquette to allow you to pick the same seats yearly and not take a major financial hit they'd have to increase ticket prices significantly. The current system, despite the inconvenience, keeps ticket prices low while maximizing what the university can get back in return.

[Nukem2]

You're looking at it from the wrong side. Yes, it's an inconvenience for us as individual fans. But for Marquette to continue attaching tax free donations to this, they have to reseat every year. It might only be a few hundred for you, but I have to think the donations Marquette takes in are well north of $1M tax free.

For Marquette to allow you to pick the same seats yearly and not take a major financial hit they'd have to increase ticket prices significantly. The current system, despite the inconvenience, keeps ticket prices low while maximizing what the university can get back in return.

I don't know that donations are going to suffer because STH's are going to lose a few bucks, on a basis relative to the individual donor, in state tax benefits.  People are going to come because they want to come.

[GooooMarquette]

I don't know that donations are going to suffer because STH's are going to lose a few bucks, on a basis relative to the individual donor, in state tax benefits.  People are going to come because they want to come.

+1

The deductibility (or not) has never been a factor for me.

[brewcity77]

I don't know that donations are going to suffer because STH's are going to lose a few bucks, on a basis relative to the individual donor, in state tax benefits.  People are going to come because they want to come.

The included STH donations net the B&G fund over $1M annually. To collect that, reseating annually is also necessary. Will all those STHs, many of whom make their only yearly donation when they pay for their tickets, suddenly start donating the $100-3000 they usually spend on the minimum donation for their seats?

Call me a skeptic, but the B&G won't be collecting that money unless they roll the donation into tickets, and the amount they'd have to charge to offset that loss would be especially galling to those fans that only contribute that minimum donation, driving STH numbers down even further.

There is no positive whatsoever for Marquette to getting rid of the minimum donation and the yearly reseating that by law comes with it.

If ticket prices go up by 50%, the attendance will drop like a rock. That's what it would take at minimum to do away with the current system.

[rocky_warrior]

If ticket prices go up by 50%, the attendance will drop like a rock. That's what it would take at minimum to do away with the current system.

You're thinking about this incorrectly  The bill to the purchaser stays the same, but a few hundred $$ are no longer tax deductible.  The university gets the same amount of $$ either way. 

[Hubert Davis]

The process is simply a joke and has deterred many fans and longtime season ticket holders that I know from keeping their tickets.

Just win baby.

[GGGG]

You're thinking about this incorrectly  The bill to the purchaser stays the same, but a few hundred $$ are no longer tax deductible.  The university gets the same amount of $$ either way. 

Yeah but economics will tell you that the loss of tax deductibility means the actual cost rises.  When cost rises, demand falls.  So it wouldn't necessarily be revenue neutral for the University. 

[brewcity77]

You're thinking about this incorrectly  The bill to the purchaser stays the same, but a few hundred $$ are no longer tax deductible.  The university gets the same amount of $$ either way.

Then Marquette is as well. It was made pretty clear ticket prices would go up significantly when I talked to Marquette Athletics about this after the initial change. Also, a couple hundred for someone like me in the cheaper ($120/per) seats might mean less, but the higher ticket seats ($7800/per) would be a more significant write off, and that's for the higher value donors.

EDIT: The reason it wouldn't be revenue neutral for the university is that when it's a donation, they can accept it tax free. If it were converted to part of the standard fee, that money would be considered income and thus subject to taxes. If the bill to the purchaser stayed the same, we'd lose the write-off and they'd retain less of the money because it would be taxed.

[Nukem2]

Then Marquette is as well. It was made pretty clear ticket prices would go up significantly when I talked to Marquette Athletics about this after the initial change. Also, a couple hundred for someone like me in the cheaper ($120/per) seats might mean less, but the higher ticket seats ($7800/per) would be a more significant write off, and that's for the higher value donors.

Wrong.  MU would still ask for the donation and the bill would be the same as Rocky points out.  Just would not be deductible for state tax purposes for STH's, though still deductible for Federal tax return.

[warriorchick]

Then Marquette is as well. It was made pretty clear ticket prices would go up significantly when I talked to Marquette Athletics about this after the initial change. Also, a couple hundred for someone like me in the cheaper ($120/per) seats might mean less, but the higher ticket seats ($7800/per) would be a more significant write off, and that's for the higher value donors.

EDIT: The reason it wouldn't be revenue neutral for the university is that when it's a donation, they can accept it tax free. If it were converted to part of the standard fee, that money would be considered income and thus subject to taxes. If the bill to the purchaser stayed the same, we'd lose the write-off and they'd retain less of the money because it would be taxed.

I am also wondering if the BC gets a percentage of the ticket revenue.  If that is the case, it is possible that the "donation" does not count as ticket revenue, and therefore, if they rolled it into the ticket price, the BC would get a piece of that as well.