Creighton Game #2

[newsman13]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

 

[tom in salem]

I thought the students did a good job last night. The real problem is the alums who never show and administrators who charge 45 dollars for the cheapest seat in the house.

The students who were at The Garden were great. The problem is there are too few of them.

I would guess there are more alumni and their families in the arena than actual students.

As there should be. Most schools only allocate around 10% of their total tickets for students. Yesterday's student crowd was double the biggest student crowd I ever saw during the Norm years. Rome wasn't built in a day. If you consistently win then people will come. It's not a situation that is unique to St. John's either. There isn't a school in America that has lost as consistently as we have for the entire lifetime of our current students that would draw more students than we have thus far to see a team that's under .500. Fact of the matter is that the average student sees we are under .500 and playing a team they have never heard of so they don't want to spend 10 bucks on a ticket, 5 bucks on transportation and 10-15 bucks at least for food.

I knew there would be a post like yours. You cannot defend student apathy. $99 for a student season ticket is less than most concert tickets, a single game ticket at $10 is less than it costs to go to a movie. Obviously, it's not a requirement for students to support school teams, and by and large, our students don't.

St. John's basketball just isn't a hot ticket for anyone right now. Over the years I'd call the athletic department if I needed extra game tickets near my section and pay full retail price plus a fedex charge if applicable, about $85 per ticket. Yesterday, 2 hours before game time I went on ticketmaster and bought a ticket in the 100s for $43, after taxes and service charge. A seat in row 1 in section 3 (courtside) was $60 total. Already tickets to remaining games have been slashed, but not if you contact st. john's directly.

Many of our frequent posters here consider the cost and time of commuting to the garden not worth the effort, and many of our frequent posters don't live in metro NYC anymore. Our fan base is small. The advantage is that during a single timeout yesterday I was able to get food, return it to my seat, then go to the bathroom, and didn't miss one second of action. In a sold out Garden that's a 10-15 minute adventure.

If I had to venture a guess, students who won't spend $10 plus $5 in transportation probably aren't watching our games on TV either.

Can you please direct me to where I can find these cheap tickets for good seats? I was on stubhub the day before the game and the cheapest available was around 40 bucks, and the cheapest on ticketmaster was around 45 bucks.

StJohnsBasketball ‏@StJohnsBBall 16h
$40 tickets are sold out but use offer code: SJUBB and save $20 off the $65’s. #SJUBB RT @cwih34: game sold out Sunday? no $40 tix left.

 

[room112]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

 

[ccnobz]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

If the tickets were free for students do you think more would show up at MSG? How much are the tickets currently for students?

 

[room112]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

If the tickets were free for students do you think more would show up at MSG? How much are the tickets currently for students?

Transportation should be provided to students on campus by bus to/from MSG. There is no way around it. Public transportation to/from the city from the Queens campus is not exactly a convenient ride. How do you think UConn students pack the Hartford Civic Center (or whatever it's called now) for the Hartford home games UConn plays? There isn't viable public transportation to/from campus and most kids don't have cars.

 

[ccnobz]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

If the tickets were free for students do you think more would show up at MSG? How much are the tickets currently for students?

Transportation should be provided to students on campus by bus to/from MSG. There is no way around it. Public transportation to/from the city from the Queens campus is not exactly a convenient ride. How do you think UConn students pack the Hartford Civic Center (or whatever it's called now) for the Hartford home games UConn plays? There isn't viable public transportation to/from campus and most kids don't have cars.

I understand all that, i'm just curious how much are student tickets ( if you know). And even if they were free who knows how many would show up..something tells me it's not the price of the ticket that is the problem

 

[room112]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

If the tickets were free for students do you think more would show up at MSG? How much are the tickets currently for students?

Transportation should be provided to students on campus by bus to/from MSG. There is no way around it. Public transportation to/from the city from the Queens campus is not exactly a convenient ride. How do you think UConn students pack the Hartford Civic Center (or whatever it's called now) for the Hartford home games UConn plays? There isn't viable public transportation to/from campus and most kids don't have cars.

I understand all that, i'm just curious how much are student tickets ( if you know). And even if they were free who knows how many would show up..something tells me it's not the price of the ticket that is the problem

I agree with you it's probably not the problem, the problem is the administration needs to drum up student interest. Since the team isn't elite yet, the interest is not going to be fully there. They are going to have to sell it.

 

[Class of 72]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

All the big games were sold out at Alumni Hall during the years you attended and when I later attended. St. John's did not have 4,000 students living in dorms within 10 minutes of the arena back then. I don't know about you but I went to many away games on chartered buses. I am not sure what is done to organize students these days but with the large resident population there is no excuse whether it be money or team record. The marketing effort to get students to games seems weak.

 

[ccnobz]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

If the tickets were free for students do you think more would show up at MSG? How much are the tickets currently for students?

Transportation should be provided to students on campus by bus to/from MSG. There is no way around it. Public transportation to/from the city from the Queens campus is not exactly a convenient ride. How do you think UConn students pack the Hartford Civic Center (or whatever it's called now) for the Hartford home games UConn plays? There isn't viable public transportation to/from campus and most kids don't have cars.

I understand all that, i'm just curious how much are student tickets ( if you know). And even if they were free who knows how many would show up..something tells me it's not the price of the ticket that is the problem

I agree with you it's probably not the problem, the problem is the administration needs to drum up student interest. Since the team isn't elite yet, the interest is not going to be fully there. They are going to have to sell it.

I was at the game Sunday and I thought there was a decent amount of students at the game actually.

 

[room112]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

I still don't understand how student tickets are not free! Once the demand for the tickets build up to the point you can't accommode all students with tickets, then start charging a low rate like $5. There's probably students who we could have as great fans that never show up because they don't feel like paying.

If the tickets were free for students do you think more would show up at MSG? How much are the tickets currently for students?

Transportation should be provided to students on campus by bus to/from MSG. There is no way around it. Public transportation to/from the city from the Queens campus is not exactly a convenient ride. How do you think UConn students pack the Hartford Civic Center (or whatever it's called now) for the Hartford home games UConn plays? There isn't viable public transportation to/from campus and most kids don't have cars.

I understand all that, i'm just curious how much are student tickets ( if you know). And even if they were free who knows how many would show up..something tells me it's not the price of the ticket that is the problem

I agree with you it's probably not the problem, the problem is the administration needs to drum up student interest. Since the team isn't elite yet, the interest is not going to be fully there. They are going to have to sell it.

I was at the game Sunday and I thought there was a decent amount of students at the game actually.

But where are they coming from? How many students stay on campus? By "decent amount" how many do you estimate?

 

[usguard]

I started at St John's the year the Beatles arrived in the U-S. Even then, there were complaints about the pathetic fan base.

This program hasn't been "big time" since Jarvis was jettisoned. New York is a "big time" town. Short of threatening to go to the final four, the "pathetic" mantra will go on another fifty years.

One solution is to add ninety nine dollars to the student fee and let them into the games for free...while charging reasonable prices to alums. We've been closer to Hofstra and Fordham than we've been to Syracuse and Duke. Price the games accordingly.

heir final
and give students 5 pt on their final for attending all home games.lol

 

[ccnobz]

I really have no idea about any of what you asked- but i'd say the first few rows of seats behind each basket were filled with students. Just seemed like more than I have seen in the past, but not as many as you would expect .

 

[gregbodkin]

During the Jarvis years, the ticket office used to call and offer me tix under the basket with the students. No exchange but they wanted to get me closer to the game and have me either sell or give away my original season tix. Put more fannies in the seats. Not a bad idea but they stopped doing it during the Norm years.

 

[beast of the east]

I think the school should give free tickets, free transportation, and free Garden food to all students. They should also provide name tags that students can pin onto their jackets in case they get lost, and instructions to find a policeman should they need help from an adult. Oh, and the Garden should have free 1/2 pint containers of milk and a couple of cookies, and nap time in a quiet room during halftime.

 

[TonyinFairfield]

I think the school should give free tickets, free transportation, and free Garden food to all students. They should also provide name tags that students can pin onto their jackets in case they get lost, and instructions to find a policeman should they need help from an adult. Oh, and the Garden should have free 1/2 point containers of milk and a couple of cookies, and nap time in a quiet room during halftime.

If they did that, I'll re-enroll as a Grad Student!

 

[gregbodkin]

I think the school should give free tickets, free transportation, and free Garden food to all students. They should also provide name tags that students can pin onto their jackets in case they get lost, and instructions to find a policeman should they need help from an adult. Oh, and the Garden should have free 1/2 point containers of milk and a couple of cookies, and nap time in a quiet room during halftime.

Beast, do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your post?

 

[STJ11Redmen]

I thought the students did a good job last night. The real problem is the alums who never show and administrators who charge 45 dollars for the cheapest seat in the house.

The students who were at The Garden were great. The problem is there are too few of them.

I would guess there are more alumni and their families in the arena than actual students.

As there should be. Most schools only allocate around 10% of their total tickets for students. Yesterday's student crowd was double the biggest student crowd I ever saw during the Norm years. Rome wasn't built in a day. If you consistently win then people will come. It's not a situation that is unique to St. John's either. There isn't a school in America that has lost as consistently as we have for the entire lifetime of our current students that would draw more students than we have thus far to see a team that's under .500. Fact of the matter is that the average student sees we are under .500 and playing a team they have never heard of so they don't want to spend 10 bucks on a ticket, 5 bucks on transportation and 10-15 bucks at least for food.

I knew there would be a post like yours. You cannot defend student apathy. $99 for a student season ticket is less than most concert tickets, a single game ticket at $10 is less than it costs to go to a movie. Obviously, it's not a requirement for students to support school teams, and by and large, our students don't.

St. John's basketball just isn't a hot ticket for anyone right now. Over the years I'd call the athletic department if I needed extra game tickets near my section and pay full retail price plus a fedex charge if applicable, about $85 per ticket. Yesterday, 2 hours before game time I went on ticketmaster and bought a ticket in the 100s for $43, after taxes and service charge. A seat in row 1 in section 3 (courtside) was $60 total. Already tickets to remaining games have been slashed, but not if you contact st. john's directly.

Many of our frequent posters here consider the cost and time of commuting to the garden not worth the effort, and many of our frequent posters don't live in metro NYC anymore. Our fan base is small. The advantage is that during a single timeout yesterday I was able to get food, return it to my seat, then go to the bathroom, and didn't miss one second of action. In a sold out Garden that's a 10-15 minute adventure.

If I had to venture a guess, students who won't spend $10 plus $5 in transportation probably aren't watching our games on TV either.

I don't get your point. If people don't want to go to a basketball game what are you gonna do? When I entered school during the Norm years the basketball team was such a joke on campus that if you would even propose going to a game people would laugh at you. The team was the butt of jokes from professors and students in class. Now I see people actually having pride in their school and enjoying the games. The student turnout last night was on par, if not better, than every other school in the Big East. You also have to remember that 3/4 of the current students have never seen St. John's have a good season while they were students. Win and people will come, it's that simple.

The point is, in a city where a glass of wine can cost $12 or more, a movie ticket as much as $17, concert tickets at $100, theatre at $180 for good seats, you can't give the tired old argument that $10 plus $5 in mass transit is too expensive. Students spend $10 in Starbucks for a latte and scone - its not about the money. You are right about winning, but don't tell me we have a spirited student section, or that there is plenty of school spirit around SJU bball. That's a joke. Watch games on TV, you see students with giant poster heads, faces or chests painted, absolutely a terror for visiting teams. Our pathetic students discarded the LAVINWOOD sign after our 0-5 start and on Sunday, all that remained was a "D" that some kid was waving, presumably for "Defense". I know for a fact that Villanova on campus games are filled with students, in an old arena that seats 6000 from a school with 7000 kids. Every kid on campus knows who the coach is, who the players are - even if they aren't big sports fans.

I agree with your point that winning solves a lot, but in our pathetic fan base, that doesn't even mean 8-3 in conference and not 5-6. It would mean top 15 ranking, major buzz in the city about the team, and then more students and older fans will show up. That's pathetic, because we have a talented roster that has played well for a month now, and people are still staying home. Why? Because by and large, sports fans are fans of winning, and not of that sport or that team.

If we made a Final 4 five years ago we too would have a student body that is rabid about the squad. Unfortunately we have been the cellar dwellar of our conference with one good year coming 3 years ago. It would be more fair to compare us to Providence, DePaul and Seton Hall, all of whom I think we have better fan support than.

 

[Redmen07]

I thought the students did a good job last night. The real problem is the alums who never show and administrators who charge 45 dollars for the cheapest seat in the house.

I could not agree more with this statement.

I remember going to games at as a student in the Norm era and being one of maybe 20 kids at games during winter breaks, it was depressing. We have taken some steps in the right direction. Students that show do a good job. However a major problem is that students on other Athletic teams (Womens Soccer, Softball, Lax, ect) are given tix for free(no prob with this) but their not in the student section. They sit usually in the lower bowl around the corners. Must be 75-100 student athletes not sitting in the student section each game. The athletic dept needs to get it together put them in the student section that would make a big difference in our numbers!

We should be drawing better with the alumni base, if we could get more people to just a game or two a season would be great. Especially for the big games.

Finally the biggest reason I don't think we draw well with our fanbase at MSG is the money. $45 for the cheapest seat is too much. To bring a family of four its $180 just at the gate. SJU has a huge casual / slightly more than casual fanbase. For many of them the tix are to expensive to justify dropping $90 or $180 at the gate with a girlfriend or family. The economy has been tough the last few years, and family's are not willing to spend $300 in two hours for a game(factor in $180 tix and popcorn, soda, & LIRR fees). I for one have stopped attending many Mets games $40 for the cheapest tixs just priced me out. They need to get tix down to $20 - $25. They may only make the same profit as the did selling 2,000 less seats, but it shouldn't go down. And a lot more people, and family's will come out.

I think they should also use Stub Hub more. SJU could lower prices and create demand for the extra 10K empty seats we had vs Creighton. They would not even have to disclose they are doing it(Mets and Isles don't). This would drive a lot more casual fans who are reluctant to buy tickets weeks in advance an affordable option. If this drives away one or two season tix holders only looking to sell the high profile games on Stub Hub so be it. I would rather have an extra 1,000 fans each game and lose those few.