2011.12.13
Virginia Tech’s Sugar Bowl ticket sales lagging, but why?
As of Monday evening, Virginia Tech had sold a little over 9,500 of its 17,500 ticket allotment to the Sugar Bowl, a number that is only slightly higher than the 9,200 the school announced last Friday. So it’s clear ticket sales — at least through the school — are slowing to a crawl at this point.
It’s unclear what the final total will be by Jan. 3, when the Hokies and Wolverines meet in the Superdome. There are, after all, three weeks until the Sugar Bowl is played. It’s unlikely, however, at least based on the trend in sales, that Tech will sell out its allotment.
Given the reasoning for the Hokies’ inclusion to the Sugar Bowl — the program’s upstanding reputation and a fan base that will travel to watch — it is a potential black eye for a program that has worked hard to establish itself. Some national columnists have already taken aim at Virginia Tech, and, quite honestly, it’s justifiable. (Tech didn’t help its case with Monday’s email about proxy tickets, which came across as a desperate plea to boost sales. I’ve been told the school has only sold a handful. Honestly, I can’t imagine there was any thought from the school’s higher-ups that this would lead to a rush on tickets, despite how it looks.)
Why the slow sales? I plan to write something more substantial for the newspaper later this week after getting some feedback from Tech officials and those more knowledgeable of the ticket market than I, but there are a few theories:
The secondary market: Yes, I know this is a factor for every bowl. And this is not saying that Tech fans are craftier than other fan bases in finding cheaper tickets. But the price difference from going through the school and going through a site like StubHub is substantial and can’t be overlooked.
Buying the cheapest tickets through Virginia Tech costs $120. The cheapest seats on StubHub are going for $55 right now. As fellow scribe David Teel pointed out, for a group of four, that extra $260 buys a lot of hurricanes and gumbo on Bourbon Street.
In recent Orange Bowls, despite poor ticket sales, Tech has had at least a decent showing in Miami, proving that far more fans are buying through the secondary market than the school. This year, Virginia Tech might have inadvertently forced their hand, delaying sales to the general public until the Friday after the bowl announcement, a curious decision that seems like it pushed those wanting to finalize their plans early to the secondary market.
Fans are savvy when it comes to this kind of stuff. And I find it interesting that while Michigan is clearly ahead of Tech as far as ticket sales (14,500 as of Monday morning, according to reports), even it, with its BCS-starved fans and giant alumni base, hasn’t sold out its allotment yet. I don’t expect a shortage of Wolverines fans in New Orleans come New Year’s, so it makes me wonder if they too are seeking cheaper alternatives to the $120-$140 tickets available through the schools.
The logistics of a trip: I’ve seen many a tweet about Kansas State and Arkansas’ rush on Cotton Bowl tickets as proof that the Wildcats should have been chose for the Sugar Bowl instead of the Hokies. Kansas State reportedly sold out its 12,500-ticket allotment before the bowl was announced. Tickets are so in demand for the Cotton Bowl that the cheapest on StubHub are going for $219.99. Only the BCS title game ($1,299 for the cheapest seat) is a tougher ticket right now of the bowl games.
But directly comparing the Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl is misleading. For starters, the distance from Dallas to Manhattan, Kan., (493 miles, 8.5 hours) and Fayetteville, Ark., (331 miles, 5.5 hours) makes it possible for fans to drive. The drive from Blacksburg to New Orleans is 835 miles or 13.5 hours (for Hokies fans in D.C., tack on another four hours), necessitating a plane trip. Airfare, even immediately after the game was announced, was pricey and would be a hard sell even in a good economy.
The day of the game: The game’s date doesn’t help matters. The Cotton Bowl takes place on Friday, Jan. 6, allowing for a weekend getaway if fans choose to go. The Sugar Bowl takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 3, an awkward day during the middle of the week and far enough removed from New Year’s that many fans wouldn’t be able to use holiday time to attend (the Federal calendar designates Jan. 2 as a holiday, since New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday). This is surely a boon to TV ratings, since the Sugar Bowl will be the only game on that night, but I’d imagine it affects attendance negatively.
Bowl dates seem to be affecting other games as well. West Virginia, another program whose fan base has a reputation for showing up en masse, has sold 5,700 of its allotment to the Orange Bowl according to reports. I’ve not seen an update on Clemson’s ticket sales, but according to its athletics website, tickets are still available for purchase through the school. The Orange Bowl takes place the night after the Sugar Bowl on a Wednesday, even further removed from the weekend. Is it any wonder the lowest-priced tickets for that game on StubHub are the cheapest of the BCS bowls at $35?
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What’s the fallout? The financial hit for Virginia Tech is a non-factor. The ACC picks up the tab on unsold tickets once a school hits the 8,000 mark, and the league more than makes up for it with the massive bowl payouts shared among the league’s members.
The biggest hit, fair or not, will come to the reputation of Virginia Tech’s fans if the allotment is not met. The Hokies were in the spotlight with their controversial selection for a BCS bowl. As a result, they’re facing a higher scrutiny than most bowl teams for their ticket sales (especially given the Sugar Bowl’s reasoning for selecting them).
While lagging sales to Miami in recent years could be attributed to hum-drum matchups and an “Orange Bowl fatigue” from having been there three times in four years, neither of those qualify this year. And while there are plenty of reasons for struggling sales mentioned above, it probably will do little to change the negative perception surrounding Virginia Tech’s travel reputation, even if Hokies fans show up in large numbers in New Orleans next month.
This is not meant as an excuse for Virginia Tech’s ticket numbers so far, just to look deeper into why they’ve been slow.
To end this, I’ll submit these questions to readers of this blog: If you’re going to the game, did you buy tickets through outlets other than the school, and if so, why? To others not attending who might have in past years, any particular reason? Feel free to answer in the comments section.
Sphere: Related Content
If there is an article later this week about this subject it could not cover more reasons or more information than is in this article. All of the reasons given here are valid reasons for the situation.
Yes, the real hit is to the reputation of VT fans as good travel fans for bowl games.
Things change, and fast and often,and this situation seems to indicate that this situation has changed, at least for this year. This will pass, as do all things.
Let’s go Hokies !!! Beat Michigan !!!
Comment by Frank — December 13, 2011 @ 6:39 am
The Sweet and Low Bowl is getting what they deserve. Greed.
Comment by Tiger #1 — December 13, 2011 @ 7:17 am
If Tech only sells 10,000 through the school, but another 20,000 plus or so buy from other sites like Stub Hub, how is that supposed to give the program a black eye? If there are plenty of orange and maroon-clad fans in the seats who cares where they buy the tickets from. Who wouldn’t buy them cheaper? I don’t see the logic that this would be a negative for Tech. If only 10,000 Tech fans in total show up then yes, there’s a problem. But do you honestly think only that many will be there?
Comment by Jonathan — December 13, 2011 @ 7:32 am
I’m a season ticket holder, but had not attended a bowl game since the beach bowl. I thought I was going to have the use of a free condo, and fairly inexpensive airfare, so I bought $150 tickets through Tech just to help sell the allotment. The cheap airfare and free condo disappeared, so now, in hindsight, I wish I had purchased cheaper seats through the secondary market.
Comment by Jerry from Dublin — December 13, 2011 @ 7:33 am
The reason is that most university tickets are in bad seat areas as compared to those on the open market.
Comment by GAN2 — December 13, 2011 @ 7:52 am
We ordered our tickets through Tech. Fortunately, my husband was able to take his vacation for this, and the trip will be our Christmas gift to each other. It worries me that the sales are so slow. Let’s go, HOKIES!
Comment by hokiepat — December 13, 2011 @ 7:52 am
Andy,
You know, VT just experienced a tragedy that has the Hokie Nation yet reeling again. I don’t know how much of a factor it is that people may not want to think about a bowl game right now when an officer just lost his life in the line of duty on the campus.
I know of at least 4 people who decided to forego the Sugar Bowl (these were people who were going) and instead donated that money to the officer’s memorial fund. I don’t know how widespread this may have happened across the Hokie nation, but I know 4 people who did it.
I am a season ticket holder who is not going. The date is the problem. I can’t miss 3 days of work for a football game. Not in this day and age and this economy.
Comment by Bob H — December 13, 2011 @ 7:56 am
Michigan has approximately 400K living alum and 40K students and has sold 14.5K tickets. VaTech has approximately 200K living alum and 25K students and has sold 9.5K tickets.
The game is on Tuesday, Jan 3rd, which means one would have to spend a minimum of two vacation days from work to attend. Yes, it’s the new year and everyone has new vacation accrued, but many traditionally schedule vacation around Christmas and don’t care to use so much vacation in so little time.
Air flights from all airports in the Mid-Atlantic to New Orleans are running at least $600 per person, unless you commit to spending a full week in New Orleans, when you’d spend even more based on the $150 per person per night for a hotel room.
So, best case scenario, for two people spending only two nights, we’re talking $1600 before any food or entertainment. Thus, you’ve got $2K for a couple to go, $3K for a family to go. For a day and a half in New Orleans and flying out early morning after the game ends late at night. That’s bare bones minimum.
Those are the reasons it is tough to make it to a bowl game in this economic state we live. Those reasons take a backseat to the REAL reason official ticket sales are down through the VaTech ticket office.
As Andy pointed out, one can buy tickets from many reputable online sources for much less than through the VaTech ticket office. That is compounded by the extremely antiquated manner VTTO sells tickets. Hokie Club members initially had a full week to order tickets through VTTO, without the benefit of being told where they were assigned seats. People could go online the same evening as the selection and buy seats, knowing exactly where they were located.
This post will time out, so I’ll continue in another post.
Comment by abdnva — December 13, 2011 @ 8:09 am
I’ve been going to bowl games since 1993 when we played in the Independence bowl. I had crappy seats at the Independence in 93, bad seats at the Gator Bowl in 94, bad seats for the Sugar Bowl in 95, and why is that? Because I bought the seats through the VT ticket office. Once I started buying seats through the secondary ticket office it became clear that you could get much much better seats anywhere else. I think the folks that assign tickets at bowl games save the worst tickets in the venue for the universities. You mention cost as a factor in the after ticket market, and while you are probably right to a certian extent. but I think the real reason there is a flock to the other ticket options is because the tickets are so much better. When I went to the Orange Bowl against Nebraska, I had the ticket I got from the VT ticket office for $125 which I had gotten as a golden hokie. Outside the stadium, I could have bought a ticket from some Miami street vendor for $50 bucks that was on a lower level much closer to the 50 yard line. That story sums up the ticket situation at VT. Ticket sales from the VT ticket office are almost irrelevant to the ticket sales to VT fans! I suspect a majority now go elsewhere to purchase them.
Comment by Earl K — December 13, 2011 @ 8:15 am
VaTech ticket office and the Hokie Club are so antiquated they virtually drive people to other sources for Hokie tickets. The difference in various levels of Hokie Club designation is at least 1000 ‘priority points’. These points determine priority for seating at games, and also for bowl games if tickets are bought through the VaTech ticket office. For example, a Hokie Club member gets 1000 points, an Orange & Maroon gets 3000, Bronze gets 5000, Silver gets 7000, Golden gets 9000, etc. Then you get additional points for buying season tickets, buying post season tickets, years of membership, etc. Keeping in mind the point differentials above, you only get 3, yes, three, bonus points for buying bowl tickets through the VaTech ticket office.
So why bother? Because you’ll get better seats? Wrong. You actually get WORSE seats buying through the VTTO than buying online. You get the seats that are field level, not allowing you to see the whole field because of the players on the sideline, or you get corner or end zone seats. You can go online and buy seats halfway up on the 40 yard line for half the price you’d pay the VaTech ticket office for seats in the end zone.
I could go on, but that is a main dragging point. VaTech ticket office is still operating under the assumption that people can ONLY buy tickets through them, and that they don’t have to provide any customer friendly benefits to Hokie Club members in selling tickets. That’s not blaming Jim Weaver, that’s blaming VaTech ticket office and the Hokie Club for not addressing this issue, which has impacted bowl ticket sales for the last several years.
Comment by abdnva — December 13, 2011 @ 8:22 am
Unless a bowl game is sold out, fans without any seating priority from a school are better off in the secondary market. I’m a UVA fan and went to the Gator Bowl back in 2007. Had I bought tickets from UVA, I would have paid $50 plus per seat and would have been sitting in a corner of the end zone. On the day of the game I bought 3 club seats at the 45 yard line for $30 each. And I was still in a section with mostly UVA fans. Did the same thing in Miami a long time ago ($20 for club seats when tickets through the school were like $45 and in the end zone).
Comment by Danny — December 13, 2011 @ 8:27 am
One more comment on the lack of ‘official’ bowl ticket sales. Hey, Frank Beamer, give us an indication you plan on taking this game seriously and treating it as business, not pleasure, and we might be more enthusiastic, also.
Did you know that Beamer gets his full bonus for making a BCS game, and nothing more if he wins than if he loses? Nice negotiating on that point in your contract, Frank. The same is true for all of his assistant coaches. They make the same, win or lose.
I see where Beamer is encouraging people to buy tickets and donate them to military personnel in the New Orleans area. A very nice gesture, indeed. Especially if you have the funds to do that right here in the middle of the Christmas season. Frank even announced that to show his support, he had bought two tickets himself and donated them. Two tickets. Two $150 tickets. Frank Beamer gets a bonus well in excess of $50,000 for losing to Clemson but going to the Sugar Bowl. The primary reason the Sugar Bowl gave? Hokie fans showing up to support the team. So Frank Beamer uses part of his bonus to buy… two tickets.
One point of technicality, as part of his $2.4 million annual contract, Beamer gets free bowl tickets. If memory serves, the amount is either six or eight bowl tickets, free. I do not know if the two tickets Beamer is donating are ones he got free, or he actually bought.
But like Beamer says – Hokies, get out there and buy tickets through the VaTech ticket office, reserve hotel rooms, get airline tickets. Spend that money!
Comment by abdnva — December 13, 2011 @ 8:33 am
I cannot attend the game for one main reason. It falls mid-week right after the New Year. It’s not the price of the ticket or the airfare. It’s just impossible for me to take off from work right after the holiday. Too bad I don’t have a conference in NOLA that week.
Comment by Ted — December 13, 2011 @ 8:39 am
Still on my soapbox… The evolution of bowl games from mini-winter vacations into television events has changed what used to be the practice of New Year’s Day spent watching the biggest bowls, to a week long marathon of bowl games. Night after night, stretching the viewer totals for generating more ad revenue.
One can buy an excellent 40+ inch LCD TV for $600 and watch the bowl game in comfort at home. Just like the Super Bowl, make a big party of it with lots of friends. Then you can enjoy the TV for years to come, watching Hokie games. Or… you can spend $2000 annually to be a Golden Hokie, spend $1500 annually on football tickets and $1800 annually on basketball tickets to attend games. If you don’t live close enough to drive to the game and back, and need a hotel room, that’s more money to add to the total.
At some point, the emotional benefits become outweighed by the financial cost. Beamer and friends need to realize that.
Comment by abdnva — December 13, 2011 @ 8:45 am
with active kids in middle/high we can seldom get to reg season games, so usually go to bowls. not season ticket holder so always go off market to make sure we get them, and to get when excited about qualifying. not going this year because middle of week/travel time. kids back in school (no local family to help with them, and not excused absence). would be going if on weekend or during kids break.
Comment by eric — December 13, 2011 @ 8:48 am
Airfare has skyrocketed, in our area going from $440 on the announcement evening to $1360 as of today, for the same flight. We have a room, can get game tics, but who can afford the airfare. This increase in fares should be criminal!!!
Comment by Patrick — December 13, 2011 @ 8:49 am
My wife and I discussed going to the game. We’re willing to drive from Blacksburg, so that part didn’t rule it out. However, for my family, there are two factors: (1) the date of the game (our kids would have to miss three days of school for us to go), and (2) the location (New Orleans is a great destination for adults; it doesn’t work so well for middle school kids. For Orange Bowl trips, we were able to make detours at Disney and Kennedy Space Center.)
We pre-ordered bowl tickets to every game except the Independence Bowl (too close to Christmas), the Sun Bowl (travel cost), and the Orange Bowl (the date just doesn’t work). However, since Tech is playing in the Sugar Bowl, we’ve decided to take our money budgeted for a bowl game trip and take a family vacation instead.
The TV-oriented bowl schedule has ruined something that used to be a lot of fun for fans who went to the games. It’s turning me into one of those “just watch on TV types.”
Comment by Scott C — December 13, 2011 @ 9:03 am
I’ve had season tickets for over 10 years now, and have been going to most of the bowl games. While I’m a huge Tech supporter, and always will be, the cost of the bowl game is way too costly to see the same story and ending to all big games in the Beamer era.
Comment by HokieFan — December 13, 2011 @ 9:04 am
I am excited for the game..will not attend because of work. I have also been to New Orleans 4 times. Great city, but after my tenth walk down Bourbon Street it gets kinda old.
Comment by JR — December 13, 2011 @ 9:04 am
At the end of the Miami game in 2004, I remember 5 friends and I booked a flight and hotel for New Orleans as soon as Brock Berlin’s last 4th down pass hit the ground. It is by far my favorite bowl destination. However, that was 2 daughters ago – one just born in October and one who happens to turn 3 on January 3rd. My other friends have started families as well and it looks like we’ll all be sitting this one out. However, if I were going I would almost certainly use secondary ticket sites before ordering through the VTTO for all the reasons mentioned earlier (better price; better seat location).
Comment by Sloth — December 13, 2011 @ 9:08 am
Back in the day, when bowls were designed to be mini vacations on New Years Day, this Hokie went to all the bowl games and had a ball partying and spending money in the different bowl venues. Now bowls are designed to be prime time mid-week TV affairs. Apparently I am more valuable to them sitting in front of my TV watching commercials. Don’t blame me, I’m just doing what they want.
Comment by Phil — December 13, 2011 @ 9:16 am
i’ve traveled for close to a dozen big games (bowl games, acc championships, high-profile season openers) in the past 8 or 9 years, and we havent won half of them. i am a die-hard fan and hate to say it, but traveling and losing gets old, no matter who your team is. i’m not in my early twenties any more and have become more judicious with which big games i travel for now (not young and flying by the seat of my pants), and the mid-week factor plays a huge role. travel fatigue is inevitable, but we’re the only fanbase taking so much heat for it. i hope our team uses all this negativity as motivation to kick michigani ass!!
Comment by megan — December 13, 2011 @ 9:18 am
The sugar bowl executives don’t really care if the tickets are sold through the athletic ticket offices or the secondary market. They know that the seats will be filled at game time by Hokies and Wolverines. They know that the hotels, casinos, & bars will be filled in the days leading up to the game. I’ve been to a couple of bowls and I and anyone else who have been to bowls know that if you want good seats, use the secondary market. An example is the chick-fil-a bowl. (UVA fans, pay attention here…I know this bowl thing is foreign to you) Season ticket holders of the Falcons have tickets to that game included in their yearly package…they have the good seats. The Universities are stuck with the remainder of the seating and they are on the endzones or way up high. If you want a good seat, you need to buy from a secondary vendor or directly from a Falcons ticket holder.
Comment by stumpy — December 13, 2011 @ 9:20 am
In general, our fans have learned that they get much better seats (usually at a cheaper price) if they purchase from the open market rather than through the University – this is the case for any away game. The quality of the tickets usually available through the ticket office is problem #1.
The other huge problem this year is the Tuesday game. Move this game to Saturday, December 31st and I’ll bet that VT’s ticket office would have already sold out of tickets.
Comment by Andy — December 13, 2011 @ 9:26 am
Andy,
Here are the factors in my mind (you touched on several).
- Tickets are expensive if bought through the school ($120 up to $180)
- The date is a school and work day for most families coming off the holiday season. Kids are back in school and I know my office is ready to get cranked back up on Jan. 3rd after being mostly shut down between Christmas and New Year’s.
- Airline travel…have you seen the prices!! There was a time not long ago where you could fly to New Orleans from Richmond, Washington, DC. etc. for below $300 per ticket. That doesn’t seem to be the case right now.
- VT is reseating Lane Stadium next year and the benefits deadline is 12-31-11. Should I spend the $$ to go to the bowl game or look at giving more $$ to improve my season tickets for next year?
- The impact of the ACC Championship game travel and cost. For many, myself included, the ACC Championship game (in years that VT makes the game) carries much more importance than a bowl game. Not saying the SB isn’t important but many fans traveled and attended the ACC Champ game. With the holiday’s coming up people chose to spend their money on that game and forgo the bowl.
I also can’t harp enough about the date of the game. As ‘abdnva’ mentioned above Bowl games have changed from holiday season travel events to made for TV events. In tough economic times you have to make choices and losing vacation time on top of the high cost of attending a game in many cases greatly outweighs the benefit of actually attending the game.
Comment by Shane — December 13, 2011 @ 9:27 am
I purchased SB club tickets through the secondary market ($50 bucks higher than face per ticket) the night the bowl matchup was announced. I live in California and needed to plan my trip expeditiously. In hindsight, I could have waited for public tickets to go on sale, but I honestly didn’t think many good seats would be available after the HC members got first dibs.
Comment by Marshall Ferguson — December 13, 2011 @ 9:34 am
Why I am not going to the Sugar Bowl
After attending every bowl game, I stopped going after the 2007 Orange Bowl disaster against Kansas. Why? Frankly, I was tired of spending a ton of money on games that the coaches seemed to never have the team ready for. I hate to sound like a fair weather fan, but Frank Beamer’s coaching staff + national stage + big game + neutral site + quality opponent equals a Hokie disaster a large majority of the time. I was sick and angry after the Kansas loss.
This year, I got the same feeling after the Clemson loss in the ACC Championship Game. Walking out of the stadium with 14 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the streets were filled with upset Hokie fans walking out with me. It was déjà vu – the Kansas game again.
Frank Beamer is a great coach. Unfortunately his record on big games against other conferences speaks for itself. I just don’t see the current Hokie coaching staff, specifically on offense, having the capability of getting the team up for these big games, putting the game plans together and adjusting in game as needed to change this reputation.
I will always support the Hokies and if we win will yell as load as anyone. Unfortunately after many years of spending a lot of money and getting bad end zone seating only to watch a poorly prepared Hokie team lose to another conference, I am just simply burned out as a traveling bowl supporter. I will save the money and have a great bowl watching party at home instead.
Comment by avtfan — December 13, 2011 @ 9:44 am
First off, people that blame the results of Tech in bowl games – those people probably were stretching it to go to begin with, in terms of affordability to them, because if the amount of fun you have is about the win/loss, and not the destination you are going to, and the company you keep, you probably need to assess your outlook on things.
For me, I’ve been to New Orleans 3x, and have no desire to go back unless we are playing in the Big One. I’ve walked in the urine and vomit of Bourbon Street enough to know, it ain’t all that. This destination means zip to me.
The mid-week stuff needs to stop. The only ones of those that work are the ones between Christmas and New Year’s. That is a week many take off, or are willing to take off.
If bowls want to flourish in the stands, they need to select better days of the week. However, the TV money is better to have your own slot, on a Wednesday, or whatever day, so I don’t see that changing.
Semi-related to the secondary market issue, the face value of tickets is getting ridiculous. That is a primary reason people will not buy from a school, or from the bowl directly. They aren’t willing to be soaked any longer. $150+ for a football game is absurd.
The bowls have this neat setup, the extortion of tickets from two schools, so they feel they can set prices unreasonably high.
The lack of sales, particularly from a school like Tech, with an extraordinary travel reputation, is simply another sign that the sports bubble is bursting. People have had enough of high ticket prices, high player (in the pros) and coaches salaries, and are content to watch it in HDTV at home.
The bowls need to look around – look at another loyal fanbase – NASCAR, and what is happening to it. You can’t keep jacking prices up. People will stay home. Empty venues abound in all sports.
For the past few bowls, I’ve bought secondary. Why pay $160 (Orange Bowl) for a ticket that is lousy when I can sit mid-field, upper deck, first row for $30?
There will be plenty of Tech people there – they just aren’t buying from the ticket office. It has been that way for the last half dozen years. People just now want to make a big deal out of it, due to Tech’s questionable selection.
The Sugar Committee knew what they were doing. Those people are local business owners that want the Hokie Nation to stop by and see them, in THEIR businesses, screw the number of tickets they buy through the university. Those people aren’t stupid.
Comment by Rick H. — December 13, 2011 @ 9:48 am
Andy, I’d just like to echo Earl K and abdnva’s comments, because I think that they are among the top reasons why ticket sales are slow:
1. Tickets through the VTTO are not only expensive, they’re usually BAD seats. I’d be willing to pay the exorbitant VTTO prices if it at least got me decent seats. But even as a golden hokie I usually get craptacular corner/endzone seats at bowl games.
2. I’m tired of spending $1500+ to travel to bowl and other neutral-site games only to watch us show up unprepared, get out-coached and out-worked on the field, and lose far more often than we should. I’m putting that money (and time off) towards a real vacation instead (and I say this as someone who has been to all three previous Sugar Bowls in which VT played, along with numerous other bowls since ’93). If that makes me spoiled as a fan, then so be it, but I’m voting with my wallet regardless.
Comment by jeff — December 13, 2011 @ 10:04 am
Obviously, News Years day falling on NFL Sunday doesn’t help TV scheduling, but, it really shows how out of touch the BCS, Bowls and the networks are to everyday life of the fans. Thousands of families become “lost customers” when a bowl game is scheduled on a weeknight once kids are back in school and most of America is back to work. The sweet spot of travel is missed. Telling my financial Advisor (my wife) that I bought expensive VTTO tickets and then sold for a huge loss on stubhub is icing on the cake.
Comment by alphahokie — December 13, 2011 @ 10:14 am
We are going, but we are at the stage where we are able to do this mid week. We bought our tickets through VT, but we know lots that never order through the school. Many of the younger people have limited vacation time, and this eats up several of those precious days. I also think having a champtionship game has affected bowl attendance.We know many that use that as their bowl, it is lots of fun and relatively close for many people. There are alot that just cannot afford to do both. The disparaging comments incessantly coming from the sports media has not helped in my opinion. Kind of ruined the anticipation.
Comment by Cary McGann — December 13, 2011 @ 10:15 am
I went to NO with the school in 05 and loved it so I’m going back with friends. I purchased great seats through VTTO. I didn’t think I’d get such great seats but we’ll be right above the players bench. The big reason I was shopping the secondary market was because we didn’t think we’d get good seats after the Hokie Club ordered. I am shocked they did not purchase more tickets. I have family in Atl and don’t particularly like the area so I wouldn’t have gone to that game, even though we could drive and stay with family. I wouldn’t go back to FL. Every time we went it was cold and cloudy and expensive.
So despite the excuses we need to show up. Local alumni associations are starting to organize their trips. I never considered riding a bus but for $200 per person we are hoping enough people sign up (Charlotte Alumni Association). I’ve received no ads or emails though about any alumni trips. I suspect it’s just slow and will be coming?
Comment by GoHokies — December 13, 2011 @ 10:21 am
Andy,
One additional point regarding the secondary market. The host city for the National Championship requires individuals who buy tickets to the NC (through the venue’s box office) to also buy a ticket to the non-NC BCS game that is also occuring at that venue. Therefore, when LSU and Bama fans are buying tickets to the NC through the Superdome box office, they must purchase a ticket to the sugar bowl. These tickets are immeidately dumped onto the secondary market providing a much larger supply of good seats (as compared to the universities) at deflated prices. This happened at the Orange Bowl last year as well.
Josh
Comment by Josh — December 13, 2011 @ 10:23 am
Obtained tickets thru private party. Unfortunately the teams seem to receive the less desirable tickets from the Bowls. The preferred tickets are reserved for the local market. VT fans have learned this thru frequent experience with the various bowls. Definitely the perception, may not be accurate.
Comment by E. B. King — December 13, 2011 @ 10:25 am
The date is horrible.I have to pay someone to work for me and would lose min 2 days from work , plus inflated airfare,plus workload willbe huge coming off 2 consecutive Monday holidays.All of the points above are valid, but particularly for those buying on sec. market they can get better tickets by not going through school.You would think if schoo required to buy 17.5K tickets, they woulg get majority of best tickets.
Their needs to be some consideration for fans in this bad economy- for the record, the Chick Filet has a great date yearin and year out
Comment by Petr — December 13, 2011 @ 10:32 am
We are going and I bought my Tickets from Stubhub. I assume that all bowl bound schools are alloted the same sections (endzone, upper deck, crap seats). I believe corp. spon. and season ticket holders (for given venue [Saints Fans]) have the right to the best seats first. I just can’t justify spending $2000 for a trip and have crap seats. The VTTo made a mistake by not offering to the general public day one.
I’m a Golden Hokie and get endzone seats or even upper deck.
Go Hokies
Comment by flipp2hokie — December 13, 2011 @ 10:39 am
I am sick of the bowl system. There would be a college fb play-off if it weren’t for the bowls influence over coaches and administrators. So, to enrich a few bowl executives, football fans are held hostage. I say boycott all bowls.
Comment by Mike Boyer — December 13, 2011 @ 10:45 am
Andy, I think the reason for poor bowl ticket sales are many, but one key reason is the extra ACC championship game that many Hokies went to in Dec. Now there is no time or money left for the bowl. I think this is a problem for all conferences that have the extra championship game. Note that Michigan did NOT play that extra game and their last game was over a month ago. Also, the VT ticket office and athletic administration screwed this up by not allowing all people to buy tickets, Weaver has many excuses but most are ” hot air “. Can you imagine a playoff system where away fans have to travel and buy tickets and travel stuff for 3 or 4 games ?? just to get to the championship game ?? We are approaching the point of saturation for the fans and money needed to support the athletic program.
Comment by Tom — December 13, 2011 @ 10:50 am
There is no way anybody can tell me spending my money on gas, meals, and hotels are justified in watching VT play in New Orleans. There’s no way anybody can tell me spending money out of the nose to pay for extorted price to put my butt in whatever stadium to watch VT play. It’s cost effective, smart, and more enjoyable to stay at home where the fire in the woodstove, wonderful company, and HDTV will keep me warm and comfortable.
The BCS is out to make money and they are not out to award true national champions. I don’t care what people will say, the BCS are robbing the government with tax-free status when they rake in millions from TV ads, eyeballs, and gullible folks following their beloved team to the bowl games.
I call upon Congress to exercise their Constitutional power to levy taxes upon the BCS and shut it down for good.
Comment by Trevor — December 13, 2011 @ 10:51 am
We have gone to several Bowl games now and generally go on stub-hub to get our tickets like many others have posted. However this year we decided to try VT again, with that said, as of today we still don’t know where our seats are and won’t until sometime after Friday. Our friends however waited until Tech opened the tickets to the public and not only were allowed to see where their seats where, but got to pick them out as well( and got great seats!at a lower rate than we have paid). I’m very upset by this. If our seats are worse than theirs then we will be sending a formal complaint to VT. I don’t understand how it’s fair for the public to know their seats before donors do.
Comment by hokiegrl4vt — December 13, 2011 @ 11:15 am
I think that the proxy thing is good but how about we use it for the military and Charities in and round the new river valley. Lets send fans from here and not but tickets for people in New Orleans. How about Tech buying some of the 7,000 left over tickets with all the money they have been making from fans over the years and give them away on local radio station contest or they could even give them away themselves. Tech fans have been going to a bowl game year after year. How about Tech give back and give away free tickets. Oh wait that would take away from Bryan Sprigtsteens pocket and we all know how much we need him. We had 2 record breaking SR wr’s, David Wilson who is a 1st or 2nd round draft pick and 4 Sr. O-Linemen but yet we got destroyed by Clemson twice. This team should have been unbeaten and playing LSU. Why would I want to spend a couple thousand to go watch our OC make bad play calling again? When we get a real OC our talent will be seen and we will be playing for the NAtional Championship….Well at least if we do it before Bud Foster leaves. Thank you Bud Foster for all you do with such young players. I am sorry for the great players we have that Frank thinks he has the right OC. So you need a reason why ticket sales are not flying? I love my Hokies but once again we will stink on offense because of our OC and lose to Michigan 35-10. Maybe on day the real Tech fans will rise with the rest of us that say we need a new OC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Kirk Davis — December 13, 2011 @ 11:16 am
Something that doesn’t get mentioned in this discussion about bowl attendance is the anemic structure of the Hokie Club. Why don’t the VaTech ticket office and Hokie Club do a better job of working together to provide charter trips to bowl destinations and significant away games? I know there are a pittance of offerings, but they are all either so overloaded with profit taking grabs by the travel agencies or are so inadequately organized that you wonder if you’ll even make it there and back.
It really seems like VaTech athletics still doesn’t grasp how to compete in today’s environment. It’s such a 1950′s mentality, and so ‘small school’, it amazes me.
Comment by abdnva — December 13, 2011 @ 11:18 am
Embarrassed…but bought tickets anyway thru VT. Agree with all previous reasons for poor ticket sales but finishing the season on a high would have sold all of the tickets. Don’t like being embarrassed going to New Orleans with my head down. Based on past history and the Clemson game I fully expect to lose and probably be embarrassed again. When 2 teams have similar talent the game comes down to the scheme (coaching) ie. Clemson, Stanford, Boise State, etc. Notice Clemson’s offense forcing Hokies to defend the entire field. One Hokie cornerback forced to make an open field tackle time after time to prevent a big gain. When poor David Wilson got the ball he was faced with 5-6 defenders and nowhere to go. As a high school offensive back or lineman looking to showcase my talents, I would avoid Va Tech and if I were David Wilson I would break for the NFL before the same old stale Hokie offensive scheme gets him killed. Been with Beamer from the get-go but am resolved to the fact that that space in the trophy case will set empty until we both are long gone. Clemson is a clear example of how an offensive coordinator can quickly affect a program.
Comment by Beamer Classmate — December 13, 2011 @ 11:41 am
Two main reasons:
Firstly, you’re looking at over $2000 PER PERSON for the whole package of flying out of Roanoke, accommodations, ticket purchase, meals and spending money down in the Big Easy…that’s a lot of dough to shell out right after the Xmas season.
Secondly, a lot of us loyal Hokie fans are getting really tired of spending big bucks only to watch Tech keep getting blown out in big ball games. This seems to be a trend that’s happening far too often now.
I will be cheering on the Hokies in front of my new big screen plasma.
Comment by Victor — December 13, 2011 @ 11:50 am
Sounds like the Tech ticket office needs to recognize they have to see these tickets in a competitive market. They are not the only ticket source. Tech should also discount tickets to those that buy tickets the first couple of weeks after the bowl announcement.
Comment by arthur — December 13, 2011 @ 12:00 pm
Kirk Davis, if you were a “real” Tech fan like you claim to be, then you’d know our OC hasn’t been calling the plays all season long, the QB coach Mike O’Cain has. But I agree the proxy tickets should go to local fans, not fans in New Orleans.
The real problem, as others have said, is that the schools are getting killed by the secondary market. The reality is you can get better seats for half the price of buying through the school. VT and the bowl system in general need to figure this out. Fans are willing to travel, but they’re not willing to spend double the money for lousy seats. At the very least the bowls should give the best seats to the schools first, but I guess the bowls have all the leverage there and its better for their wallets if they save the best seats for themselves.
Oh, and winning some of these bowls would also help VT’s cause. Yes getting to all these bowls year after year is great, but paying this kind of money to see your team lose 3/4ths of the time eventually takes its toll.
Comment by VTfan0582 — December 13, 2011 @ 12:13 pm
hokiegrl4vt has a very valid point. This speaks to what I said earlier – VaTech athletics – including VT ticket office & Hokie Club – has an antiquated approach toward the Hokie fanbase. Loyal Hokie Club members who bought tickets through the ticket office had to blindly accept wherever they were assigned seats. People who bought from other sources online could immediately know the seat locations. Even the general public could buy seats through the ticket office and know where they were located. But the most loyal, the most generous financially, the longest suffering Hokies couldn’t.
And VT athletics thinks this is a good way to treat the fan base?
Comment by abdnva — December 13, 2011 @ 12:28 pm
Having read several of the comments, I believe you have a good number of very real explanations as to why VT has not sold its allotment: relative cost of tickets to other sources, location of seats, lateness of availability of VTTO tickets to the public, etc. There is another reason as to why I am not buying tickets to the game from any source. As a VT alumnus and football fan, I am tired of travelling to big games and losing…plain and simple. If you remove the ACC Championship success that VT has had, this year not withstanding, there has been little success in big games. I define big games, in this case, as bowl games, ‘pre-season’ games, and games against top 10 teams. This is not meant to be a knock on the players or even really the coaches, but the fact is the success level in these games has been nominal…at best. There is nothing worse than taking your time and spending your money to go to one of these games and your team loses.
Comment by Greg K — December 13, 2011 @ 12:30 pm
abdnva has hit the nail on the head. Beamer does not take bowl games seriously, he said as much a few years ago when stating that bowl games are a reward for the players so they should have fun. His statement was reinforced when a couple of key players got hurt riding jet skis while the Kansas team was knocking heads on the practice field and got to celebrate all winter instead just for bowl week. All the other arguments are good ones, especially about midweek games and the economy, and accurate but Beamer needs to show the fans that he cares about winning the big games as much as he does winning 10 a year over Marshal, East Carolina and the like.
Comment by Steve — December 13, 2011 @ 12:42 pm
Agree with you CBC. Every time Wilson got the ball in the 2nd half of Clemson game he was surrounded by 4 tacklers. No doubt the same thing will happen in New Orleans. A great kid and for him to make those post game comments should tell somebody something. Bet you $10,000 it won`t. Wait, that`s someone else`s line. Anyway, had he been with an Oregon, Okla. St, ect the past 3 years I will bet you he would have been in New York last Saturday night.
Comment by Ralph — December 13, 2011 @ 12:49 pm
I live in Chicago, plan on driving to NO (with a New Year’s Eve stop at the Peabody in Memphis) and I bought all my tickets from the school. I will add two more causes — the general economy and the “Sugar Bowl surprise. Fans believed the Hokies were either in the Orange or Chik-fil-A,and had made their decisions about bowl attendance long before the announcement. I had decided not to go to the Orange if that were the destination — been there already multiple times, spent a lot of money and it is not a great bowl atmosphere. The Chik, however, is one of the best bowls out there and I was ready after the Clemson loss. The King of Bowls is the Sugar Bowl, however, and I will never get tired of going to NO for a football game. I also believe guaging fan attendance on “allotments” is the wrong metric. After 19 straight bowls, the current crop of Hokie Fans know how to get the best seats at the lowest price, and that’s how they buy their tickets. I am predicting 20,000 Hokies minimum on Jan. 3 in NO, even though we may actually sell 10K through the school.
Comment by Craig Nesbit — December 13, 2011 @ 12:51 pm
Reason for poor ticket says at VT. The VT Ticket Office screwed up, plain and simple, by not including all the BCS games on the ticket order form like they have in previus years.
Once I received the bowl ticket order form back in early November, I joked with several friends that this would be the year we would lose the ACC Champ game and get an at-large invite. And then the ticket office would be scrambling to get ticket orders done. Guess what happened, the perfect nightmare for Jim Weaver and Sandy Smith. Now they were stuck with a full week to try to get season ticket holders and hokie club members orders in before releasing to the general public.
I’m driving to the game, but I’m assuming that starting Sunday night folks were securing flights and hotel reservations but didnt know if 1)they were high enough in the hokie club to get tickets 2)there would be any tickets left after that first week of pre orders. So everyone started to look in the secondary market to make sure they had a ticket before booking the $500-800 flight. Next thing you know its mid-week and there are rummors that the ticket office is not going to sell all of its tickets through pre-orders but these folks have already secured tickets elsewere.
So by not including the Sugar Bowl option on the form due on Nov 18th, I think they lost out on a lot of people who were willing to buy through the ticket office but found other avenues. Not saying they would have sold out the full 17,500 by now, but even an extra 1,000-2,000 tickets would help.
Comment by WildTurkeyMan101 — December 13, 2011 @ 12:57 pm
I am a die hard TECH fan, but I am getting a little sick of seeing TECH go to big games (ACC Champonship, BCS Bowls) etc and get blown out. I think Beamer’s salry should depend on how his team does in the bowl games. Loose, less money, Loose bad, no money, Win, more money. I think the coaches at Tech just look at the bowl games as a free paid vacation. I told my son before tickets went on sale that sooner or later Tech fans would get tired of spending a ton of money only to watch them get blown out by usually a less talented team. On paper I think Tech should beat Michigan, but in reality I don’t think it will happen. After all these years of hoping I guess I have lost hope!!
Comment by John — December 13, 2011 @ 1:16 pm
We have been to most of the post season games (and preseason games) since 2006. Because of the economy we decided this year to go to a bowl game only if we could drive. Even so we considered going to the Sugar Bowl but cost tickets, air, lodging were too expensive. A Tuesday game makes a short post-holiday work week even more hectic, not to mention the kids would miss high school classes and athletic events.
we have usually bought our tickets online and paid only a few dollars more for club level seats as VT season ticket holders have paid for the upper decks and end zone corners.
Comment by Mike — December 13, 2011 @ 1:27 pm
Andy, if you have already answered this, then I apologize. My question is this… does the VTTO have any say in the price of the tickets that they sell to bowl games? I know that they don’t get to choose where the allotment of tickets that they sell are located, but I’m not sure whether or not the VTTO has any say on the pricing.
Comment by hokie24 — December 13, 2011 @ 1:34 pm
The only problem with giving the tickets to local fans is they still have to pay travel and lodging expenses. The tickets are the easiest thing to afford. If you can afford the travel and hotels, most likely you can afford a ticket.
Comment by justafan — December 13, 2011 @ 2:35 pm
Why would I EVER buy tickets from VTTO? I haven’t yet!! I have went to three bowl games. I haven’t spent more than $30 yet! The big thing for me will be gas. Me and a buddy would split gas, so figure about $150 for gas and tickets each. Then there is the matter of lodging. I have done a non-stop Orange Bowl and back, but the Big Easy is another matter. Now we can certainly stay far enough away to get cheap rooms. I am thinking I can do it for $250 per person. Still that is a lot for me to just burn right now.
As to bowl destination, if you want to walk and have fun, NO is it. In south Florida, you have to drive to do anything. There IS a scenic Wal Mart right at the OB. I really want to go, I just don’t know IF I can go. Besides, we aren’t the desired traveling fan. We come, see the game, and leave. To put it in perspective, we did the OB in less than 48 hours from Salem, there, and back……driving. It is going to depend on how I feel, my finances, and my friend’s work schedule.
Comment by David In Salem — December 13, 2011 @ 2:58 pm
A lot of excuses.
Two reasons:
1. The economy sucks.
2. The team is overrated and the fans are tired of being embarrassed.
Comment by dave — December 13, 2011 @ 3:13 pm
To me the biggest factor is the ACC Championship game. It’s hard to find the time (bowl game requires the use of vacation time) and the money to attend both, so my choice will always be the game that has ACC implications rather then a glorified exhibition game that is the current BCS bowl system.
Comment by Hummer — December 13, 2011 @ 3:32 pm
We have purchased 5 tickets through the VTTO for my son, his wife, and friends. My husband and I would love to go, but he is currently hospitalized. I have to agree that you can get better seats through other venues. We require wheelchair/companion seating and that is much better purchased directly from the bowl’s ticket office. New Orleans is one of our favorite cities, and we will miss it. GO HOKIES!!!!!
Comment by Alyann — December 13, 2011 @ 3:37 pm
“…Yes getting to all these bowls year after year is great, but paying this kind of money to see your team lose 3/4ths of the time eventually takes its toll…”
But VT hasn’t lost 3/4th of their bowl games, and has actually won 2 of the last 3…
Comment by hokie24 — December 13, 2011 @ 3:38 pm
Economy sucks!
Comment by Richard Newton — December 13, 2011 @ 3:40 pm
Mont. Co. Public Schools is also (slightly) to blame for this…. It happens every year, but is worse when we have a New Year’s Day Bowl or later. School starts back on January 2nd. My entire family wanted to go, but 2 of my children would miss exam prep and my wife is a teacher. She can not ask off for days attached to a break. I bet there are close to 500 total people (out of the NRV) who will not be traveling due to this conflict.
How about moving the opening back to the 5th or later each year, MCPS? After all, Hokie Football (and Coach Beamer) is the single largest economic driver in the NRV over the last 25 years. Help them out a little….
Comment by Steve — December 13, 2011 @ 3:42 pm
Really Kirk Davis. It’s the OC’s fault? Bud Foster was awesome both times against Clemson and every bowl game they play in, but it’s the OC’s fault. Interesting. I bet Bud’s power defense gives up 35+ to Michigan.
Comment by Uptheriver — December 13, 2011 @ 3:49 pm
I hate to be the one to break it to you Kirk but Mike O’Cain calls the plays now, not Stienspring.
Comment by Mike Eads — December 13, 2011 @ 3:56 pm
The reason we’re not going? I’ve gotta pony up for my season tickets 3 months earlier than I normally do….any $$ that I have will be going towards that, not NOLA.
AND…..it’s not just tickets, it’s the whole experience that is too pricey…and a Tuesday game is just waaaay awkward.
Comment by HokieGirl — December 13, 2011 @ 4:03 pm
Go Maize and Blue. Beat the Hokies.
Comment by old bllue — December 13, 2011 @ 4:09 pm
People want to enjoy themselves when they go away. I’m tired of seeing VT unprepared and lose big game after big game and have the painful experience of seeing the other teams fan’s with smiles on their faces at the airport the next day. Been there, done that at least 5 times now… Sorry would rather spend the 2k in the islands in March !
Comment by john — December 13, 2011 @ 4:22 pm
I’m a real VT fan and have been to several bowls, including the Sugar. Many of these comments are correct. Tickets through VT are the worst. I quit buying thru VT years ago. If I am going to a bowl game, I want to see it from a good seat, not on the jumbotron. I can watch TV at home. Not going to NO this year however, due to the economy. Cant afford it. Hopefully next year will be better and I can travel again.
Comment by Randy — December 13, 2011 @ 4:23 pm
I will be attending bowl game with three other friends.We purchased tickets thru tech,but I know others going who did not.My daughter and son are tech graduates and would like to go to game.However,both parents work and have children in school.Missing three days work and three days of school hard for young families.
Comment by Joe Chase — December 13, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
Why would anyone want to pay such exorbitant fees to see the Hokies humiliated once again?
Comment by Cameron — December 13, 2011 @ 5:00 pm
The Hokie nation fans are loyal and do have a great reputation for supporting our football team. It seems that the university should consider selling the tickets at a competitive price similar to the secondary outlets such as Stub Hub. Loyalty works both ways and perhaps it’s time for the university to give a break back to it’s fan base. There’s still time to turn this around and for the university to sell all their tickets if they are willing to make some changes to how they sell tickets.
Comment by Mike — December 13, 2011 @ 5:26 pm
we need to win sum of these big games plain and simple and continue to be the the underachievers tht the hokies have become and alot of times we are straight up being outcoached honestly for example im watchn acc championship game and we dont use davis to stretch da field against ablitzing defense we are using coale and boykin on go routes who are far from speedsters and brent musburger and herbstreit pointed it out herbstreits like hes 6ft 3 225 wit great speed and 41 inch vertical throw the ball and let go make a play and we never tried to use him til it was a blowout and ppl are tired of seeing ths lack of preparation by our coaching staff we lost several bowl games we coulda easily won most times being to conservative like the georgia game a few yrs back up 21 zip and halftime and we come out three straight possesions after halftime run up da middle on 1st and 2nd down and then when had to throw they were waitn on it ppl are gettn tired of ths bullcrap realtalk jus keepn it real!!!!!!!!!
Comment by kenneth burnett — December 13, 2011 @ 8:02 pm
The season ticket holders that buy their bowl tix on the open market instead of from VT will get their hands slapped when the Lane Stadium seat reassignment happens this year.
Comment by Dude — December 13, 2011 @ 8:43 pm
Sports writers who don’t actually buy a lot of tickets, get out your calculator. Hokie club donation $2500 to 5k. season FB tickets (4) approx $1300. ACCCG trip, approx 600 – $1000. Bowl game $1500, add in two (driving) away games during season, another $500 mininum. Basketball season ticket application arrives early fall and is due mid fall. Another $1200. Late fall, another letter is received to remind club members to up their donation by December 31st. Fans who are committed to their alma mater, no matter the college,and spend b/w 5-10k alreay want to save a little money by year’s end. After all the kids need to eat and Mom needs a nice Christmas. If momma ain’t, nobody’s happy.
Comment by platinumhokie — December 13, 2011 @ 11:43 pm
It’s the economy, stupid!
Comment by awildstrawberry — December 14, 2011 @ 6:24 pm
Does anyone know of a source to see how much money a given bowl game bring in and where it goes? This is getting pretty ridiculous.
-They sell tickets to a school at an above-market price.
-The school tries to pawn them off to fans at the same above-market price.
-Any tickets the school cannot sell are subsidized by the conference (which is funded by this school and 11 others).
-From the school’s portion, bonuses are paid to the coaches (and AD/other athletic admin employees?).
-The school pays for chartered flights and nice lodging for coaches’ families, AD’s family (other athletic admin employees’ families?), and school president’s family (other university admin employees’ families?). I think the whole group is generally there for a full week.
I’d be curious to see how much money the school nets from this thing, after bonuses and perks are paid for all of the outreached hands. If the answer is “not much,” then who is continuing to sign off on this not-very-profitable (unprofitable?) idea from a school perspective (president? AD?).
If, as I suspect, these bowls are more beneficial to Steger/Weaver/Beamer/coaches than “Virginia Tech,” this needs to be exposed.
Comment by Jonathan — December 14, 2011 @ 8:10 pm
Okay some thoughts on the comments that have been posted.
-Va Tech is not hurting for money so buy some of those tickets and give them to the soldiers that just returned from overseas to the Christiansburg area.
-Beamer gives his tickets to family that travels with him everywhere. Roanoke Times did an article on this a couple of years ago.
-Beamer must go? We need a new OC? The joke was back in the early 90′s that all dirt roads lead to Blacksburg. We need to appreciate what we have. Any insider can tell you horror stories of having to recruit against the SEC. Personally I would rather not sale my soul just to see my Hokies win a national title. Paved roads are just fine with me.
-Sadly it is a business and we are taking a hit but you push the Sugar Bowl back to New Years Day and watch the tickets fly out. But Corporate Sponsors don’t care about that. Technically for the Sugar Bowl all tickets are already sold out. It’s a win win for those guys.
-Lastly I was looking forward to Atlanta. Now I hope that Beamer and Co rally the troops and shut folks up with a statement win
Go Tech!
Comment by jhm — December 14, 2011 @ 10:10 pm
JHM: No, Beamer doesn’t need to go if you want to stay at the mediocre level. But you are not going to win any big games with this staff in place; they cannot think outside the box. The Tech fans get worked up every year, thinking this is the year that it is going to be different. But you know the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
Comment by Jarod — December 15, 2011 @ 8:23 am