Attendance

[SLYFOXX1968]

Interesting…Pepperdine team on first name basis with fans

So are the Phoenix Coyotes playing Hockey in a 5000 seat College Campus Ice Rink .
A NHL team , not a EHL team .

But , Commissioner Bettman refuses a team in Hockey Crazed Quebec ?

Maybe St John’s should turn CA into a Ice rink ?

But , then again the Ice would melt during warm ups . The Zamboni would be tooling around the wooden floor doing whirlees on the foul line .

 

[SJU Center Court]

There will be a "tipping point" when attendence gets a nice bump, but Rick or no Rick, it ain't happening overnight. It may not even happen this season. Besides if we get 12-14k tonight I'll consider that a very good night.

Some of the same people who have preached "patience" when a new coach is hired, including Rick, are the same ones who seem to have no patience when it comes to the attendence making a big jump. Meanwhile, didn't season tickets sales increase substantially this season?

So let's take it easy boys, we're in great hands and the program is clearly on the right trajectory. We're probably still going to have some bumps along the way(lose some games we should win) but things are looking better then they ever have for our program.

Agree 100%.

I think the key to get the "attendance bump" will be the return of the "Subway Alumni" (NYC college basketball fans who did not go to SJU). I have a season ticket and know some long time "Subway Alumni" season ticket holders who dropped their seats the last few years. Winning will draw those fans back.

 

[bucketshardy]

For those on Twitter, tonight at 9pm we're going to be previewing the game with a Providence member as well for their perspective. If you want to talk some Johnnies hoops please feel free to come on the show - everyone welcome, taking all calls etc.

did you check with the Board which time is best for Attendance?

 

[SJUDave]

Only if your Twitter spaces block all references to attendance.

spending the first 40 minutes on attendance!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[IDRAFT]

My last post on attendance. This week! As someone who has missed two games in total (including attending every exhibition) in the last ten years, let me start by saying I have no reason to make excuses about going to games. Not that anyone needs one.

To be fair I want to start with I think season ticket prices are not an issue. Also, the family four packs are an excellent value and I have brought them up to some friends in my circle.

However, the rest will be unpopular with some and I know I'm partially repeating myself. But I want to attempt to illustrate this issue one more way.

Either SJU or Ticketmaster, or MSG, or whoever is dictating ticket prices has decided there is more money to be made by charging very high individual game prices - even though that HAS TO decrease ticket sales and attendance.

There are two factors in a revenue equation. Volume X Price. A decision was made to get a large price per ticket and accept less attendance. And it wasn't "awful fans" who made this decision.

1. So far for MSG games the prices for re-sale tickets, which is folks like us selling because we can't/don't want to go is much lower than the outstanding tickets. That's because those people are putting a premium on selling the tickets, they have two or four and can't just hope to rip-off someone for half of the tickets they have to get their money. They really WANT to sell all their inventory. Which is not how SJU/Ticketmaster/MSG or whoever is looking at this. And any tickets sold on the secondary market will not add one human to the attendance figures.

2. Tickets for the SJU/Seton Hall game in Newark are $55 or less on Ticketmaster. For the lower bowl. A few days later SJU/Marquette is priced between $122.10 (that is NOT a typo) and $98.75 for the upper bowl of MSG. Even if you are a believer of MSG being "the Mecca" that is a wild price disparity. And I purposely picked Seton Hall as the average income level of North Jersey residents, and Seton Hall fans in general, should best match SJU. Seton Hall, like SJU is a Big East team. Neither of them is the Knicks, and one of them understands that in pricing tickets.


If anyone thinks this is an "excuse" they need to get out of their bubble and understand everyone is not running around with $300 to spend for two people to commute and go to a game at MSG. Change the upper bowl to $50 and an all-in day of $150 is very different. And I am purposely NOT counting the costs of Pale Ales, etc., because folks on a budget already know they have to eliminate that. Honestly, I find it very weird that every time there is a game at UBS there are ten pages about a $40 parking charge and the overall insane costs for a "casual" fan to attend an MSG game is not front in center in this discussion.

 

[dk423]

My last post on attendance. This week! As someone who has missed two games in total (including attending every exhibition) in the last ten years, let me start by saying I have no reason to make excuses about going to games. Not that anyone needs one.

To be fair I want to start with I think season ticket prices are not an issue. Also, the family four packs are an excellent value and I have brought them up to some friends in my circle.

However, the rest will be unpopular with some and I know I'm partially repeating myself. But I want to attempt to illustrate this issue one more way.

Either SJU or Ticketmaster, or MSG, or whoever is dictating ticket prices has decided there is more money to be made by charging very high individual game prices - even though that HAS TO decrease ticket sales and attendance.

There are two factors in a revenue equation. Volume X Price. A decision was made to get a large price per ticket and accept less attendance. And it wasn't "awful fans" who made this decision.

1. So far for MSG games the prices for re-sale tickets, which is folks like us selling because we can't/don't want to go is much lower than the outstanding tickets. That's because those people are putting a premium on selling the tickets, they have two or four and can't just hope to rip-off someone for half of the tickets they have to get their money. They really WANT to sell all their inventory. Which is not how SJU/Ticketmaster/MSG or whoever is looking at this. And any tickets sold on the secondary market will not add one human to the attendance figures.

2. Tickets for the SJU/Seton Hall game are $55 or less on Ticketmaster. For the lower bowl a few days later SJU/Marquette is priced between $122.10 (that is NOT a typo) and $98.75 for the upper bowl of MSG. Even if you are a believer of MSG being "the Mecca" that is a wild price disparity. And I purposely picked Seton Hall as the average income level of North Jersey residents, and Seton Hall fans in general, should best match SJU. Seton Hall, like SJU is a Big East team. Neither of them is the Knicks, and one of them understands that in pricing tickets.


If anyone thinks this is an "excuse" they need to get out of their bubble and understand everyone is not running around with $300 to spend for two people to commute and go to a game at MSG. Change the upper bowl to $50 and an all-in day of $150 is very different. And I am purposely NOT counting the costs of Pale Ales, etc., because folks on a budget already know they have to eliminate that. Honestly, I find it very weird that every time there is a game at UBS there are ten pages about a $40 parking charge and the overall insane costs for a "casual" fan to attend an MSG game is not front in center in this discussion.

The upper bowl tickets are insane. It's basically Knicks prices.

 

[Hardy]

The upper bowl tickets are insane. It's basically Knicks prices.

They are. And the crazier thing is the cost for big east tournament tickets is substantially less than SJU tix. Upper 200s at halfcourt were only like $225 for all of the games. It makes no sense.

 

[SJUDave]

Hmm

 

[dk423]

My daughter takes the subway to work every day as well, says it's fine. I ain't buying it for second. I know plenty of cops in the city. It's a cesspool both above and below ground, the likes of which we've never seen. Not even in the 70s and 80s.

I'm sorry but the city is not a cesspool.

 

[WalterMatthau]

As someone who lives in Manhattan, it is definitely not a cesspool. Yea things could be a lot better, but I took the subway home after midnight last night after the CFP and there were cops at each station, no one lingering on platforms.

 

[NCJohnnie]

My daughter takes the subway to work every day as well, says it's fine. I ain't buying it for second. I know plenty of cops in the city. It's a cesspool both above and below ground, the likes of which we've never seen. Not even in the 70s and 80s.

Monte, I suspect like when I lived in NY, the subway experience varies depending on the line you take and the time of day/night you ride. You mention the 70s and 80s. I took the subway (#7, F or E train) to work from Flushing and back every day 5 days a week (and sometimes following after work drinks or a basketball game) from 1974 to 1992 or so and never experienced a problem other than train delays. I can only go by what my kids tell me these days since I haven't ridden the subway regularly since the early 1990s. I do agree from the times I've ridden the trains in the past 5 years while visiting the city, there are a lot more homeless people on the trains especially during off hours. Anyway, don't want to take the thread off topic.

 

[Storm Tracker]

pack the garden people, no excuses!

 

[ADORAZ]

My daughter takes the subway to work every day as well, says it's fine. I ain't buying it for second. I know plenty of cops in the city. It's a cesspool both above and below ground, the likes of which we've never seen. Not even in the 70s and 80s.

My wife has taken the subway to work (from LIC to Lower Manhattan) the past 6 years. That includes most of COVID (summer 2020 onwards) as the CEO somehow got an exemption to bring employees to the office despite very few offices being opened.

The subway riding experience today is nothing like it was in 2020, because far fewer people were on the subways back then and that led to a lot of crime. She saw some scary stuff in 2020 and nearly quit, but had stock options that would become available had she stayed until 2021 so she decided to. By the Fall she started taking an Uber until she went back to the subway sometime in 2021.

These days she sees some weird stuff, but she no longer feels unsafe. Lots of legit reasons attendance isn't higher (such as ticket prices or our lack of success for decades) and the subways may still play a small factor, but they shouldn't keep many people out of MSG.

 

[Marillac2]

My daughter takes the subway to work every day as well, says it's fine. I ain't buying it for second. I know plenty of cops in the city. It's a cesspool both above and below ground, the likes of which we've never seen. Not even in the 70s and 80s.

It’s hit or miss on the subways. I had some good luck with my son over the holidays but then saw a woman wet herself and intermittently scream incoherently on the A train from Rockaway to Manhattan.

The busses are much better in my experience and the ferries are absolutely amazing. I will go out of my way to take the ferry whenever I can even though it adds time.

It’s a nice little trip to take two ferries and the Roosevelt Island Tram to get to/from from Rockaway and Central Park for those with kids or grandkids looking to plan a day out.

 

[Jack Williams]

The busses are much better in my experience and the ferries are absolutely amazing. I will go out of my way to take the ferry whenever I can even though it adds time.

After living in Brooklyn I quickly realized the NYC Buses are way superior to the subway system as long you know where you’re going

Also again this is just my experience but I feel like almost everyone that takes the nyc buses are hardworking New Yorkers just trying to get to work/home.

It’s extremely rare I feel unsafe on a city bus

 

[dk423]

After living in Brooklyn I quickly realized the NYC Buses are way superior to the subway system as long you know where you’re going

Also again this is just my experience but I feel like almost everyone that takes the nyc buses are hardworking New Yorkers just trying to get to work/home.

It’s extremely rare I feel unsafe on a city bus

I hate busses but, now living next to a bus lane, I've used them more. They've upgraded most of the fleet so now where they have an automated screen w/ the stops being shown. Huge difference.

 

[monte]

My wife has taken the subway to work (from LIC to Lower Manhattan) the past 6 years. That includes most of COVID (summer 2020 onwards) as the CEO somehow got an exemption to bring employees to the office despite very few offices being opened.

The subway riding experience today is nothing like it was in 2020, because far fewer people were on the subways back then and that led to a lot of crime. She saw some scary stuff in 2020 and nearly quit, but had stock options that would become available had she stayed until 2021 so she decided to. By the Fall she started taking an Uber until she went back to the subway sometime in 2021.

These days she sees some weird stuff, but she no longer feels unsafe. Lots of legit reasons attendance isn't higher (such as ticket prices or our lack of success for decades) and the subways may still play a small factor, but they shouldn't keep many people out of MSG.

For the record, I do not think the subway or feeling unsafe is having any impact at all on attendance.

 

[smalley]

The subway is approximately as safe as it has ever been. I ride daily. Violent crime is statistically way down in NYC despite what your favorite news source may be transmitting. Crime has become a state of mind.

I highly doubt it meaningfully affects attendance.

 

[monte]

Monte, I suspect like when I lived in NY, the subway experience varies depending on the line you take and the time of day/night you ride. You mention the 70s and 80s. I took the subway (#7, F or E train) to work from Flushing and back every day 5 days a week (and sometimes following after work drinks or a basketball game) from 1974 to 1992 or so and never experienced a problem other than train delays. I can only go by what my kids tell me these days since I haven't ridden the subway regularly since the early 1990s. I do agree from the times I've ridden the trains in the past 5 years while visiting the city, there are a lot more homeless people on the trains especially during off hours. Anyway, don't want to take the thread off topic.

Not simply "homeless" NCJ, but dangerously deranged and homeless. Like you and I in the 70s and 80s, young people today tend to be somewhat oblivious to the potential dangers around them. I've been robbed and I was carjacked at gunpoint. Jan 1 1981. Coincidentally I was wearing my red SJU jacket snd they stole my SJU graduation ring. I never had it replaced.
Stuff like that will sharpen your senses to danger.

Anyhow I worry daily about both my children. My son lives down by Delancy street. He's a really street smart kid. Whenever I say to him "please stay safe", his answer is always "I'm staying as safe as I can". He's aware that the city is not the same one that even he grew up in, and he's only 28.

 

[logen]

Not simply "homeless" NCJ, but dangerously deranged and homeless. Like you and I in the 70s and 80s, young people today tend to be somewhat oblivious to the potential dangers around them. I've been robbed and I was carjacked at gunpoint. Jan 1 1981. Coincidentally I was wearing my red SJU jacket snd they stole my SJU graduation ring. I never had it replaced.
Stuff like that will sharpen your senses to danger.

Anyhow I worry daily about both my children. My son lives down by Delancy street. He's a really street smart kid. Whenever I say to him "please stay safe", his answer is always "I'm staying as safe as I can". He's aware that the city is not the same one that even he grew up in, and he's only 28.

Situational awareness always and everywhere; I just don’t understand seeing people working around with headphones, IPods, etc, oblivious to their surroundings.