[Cracked Sidewalks] Update: You are to blame

[mu03eng]

I would be interested to see some pictures of the crowd from one of these games.  I haven't been to a game since 91 and I do not think it was a bad problem back then.

Yeah because the Badgers hadn't yet discovered the sport of basketball in '91

[Strokin 3s]

Agreed, if you think I should leave my wife at home for that game (we have two season tiks) you are nuts.  She will wear her red, and every other game of the year at MU games she will wear MU colors, she wouldn't expect me to wear neutral colors in the Kohl hole so why should I expect it of her in the BC.

[Henry Sugar]

I mostly don't have any issues with Sir Larry bringing his partner to the game.  If he had 19 other partners that were all UW fans, that would be a different story.  Likewise, I mostly have no issue with people that bring their UW spouse.*

Neither of those scenarios explain the 6-7k people that were at the BC for that last game, or the huge grouping of seats for UW fans.  People that purchased group tickets for UW fans are the biggest offender. 


*except that people who maintain friendly relations with Badger fans are exercising highly suspect judgment.

[1990Warrior]

Yeah because the Badgers hadn't yet discovered the sport of basketball in '91

Got to love the Yoder Era.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Got to love the Yoder Era.

Or the eras that preceded that one for 40+ years

[MUfan12]

I would be interested to see some pictures of the crowd from one of these games.  I haven't been to a game since 91 and I do not think it was a bad problem back then.

The estimates in the blog post are inflated. The last time they were here there was at most 4k. No way was 1/3 of the crowd wearing red.

It only seemed like it because we laid a major egg and the place got quiet.

My guess is there will be a couple thousand this year. That'll happen in a game like this.

[chapman]

I asked this in the ticket thread, but who controls the suite ticketing?  Last time the suites were at least 75% red.  It was embarassing.

[mu03eng]

I mostly don't have any issues with Sir Larry bringing his partner to the game.  If he had 19 other partners that were all UW fans, that would be a different story.  Likewise, I mostly have no issue with people that bring their UW spouse.*

Neither of those scenarios explain the 6-7k people that were at the BC for that last game, or the huge grouping of seats for UW fans.  People that purchased group tickets for UW fans are the biggest offender. 


*except that people who maintain friendly relations with Badger fans are exercising highly suspect judgment.

Henry, lets just admit that of all the things UW@Probation does wrong they don't do a bad job of producing women that at least compete with if not surpass what Marquette women have to offer....mostly its a matter of numbers.

[Marquette84]

I asked this in the ticket thread, but who controls the suite ticketing?  Last time the suites were at least 75% red.  It was embarassing.

The company leasing the suite controls the tickets to their suite.  Suites aren't leased according to event, they're leased for all MU, Bucks and Admirals games. 

Think through the process of how a company will allocate it's tickets to the MU/UW game:
--If the company is owned or managed by an MU fan, he or she will offer the tickets to fellow MU fans (mostly).
--If the company is owned or managed by a UW fan, he or she will offer the tickets to fellow UW fans (mostly).
--If the company is owned or managed by anyone else (say an Iowa State fan), he doesn't really care wether MU or UW fans take the tickets, as long as the don't go to waste.  Since MU fans are more likely to already have tickets to the game (as season ticket holders), there is a greater likelihood that UW fans would jump at the chance to take the tickets.


Similary theory on the suites leased on a game by game basis.  Anyone who can afford a suite for one game can undoubtedly afford season tickets for all MU games, thus wouldn't need the suite.   

[ChicosBailBonds]

I asked this in the ticket thread, but who controls the suite ticketing?  Last time the suites were at least 75% red.  It was embarassing.

Whomever purchased the suite controls it.  Most suites are sold on multi year contracts or a single year contract which includes all events.  When suites aren't sold, sometimes they sell them per game or as party suites, but MU doesn't have any control either way.  MU receives it's cut of the revenue from the suites for MU games, but the selling of the suites is a Bradley Center / Milwaukee Bucks function.

[bilsu]

All we have to do is win the game. No body cares how many Badger fans are at the game if we win. This is like UWM complaining because we left the starters in.

[mu_hilltopper]

Two things .. first, forget decreasing Badger fans if you wish, focus on the idea that less Badgers = more Warriors able to watch their team.  That alone is reason enough.

Second, having Badger fans at the BC is kind of like going to a smoky bar.  You can have a good time, but when you leave, you need to wash your clothes from the stink.

[CoachRaymondsClass]

Henry Sugar is right on this, and the MU Ath Dept/"Marketing" is wrong. However, no one ever accused college sports athl depts as being bastions of places with high quality marketing sharps (think about MU run by a internal politics expert/lawyer and TC's former PR lackey - think Procter & Gamble would be hiring them to run a brand?)

Those who think it is OK to allow Badger fans easy access are wrong. We want a dominant home court advantage.

We should go to the 10 ticket package... can't the folks running ticketsales at MU recognize this? While we generally don't care anymore about TC's POV, I was part of a group discussion about this with him after the last game in Milw and he was not happy about the amount of "red" in the stands... he commented that they should go to the 10 package to further deter Badgers from accessing tickets - he was right.

Where the Athl Dept is right is about some of our own season ticket base being part of the problem. In fact, there are many Badger lovers who buy our season tickets and cheer for MU, except when we play the red demons... then they revert to the state love for the Rodents (even though they probably graduated from Oshkosh or Whereeverwater). Many long time holders sell their tickets at profit and watch on TV too. Too bad. But the Athl Dept has made a bad decision about including UW-extension Madison in the 5 pack. We've opened the door and hurt our dominant home court advantage, which is what college sports is about.

[RawdogDX]

Update: You are to blame

Written by: noreply@blogger.com (mu_hilltopper)

Ok, Tuesday I wrote that I thought MU made a bad decision on adding UW to the 5-pack slate because in the end, Badger fans will buy the package, profit from selling the other 4 games and essentially go to the biggest game of the year for free.

That got Marquette's attention, and I've swapped many emails with the Athletic Department about the issue. The MU/UW game never went on sale to groups, nor individually to the public.

While it is still true a number of Badger fans get their tickets through 5-Packs, MU believes most of the trouble is the Season Ticket Holders themselves.

See, in 2006 each Season Ticket Holder got to buy 10 extra tickets, all in the upper bowl. With where the red invaders were sitting, Marquette contends that the majority of the problem rests with the Season Ticket Holders selling their tickets to our hated rivals.

Additionally, about a fourth of the lower bowl was red, which means Season Ticket Holders are giving their own seats up.

I am dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Astonished. Horrified.

So I am writing to you, my fellow Season Ticket Holders. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?

I will accept this as your apology on behalf of the 5 game pack holders who you decided should get screwed out of a conference game based on guess work.

As for the 'problem,' we go to a school in a city where most of the population and money support a rival team.  There will be some at the game. Get over it.  If we want to have more fans there then we just have to keep winning and get Milwaukee behinds us.  They should be despirate for a winner this year after the annual 2nd half brewer collapse is fininshed up.

[mu_hilltopper]

Hmm.  I'm going with, that's not an apology.  I don't want the UW game in ANY 5-pack.  I'd be for the 10-pack idea, though, that would be a pretty large deterrent to a UW fan. 

I'd also be fore "alumni sales" of 5-packs with a UW game included.   

Come to think of it .. I think Alumni sales would be a great idea.  Let any alumni get 2 tickets, THEN let the STH's have the remainder.    I'll bet there wouldn't be any left for 5-packs, 10-packs, or public sales.

Sure, the ticket office would need access to a database of alumni, which just can't be too tough.  That data exists.

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

Hmm.  I'm going with, that's not an apology.  I don't want the UW game in ANY 5-pack.  I'd be for the 10-pack idea, though, that would be a pretty large deterrent to a UW fan. 

I'd also be fore "alumni sales" of 5-packs with a UW game included.   

Come to think of it .. I think Alumni sales would be a great idea.  Let any alumni get 2 tickets, THEN let the STH's have the remainder.    I'll bet there wouldn't be any left for 5-packs, 10-packs, or public sales.

Sure, the ticket office would need access to a database of alumni, which just can't be too tough.  That data exists.

This is absolutely the best idea I've read in this thread. This way, you can prevent the Badger fans from getting tickets, and still allowing most MU fans who want 5-packs including UW to get one.

To those who think it is somehow unethical to have mutual agreement with a UW friend to let them come to the BC in red if you could go to Kohl in gold, seriously get over yourself. It is just sports people! I can't believe are upset that a few MU alums married some UW alums.

Seriously, we just dislike their basketball team, we shouldn't hate their fans.

[MUfan12]

Seriously, we just dislike their basketball team, we shouldn't hate their fans.

Hey, it's not like I want to hate their fans, they give me enough reason to on their own! 

[mu_hilltopper]

Seriously, we just dislike their basketball team, we shouldn't hate their fans.

You sound just like my wife.  

Yes, I hate their fans, those classy fans I had to hear chanting "F-U, Marquette" as they taunted us as my family walked back to the car after losing in 2006.   Talk about your bad winners.    I think most of us hate their fans more than their team.

[RawdogDX]

I realize that you are too stuborn about this to apologize but it's ok i accept your apology.  And feel free to complain about some badger fans getting into the game.  And it doesn't bother me when you claim that your ideas would work and wouldn't be a pain in the ass (i'm not sure not letting non-alums in would qualify as an attempt to get the city behind mu)  although you have no supporting data and are just coming up with theories to solve a problem that I'm not sure exists.  
There will be badger fans there, always and forever.  If you force them to ask their co-worker who went to MU to buy them he's not going to say 'only if you wear gold' and mean it.   It's hard to sell out an nba arena to no one but fans who are fannatical enough to start up, or even visit, a web site.

But none of your ideas bother me as long as you don't start some sort of email campain to f'up the five game packages which are currently loaded and awesome.  That does nothing but bother fans who take advantage of that program.

[mu03eng]

There are "classy" fans like that on both sides of the rivalry....its just there are a lot more badger fans in general so probability dictates you are much more likely to run into them and in greater numbers   I have plenty of family that love the badgers that are still ok people, just bad at picking teams.

In the end there is always going to be a ton of badger fans that want to get into the games.  We should worry about putting a good product on the floor and MU people stepping up and buying tickets to "solve" this problem.  If MU fans bought the tickets before Badger fans this wouldn't be a problem.

[mu_hilltopper]

I realize that you are too stuborn about this to apologize but it's ok i accept your apology.  ..  And it doesn't bother me when you claim that your ideas would work and wouldn't be a pain in the ass (i'm not sure not letting non-alums in would qualify as an attempt to get the city behind mu)  although you have no supporting data and are just coming up with theories to solve a problem that I'm not sure exists.  

No, do not accept that as any sort of apology, with your attitude, none is given.

I agree that I'm being "stuborn" (sic) about thinking about ways to keep our home court advantage.  Aren't we all on the same page here?  If we could find a decent way to do this, wouldn't you want to see if it could work?   We're hosting the game of the year, wouldn't you rather entertain more MU fans, than fewer?  Wouldn't you want the home-court advantage to be higher, not lower?  MU routinely sells out other big games, it's pretty easy to jump to the conclusion there are easily 19K MU fans who want to see the UW game.

"..solve a problem that I'm not sure exists"?  huh?  Have you been to a MU/UW game at the BC, like in 2006?  Maybe you're color blind and deaf, and if so, accept my apology on that, but I saw and heard 25-35% of the fans wearing red, cheering against the home-court team.  THAT'S A PROBLEM, especially when there are PLENTY of MU fans who want those tickets.

I wasn't kidding when I said UW fans at the game contributed to our crushing loss in 2006.  Any team plays differently in front of 19,000 fans, than it does in front of 13,000 fans and 6,000 enemies.  It isn't just for my benefit that we reduce the number of UW fans smelling up the place. 

And I never said "not let non-alums into the game".  I suggested we sell tickets to Alums FIRST.  You got a problem with prioritizing Alumni for a Marquette event?    

Finally .. your comment that you don't care about any of these solutions, just don't touch your 5-pack, reveals your motivation.  As long as you get to see the game...

[Avenue Commons]

I would never marry a Badger fan in the first place.

That's lame. My wife is a Cubs fan, and if I can marry a Cub fan, then anything can happen.

[spiral97]

That's lame. My wife is a Cubs fan, and if I can marry a Cub fan, then anything can happen.

I dunno.. badger fans are a different breed.. married one myself.. stuck with it for almost 5 years.. finally had to end the misery   ended up marrying a white sox fan.. converted her to be a cubs fan.. life is good now 

[Marquette84]

"..solve a problem that I'm not sure exists"?  huh?  Have you been to a MU/UW game at the BC, like in 2006?  Maybe you're color blind and deaf, and if so, accept my apology on that, but I saw and heard 25-35% of the fans wearing red, cheering against the home-court team.  THAT'S A PROBLEM, especially when there are PLENTY of MU fans who want those tickets.

The question is why do UW fans value those tickets more than MU fans?

Let's look at one aspect--your theory that UW fans could buy 5 packs, sell the other four games and see UW for free.  If there are "PLENTY of MU fans" who supposedly also want those tickets, why aren't they ALSO buying the same five packs, selling the other four games, and seeing UW for free?  It's a pretty strong criticism of MU to say that their own fans can't figure out what you suggest any garden variety UW fan is going to be doing in droves.

This is a pretty simple rational economics situation:  UW fans are willing to pay more for a basketball game than MU fans.  There isn't a ticket sales plan you can come up with that is going to change that simple fact. 

Let's look at the underlying facts: 
1.  MU fans have 20 chances to see their team in Milwaukee, UW fans have just one. 
2.  Because the BC is rarely sold out (nearly 2x as many seats as students), MU fans know they'll have additional chances to see their team against an equal or better opponent.  Because the Kohl is usually sold out (1/2 as many seats as students)  UW fans know that they seldom have a chance to see an opponent equal to MU.
3.  MU fans can always look forward to some strong Big East competition.  UW fans know that if they don't see a Big East opponent, the best they'll get is some Big 10 team (like Indiana).
4.  There are more UW fans than MU fans chasing a fixed number of tickets.  Even if all parties are willing to pay the same price, odds are a UW fan is going to get a large share because there are more of them.   
5.  MU fans are are savvy enough to take an inflated sum from some irrational UW sap willing to pay it.  I see nothing wrong with profiting from the hide of UW fans. 

Sorry, but we're simply not going to stop UW fans from attending the game against MU in the Bradley Center. 

[mu_hilltopper]

As I said before, after I exchanged emails with the Athletic Dept on the subject, it's obvious that the 5-packs are a smaller part of the problem than I had originally thought.    But it's still, at least part.