(12-24-2014 01:27 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(12-24-2014 12:55 PM)Malachi Wrote:  

(12-24-2014 12:40 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(12-23-2014 11:14 PM)TIGERBANDIT Wrote:  So, are we becoming one of those teams that just announce stuff and think if we announce it then it is true. It's a dangerous precedent to start.

They have always announced attendance as tickets sold, not butts in seats.

The main differences now are 1) a lot fewer season tix sold and 2) fewer people actually coming to games (both walk up and those who own tix).

As recently as four years ago, the FEF would announce 16,500 as the attendance and it looked like 15,000+ were there.

Two years ago, they would announce 16,000 and 12,000 looked to be there.

Now they announce 13,000 and 8,000 look to be there.

Very true. Nothing wrong with announcing attendance as tickets sold. That's common practice.

Your observation about the decrease is what people should be paying attention to. That's the disturbing trend that will only get worse next season if things hold to form.

People clamor about paying Josh's buyout if you don't like him. That's ridiculous. Fans will demonstrate their dissatisfaction through tickets and other revenue sources the ath dept is dependent on until a change is made.

When taken in the universal scope of impact on ath dept revenue, the buyout will be a bargain.

Someone did the math in a previous post, but my best guess is Memphis has lost about 1,500-2,000 season ticket holders this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were 1,000 fewer lower bowl tickets sold this year. At about $850 a ticket, that would be a loss of $850,000 in revenue (not even counting the donation to the TSF).

If another 750 tickets were not renewed in the upper deck, that would be an average ticket price of $175 (a mix of special terrace and regular terrace) for another $131,250.

That is close to about one million dollars in lost revenue (and more from lost TSF donations for the good seats).

If they are losing another 1,000 upper deckers a game (at $10 a ticket X 18 games) in walkup sales, that is another $180,000.

That is being on the lower end of that, too. But regardless, the University is going be come in between, $1.5 and $2.0 million less than last year in ticket revenues.

On the positive side, football revenues next year should increase to help stop the bleeding. However, Bowen isn't in the business of having one engine run to support the other. He needs both performing at full throttle for the ath dept to be an income producer and not a drag on the university.

Ticket revenue will speak volumes, and if the fans check out, the buyout becomes a necessity, not a luxury.

I think Pastner leaves on his own accord however.