After reading many of the pages (but not all), I still thought the first quote here was the most relevant...and thought that the answer was something of a non sequiter.
Section 12 - 30 years at $100
- Thread starter cyclone79
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After reading many of the pages (but not all), I still thought the first quote here was the most relevant...and thought that the answer was something of a non sequiter.
I dunno about the tickets are cheap argument. I just spent more on my tickets for 2008 than I did for my 2008 property taxes, so I don't think we can really say it is cheap for 18 hrs of entertainment. Compute it out and that is $138/hr.
As an FYI to you...USF has recently become quite large in number of students but a significant number are of the "commuter" variety which is a little different than ISU. Additionally, I would guarantee you that ISU has more living alumni than USF...probably by a very large margin. Lastly, why is a pro stadium a luxury? Because they only have to pay rent? The reality is that their FB attendance is pathetic.
This would be an interesting post for the "Heavy Handed" thread, as a counterpoint to those who are questioning the dismissal of the previous football coach...
Dang...For that kind of money I better get a live in 21 year Blonde nanny that does more than watch the kids.
300 x 52 = 15600
260 x 52 = 13500
Total for 2 small kids = $29,150
I really hope the cost of living salary is higher in Colorado. I know I have a friend from San Fran and he always brags about how much he makes (Double what I make) But everything is double the cost of what I pay. (see above) That is crazy.
About the whole money thing.
People don't have a right to tell others how to spend their money.
BUT....The thread was started by someone stating that its now too expensive to go to any games. So some people are right by saying that it is too expensive to stay in his current seat, while others are right by saying you can still pay the same or less and move a section over. You also have the option of not being a national cyclone club member and sitting on the hill.
The easiest thing to do if you are short on cash is too just get hillside and put your kids up to 8th grade in the lil cyclone club.
You and your wife with 2 kids can go to ALL the games for $296.
That is why I don't like the "I'm not going anymore" attitude.
Take a look:
Regular Price: $350*
Faculty/Staff (limit of 2): $300*
Letterwinners Club (limit of 2): $300*
Cy's Pack (sect. 1, 2, 17, 18, A, B, K, L): $195
Varsity (Ages 20-29, must be 29 before 8/1/08, limit of 2): $195
End Zone: $125 (on sale May 14 pending availability)
ISU Students: $125
Hillsides: $99
Lil Clone Club (8th grade & below): $49
I've been paying roughly $26,000 per year for day care for the past 4 years. I can't WAIT for the day when both kids are in school. Maybe I will go through with buying season tix for football and basketball at that point.
I hear you. I was paying another 6,000 on top of mine current, but my oldest is in good ol public school now. I don't know how people have more than 3 kids now a days.
I agree that money is only a part of the solution. But the UNI comparison isn't really valid. They are not recruiting against big-time programs. If you look at them, a majority of their most talented players are transfers from BCS schools. And a lot of these kids would not have even given ISU the time of day. Basically if the rule wasn't in place to allow those kids to play immediately at 1AA, UNI's talent level would drop like a rock.
Yeah, if you can find a coach that can spot talent and develop it, you are going to do well. Just watch the NFL draft and see how many small school kids are drafted. BUT, you still need money to be able to keep the coach once he's successful. And of course, if he is THAT good at sniffing out talent, other programs are going to follow him and poach recruits. So, you need the facilities to compete against them
Bottom line for me is either you are part of the solution or part of the problem. I see no reason why EVERY Cyclone fan shouldn't be at least at the Century level in the NCC.
As others have mentioned, you can't grow the program if people aren't willing to grow. If everyone who was ever a donor had locked in their contributions at whatever level they were 30 years ago and not adjusted for inflation, we'd be a D1AA school, if that.
You don't go to the car dealer and insist on only paying what a new car was worth 30 years ago for a 2008 model, even if the 1978 (holy crap I'm going to be 30 this year!) model did the same basic stuff as the 2008 model. Times change, and life moves on. You can still get a used car for the price of a new 1978 car, but it's not going to be a brand spanking new 2008 model.
At the end of the day, ISU football IS a business. You can make it personal, just like people make other companies personal (Apple, for instance), but they exist to make money, in the case of ISU to support growth as well as the other non-revenue sports.
If ISU athletics is to grow, it needs more money. Period. Your 100 dollars a year is worth 5x less towards that goal that the person that will be sitting in those seats now. That's life. It stinks. You can have sour grapes about it, or you can suck it up and move over a section or two and still support ISU football, which is why you're there in the first place, right?
NOTE: The "suck it up" comment is not implying that anyone should or shouldnt' spend money in any way they do or do not see fit. You can obviously keep the donation level the same, but you're not going to get the same seats. If that value proposition isn't worth it to you, then so be it, but that's simply the way it is.
You don't go to the car dealer and insist on only paying what a new car was worth 30 years ago for a 2008 model, even if the 1978 (holy crap I'm going to be 30 this year!) model did the same basic stuff as the 2008 model. Times change, and life moves on. You can still get a used car for the price of a new 1978 car, but it's not going to be a brand spanking new 2008 model.
At the end of the day, ISU football IS a business. You can make it personal, just like people make other companies personal (Apple, for instance), but they exist to make money, in the case of ISU to support growth as well as the other non-revenue sports.
If ISU athletics is to grow, it needs more money. Period. Your 100 dollars a year is worth 5x less towards that goal that the person that will be sitting in those seats now. That's life. It stinks. You can have sour grapes about it, or you can suck it up and move over a section or two and still support ISU football, which is why you're there in the first place, right?
NOTE: The "suck it up" comment is not implying that anyone should or shouldnt' spend money in any way they do or do not see fit. You can obviously keep the donation level the same, but you're not going to get the same seats. If that value proposition isn't worth it to you, then so be it, but that's simply the way it is.
Agree, if you include the preseason games. I would venture to say that the $125 endzone seats are better than the $250 seats at the top few rows in the corners at the Metrodome for the Vikings.
Ten Vikings games for $250 is $25 per game (if you include the two preseason games) Cyclones cost $21 per game.
For Cy's Pack it is $32.50 per game. A comparable seat at the Metrodome would cost you $690 for a season ticket or $69 per game. The $350 Cyclone tickets in non donor areas would be $58.34 per game.
The most expensive Viking season tickets are $1,230 or $123 per game.
Just like anywhere, it all comes down to the big bucks get the best seats.
Saying that Cyclone tickets are more expensive than ANY season ticket in the NFL is an overstatement of fact. There are cheaper ticket options for all teams.
There might be some people who are just coming on the scene who are willing to pony up the bucks to get better seats. Why sell the seats ridiculously cheap to a guy who has sat there for years paying very little when there is someone who is willing to pay much more? It is a matter of choice. I consider the tailgating to part of the whole gameday experience and entertainment value. ALL seats are good seats. And a person shouldn't feel ashamed if they can't afford the best seats. Buy something cheaper. Don't leave the cheaper sections for the Fusker Fans. They will buy them up.
basically EVERYTHING costs more than it did 30 years ago. FACT. I have no problem with giving more money to Iowa State...I'd rather give it there then to the government.
I'm still a season ticket holder but the bottom line is it is MUCH easier to pony up on price increases when the team is winning than when the light at the end of the tunnel is not so bright at the moment. Both the basketball and football programs have a long ways to go to get to where everyone wants them to be and it will be a lot easier then than now to justify ticket price increases when you have a quality program to sell.
Its a tough time right now, what happens in the next 2 years could very well make or break the potential that Jamie is trying to tap into.
Its a tough time right now, what happens in the next 2 years could very well make or break the potential that Jamie is trying to tap into.
According to this calculator: CPI Inflation Calculator
The 100 dollar donation in 1978 equates to roughly 325 dollars in today's money. Had the donation amount increased yearly to account for inflation:
1978 100
1979 111.35
1980 126.38
1981 139.42
1982 148.01
1983 152.76
1984 159.26
1985 165.03
1986 168.1
1987 174.23
1988 181.44
1989 190.18
1990 200.46
1991 208.9
1992 215.18
1993 221.63
1994 227.3
1995 233.74
1996 240.64
1997 249.17
1998 250
1999 255.52
2000 264.11
2001 271.63
2002 275.92
2003 282.21
2004 289.72
2005 299.54
2006 309.2
2007 318.01
2008 324.68
For a grand total of:
6753.72
A 100 dollar a year donor paid 3100 dollars over that same period. That's a difference of more than double just by not chaining donations levels to inflation.
A 100 dollar donation in today's dollars is equivalent to a 30 dollar donation in 1978 dollars.
In 1978, the median family income was 17,640 dollars. A 100 dollar donation was .57% of yearly income. In 2005 the median family income was 56,194. A 100 dollar donation would be .18% of yearly income. A .57% of yearly income donation would be 320.31.
Any way you look at it, a 100 dollar donator has been getting a pretty good deal for the last 30 years. The sudden adjustment in donation levels is difficult for a lot of people, but I really do think it's necessary to bring things back in line with how they should be, and should have been.
The equivalent situation in 1978 would be if a 30 dollar a year donor was sitting in 100 dollar seats. Would it have been fair then for the 100 dollar people to have to sit where the 30 dollar people should have been just because they had been around longer? Is it fair today that 100 dollar donors are sitting in seats that 500 dollar donors should be sitting in? I think the answer to both is "no", and that's all that's going on here.
The 100 dollar donation in 1978 equates to roughly 325 dollars in today's money. Had the donation amount increased yearly to account for inflation:
1978 100
1979 111.35
1980 126.38
1981 139.42
1982 148.01
1983 152.76
1984 159.26
1985 165.03
1986 168.1
1987 174.23
1988 181.44
1989 190.18
1990 200.46
1991 208.9
1992 215.18
1993 221.63
1994 227.3
1995 233.74
1996 240.64
1997 249.17
1998 250
1999 255.52
2000 264.11
2001 271.63
2002 275.92
2003 282.21
2004 289.72
2005 299.54
2006 309.2
2007 318.01
2008 324.68
For a grand total of:
6753.72
A 100 dollar a year donor paid 3100 dollars over that same period. That's a difference of more than double just by not chaining donations levels to inflation.
A 100 dollar donation in today's dollars is equivalent to a 30 dollar donation in 1978 dollars.
In 1978, the median family income was 17,640 dollars. A 100 dollar donation was .57% of yearly income. In 2005 the median family income was 56,194. A 100 dollar donation would be .18% of yearly income. A .57% of yearly income donation would be 320.31.
Any way you look at it, a 100 dollar donator has been getting a pretty good deal for the last 30 years. The sudden adjustment in donation levels is difficult for a lot of people, but I really do think it's necessary to bring things back in line with how they should be, and should have been.
The equivalent situation in 1978 would be if a 30 dollar a year donor was sitting in 100 dollar seats. Would it have been fair then for the 100 dollar people to have to sit where the 30 dollar people should have been just because they had been around longer? Is it fair today that 100 dollar donors are sitting in seats that 500 dollar donors should be sitting in? I think the answer to both is "no", and that's all that's going on here.
I don't think the issue is whether it is fair or not, which I don't think most people are challenging. The main thing I take issue with is the tone some posters have taken. Honestly, they didn't raise prices or donations for so long it was inevitable, but we shouldn't tear down people. I couldn't believe how cheap tickets were in the early 90's when I was in school. I got 6 games as a student for $36. It was unbelievable, even for that time.
Jamie doesn't get to make that decision, he just sets the price. We'll see if the fans decide that they're worth what he's asking. I have no doubt that he will sell fewer season tickets than he did last year, the question is will fewer tickets with higher required donations bring in more total revenue. My guess is it will end up being a wash. The downside is that fewer people will be at the games.
In fairness, EIU raised the $85 million after they had a couple of 10-win seasons including a BCS bowl. Jamie is putting the cart before the horse. He had to increase prices, but I think he could have done a smaller increase for 2008 and continued the increases year-by-year to spread out the shock somewhat. If he waited until after a bowl game in 2008 or 2009 it would be a lot easier to sell a bigger increase -- again, that's how EIU got the money to renovate Kinnick. For certain they have not been raising prices or increasing donation requirements the past two years.
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The season ticket price is the same for 2008. You get six games for the same price as you paid for seven games last year. It is the donation level that has gone up.
We've gone over this before, but essentially the season ticket prices went up since there is one fewer game on the schedule this year. Or are we considering one game from last year as free admission?