Greg: Season Tickets Top 27,000

[USFishin]

I was told about a month ago that season tickets in the upper deck would NOT be available this year.  They are planning on opening it up for tix for the 2009 season.  Whether they end up changing their mind on that or not who knows, but the plan is to NOT open it up.

[Guest]

USF has officially said there are less than 1,997 season tickets left -- which seems to contradict your point.

When have they said that?  All I have ever seen is things like in todays Trib which say XXXX lower bowl tickets remain.  I moved my seats this year and I seem to remember an option to be called or informed when the upper bowl tickets open up.  I don't think it will happen this year - but if we sell 2,000 more tickets I have little doubt USF will sell upper bowl season tickets the very next day.

According the the Trib Ad thread, I have not seen the ad,  it doesn't say there are XX lower bowl tickets.  You are drawing an inference that may very well be correct, but the USF ad says as I wrote above -- that there are XX season tickets left:

Full page ad on the back of today's Tribune sports section.  Huge "Can U Feel It?" over picture of packed stadium.

LOWER BOWL ALMOST GONE!

Under 1,997 seasons tickets remain!

You may not have another chance.  Ever!

Season tickets start at $99!

Followed by half page picuture of CJL putting up the horns.

Very cool.

[Southshore26]

Some people prefer 3rd deck, 50-yard line seats to lower-level corner or endzone seats.  And they want to sit upstairs... So instead of being a season ticket holder, they will buy six single-game tickets in the 3rd level.

How many are doing this? Maybe a handful, but the logic is still the same.  If you're gonna sell upstairs at some point, then why not sell them now even if you don't advertise them... you can still say "only X tickets left in the lower bowl" to generate the demand. Especially if you think people prefer the lower bowl.  In fact, I would argue that advertising there are only X tickets left could make people think these tickets are in the nosebleeds... expecting that 3rd level tickets are being sold now.

I tried... no dice... My specific first request was third tier... he put me on hold to go ask someone and came back and said they couldn't. Maybe something has changed in a week and half though....

[KingBull]

As long as you have your season tix, who cares?  Season tix and single game tix will be bought regardless.  Stop with the in-fighting already.

[Guest]

As long as you have your season tix, who cares?  Season tix and single game tix will be bought regardless.  Stop with the in-fighting already.

This isn't in-fighting. This is a "discussion"... and it's been an interesting one.

[windbane]

I would agree that this is a great discussion to be having...

I also agree with puc86...

I am willing to bet the farm that an upper deck season ticket package will be available the second we sell the last ticket in the lower bowl. Saying there is less then 2000 tickets is playing with the truth by only taking the packages currently available into account, we will sell season ticket packages in the sections that are open (including the upper deck), just like we did last year. I honestly can not figure out why you would think otherwise, much less try to argue the point.

and to this

1. Because you are just guessing... you don't know any more than I do.

2. There is a chance the last season ticket in the lower bowl never gets sold this year.  What then?

3. Moreover, if the are going to sell upper deck tickets, why not sell them now. Why wait?

4. Sure, I could very well be wrong... but so could you.

1. Yes, but the force is not with you on this one.

2. The point of the discussion is there will (until we are too many games into the season to make it ridiculous to do so) be season tickets available, lower lever, or otherwise.

3. Sounds really good to say "only x tickets left." They hope to get people off their a$$ to buy them. Not to mention, most prefer lower bowl. I understand the argument against, though. I kinda like the upper level in certain sections.

4. See #1.

If you're gonna sell upstairs at some point, then why not sell them now even if you don't advertise them... you can still say "only X tickets left in the lower bowl" to generate the demand. Especially if you think people prefer the lower bowl.  In fact, I would argue that advertising there are only X tickets left could make people think these tickets are in the nosebleeds... expecting that 3rd level tickets are being sold now.

I'll agree that they should go ahead and sell upper deck.  I've never been up there so perhaps I'm missing out on great seats.  I've seen baseball games way up high and you can hardly see anything.  Yeah, you get the big picture, but it's like watching an ant farm....

I just think USF is trying to fill the lower bowl first because it helps noise and looks better on TV.  I think this will be moot if we win our first 2 games and have Kansas coming to town undefeated because we should sell out.  For the UT-Martin game, though, I don't think it's good to have 1000 people in the upper deck when they could be downstairs.  Maybe it's just me.

[Matt]

just to clairfy something....USF isn't playing a numbers game by saying there is ONLY a certain amount of total season tickets left.  the ad SPECIFICALLY says "LOWER BOWL"  USF is saying there is only 1997 tickets left in the LOWER BOWL for season tickets.  now, if some how they sold all 2K tickets within the next week (not very likely)  then there is a chance they would sell a season ticket in the upper deck as long as that ticket was not already sold as a single game purchase (obviously cant sell the same seat twice)

but we arent going to sell 2,000 more season tickets at this point so its a non-issue.

either way....its a great problem to have.  specially considering where we were at last year at this time.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/aug/08/080044/sp-bulls-increase-season-ticket-sales1/sports-colleges-bulls/

[Guest]

just to clairfy something....USF isn't playing a numbers game by saying there is ONLY a certain amount of total season tickets left.  the ad SPECIFICALLY says "LOWER BOWL"  USF is saying there is only 1997 tickets left in the LOWER BOWL for season tickets.  now, if some how they sold all 2K tickets within the next week (not very likely)  then there is a chance they would sell a season ticket in the upper deck as long as that ticket was not already sold as a single game purchase (obviously cant sell the same seat twice)

but we arent going to sell 2,000 more season tickets at this point so its a non-issue.

either way....its a great problem to have.  specially considering where we were at last year at this time.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/aug/08/080044/sp-bulls-increase-season-ticket-sales1/sports-colleges-bulls/

Listen. The ad says "lower bowl almost sold out" and "under 1997 season tickets left" you are assuming they are related when, in fact, they may not be.

What if the ad said "lower bowl almost sold out" and "20,000 season tickets left" -- if they were selling upper deck season tickets -- would you assume there were still 20,000 left in the lower bowl??  No.  So why do you make that assumption now?

Moreover, as others have posted, their USF reps have indicated there would not be upper deck season tickets this year.

---

But man what a great problem to even debate.  The fact we could have a 3-page debate about this is simply amazing.

[Matt]

Jim, you are probably one of those guys who reads every last word of fine print, twice, and then asks for a copy and saves it in a nice little folder some where.

the way the ad is worded i dont know how someone could not think that the number mentioned 1997 is only referring to lower bowl tickets.  but its not that big of a deal.  its an AD trying to get people to BUY tickets.  no one is trying to pry the first born child from someone and sell them ocean front land in AZ (i think brad bought it all anyways)

didnt you say that you never even saw the ad?

relax, it will be ok.

[Guest]

Well I don't read fine print and have not seen the ad -- but someone else did type it in.

---

But I know three things for sure:

1) We have more than 27,000 season tickets sold.

2) The Lower Bowl is almost sold out.

3) That is FREAKING AWESOME.