Intrust Ticket Sales

[WuShock16]

Has anyone taken a look at ticket sales for Intrust game vs South Dakota State? I knew sales could be rough, but holy crap, it's awful.

They had to block off both of the upper level end sections, which I suppose is understandable, except that it eliminated most of the $15 tickets. There are still some $15 seats that are higher up in upper level midcourt sections, but most of the other uppers are $30 (or more, I suppose, but the low-row uppers got sold). Meanwhile, in the lower level, you cannot get a ticket for less than $50. From Sections 105-114 (which is maybe a quarter/third of the lower level, I counted 327 tickets sold. The midcourt sections are "better" but not by much. If I am bored later tonight after my miniature freeloading roommates go to bed, I might count the entire lower level.

This is the arrogance that I have bemoaned from WSU Athletics for awhile now. Who in their right mind would think that $50 minimum for lower-level (or $30 for quasi-low upper level seat) was a good idea.? This price structure would be okay for a KU-type opponent, but for effing South Dakota State? C'mon man!

[SubGod22]

Has anyone taken a look at ticket sales for Intrust game vs South Dakota State? I knew sales could be rough, but holy crap, it's awful.

They had to block off both of the upper level end sections, which I suppose is understandable, except that it eliminated most of the $15 tickets. There are still some $15 seats that are higher up in upper level midcourt sections, but most of the other uppers are $30 (or more, I suppose, but the low-row uppers got sold). Meanwhile, in the lower level, you cannot get a ticket for less than $50. From Sections 105-114 (which is maybe a quarter/third of the lower level, I counted 327 tickets sold. The midcourt sections are "better" but not by much. If I am bored later tonight after my miniature freeloading roommates go to bed, I might count the entire lower level.

This is the arrogance that I have bemoaned from WSU Athletics for awhile now. Who in their right mind would think that $50 minimum for lower-level (or $30 for quasi-low upper level seat) was a good idea.? This price structure would be okay for a KU-type opponent, but for effing South Dakota State? C'mon man!

I hadn't even looked, but what is essentially a "no name" opponent that has no connections to anyone around here being priced like that is a little insane. Personally, I have no desire to attend anything at IBA and sit in the upper level. That's just a personal preference for me. I'm definitely not spending $50 to watch us play South Dakota State.

For what it's worth, I spent $32 (with fees) to attend a first time ever event at IBA a few weeks ago and got about 4 hours of entertainment to see professionals at the top of their game. If I'm expected to pay $50 for a similar seat to a WSU game, they better be playing a big time opponent or at least one of the good regional teams that we sometimes get. And I might pay more than $50 for some of those, depending on who it might be. But for a Summit League school?

Section 124 is almost entirely available.
Section 125 has sold about half of the available.
Section 126 has sold maybe 20%
Section 101 hasn't sold a single seat.
Section 102 has sold a little over half.
Section 103 has sold about 75% (mid court bench side)
Section 104 has sold about half.
Section 105 is almost entirely available.
Section 106 is almost entirely available.
Section 107 has sold maybe 20%
Section 108 has sold out the very back row. Everything else is available.
Section 109 is almost entirely available (behind the basket)
Section 110 is almost entirely available (behind the basket)
Section 111 has sold 5 seats.
Section 112 has sold 8 seats.
Section 113 has sold about half.
Section 114 has sold maybe 20%
Section 115 has sold close to half.
Section 116 has sold about 75% (mid court opposite bench)
Section 117 has sold maybe 40%
Section 118 is almost entirely available.
Section 119 has sold maybe 15%
Section 120 has sold 8 seats.
Section 121 has sold maybe 15%
Sections 122 and 123 I'm guessing are reserved for students/band as they're not available.

Section 214 has sold about 80%
Section 215 has sold about 80%
Section 216 has sold about 75%
Section 217 has sold about 60%

Those are the only four sections in the upper bowl available for sale.

Definitely not a good showing as of now. I'm not sure how many seats that represents as I don't currently have the time to go through and count them all.

I'm not sure we get to 6k. Which I'm not sure why we would considering. We're barely getting 5k to CKA and this will be a weak home opponent with next to no name recognition for the average fan. Honestly, Richmond may have been the best opponent based on name/history and I'm still not sure how much better they might do.

[wsushockerdude]

I was wondering if those weren't selling....all the players today have been tweeting advertisements asking for folks to buy them. Not a great look....

[ShockBand]

Has anyone taken a look at ticket sales for Intrust game vs South Dakota State? I knew sales could be rough, but holy crap, it's awful.

They had to block off both of the upper level end sections, which I suppose is understandable, except that it eliminated most of the $15 tickets. There are still some $15 seats that are higher up in upper level midcourt sections, but most of the other uppers are $30 (or more, I suppose, but the low-row uppers got sold). Meanwhile, in the lower level, you cannot get a ticket for less than $50. From Sections 105-114 (which is maybe a quarter/third of the lower level, I counted 327 tickets sold. The midcourt sections are "better" but not by much. If I am bored later tonight after my miniature freeloading roommates go to bed, I might count the entire lower level.

This is the arrogance that I have bemoaned from WSU Athletics for awhile now. Who in their right mind would think that $50 minimum for lower-level (or $30 for quasi-low upper level seat) was a good idea.? This price structure would be okay for a KU-type opponent, but for effing South Dakota State? C'mon man!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the event technically under the control of an outside entity, and we are just one of the "contracted" teams? If so, that could explain the myopic view of how to price the event.

[ShockerFever]

Those pricing tickets have no perception of reality. Wow.

[SHOCKvalue]

I once attended an event at IBA. I also once contorted myself to fit into a large Tupperware container. My memory blurs the events.

IBA shoulder and knee space is generally awful. Like worst arena I’ve ever been to awful. My wife and I once got seats at IBA in one of the sections that follows a radius as a corner for the general bowl shape. She had to shimmy sideways to sit down or get up so her ribcage could fit between the armrests. She’s about 5’3” and 125 lbs.

I would bemoan about how in the world we got THAT arena for close to $200M in mid-00’s money, but there’s nothing to question or belabor - it’s just what Wichita does. Just like we have an $80M ballpark that looks more or less identical to what other towns spent $40M on, or how 30 acres of land in front of the Hyatt remains undeveloped and looking generally like an EPA Superfund site going on two decades now.

Whipple was a penis-faced fartmonster, but one thing he was right on was trying to put some protections between taxpayer money and PPP’s/developers in this town.

[/soapbox]

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the event technically under the control of an outside entity, and we are just one of the "contracted" teams? If so, that could explain the myopic view of how to price the event.

Good question. How much does WSU control the price of tickets? My guess is it is driven by the venue.

[jcdshocker]

The University does not set pricing for the event.
For what it is worth, the tickets for KU WSU lower bowl at the T mobile Center were significantly more. Three times more.

[ShockerFever]

The University does not set pricing for the event.
For what it is worth, the tickets for KU WSU lower bowl at the T mobile Center were significantly more. Three times more.

Well duh… they’re pricing to their fanbase. They can charge that much for a KU fan in KC because they have plenty of fans that’ll pay for it.

There is no fundamental, sane reason for charging $50+ a ticket for a lower bowl seat to a WSU vs South Dakota State basketball game now. Unfortunately, we don’t have quite as much clout as we had 4 or 5 years ago.

[WuShock16]

The University does not set pricing for the event.
For what it is worth, the tickets for KU WSU lower bowl at the T mobile Center were significantly more. Three times more.

And take a look at ticket prices for WSU-KSU. $15 for entire upper level. $25 for lower end sections. Maybe like $40-45 for lower midcourt.

[WuShock16]

Well duh… they’re pricing to their fanbase. They can charge that much for a KU fan in KC because they have plenty of fans that’ll pay for it.

There is no fundamental, sane reason for charging $50+ a ticket for a lower bowl seat to a WSU vs South Dakota State basketball game now. Unfortunately, we don’t have quite as much clout as we had 4 or 5 years ago.

Oddly enough, there are a decent number of tickets still available. Not sections-full, but way more than “just a few here and there.”

[AZ Shocker]

I wonder how many more tickets would sell had the opponent been the "real" SDSU? 500? 1,500? 2,500? My guess would be a slight uptick in sales...but with a new head coach and so many new faces probably just a slight increase in ticket sales. Maybe next year with a more name opponent and hopefully a better than expected season this year....the Intrust game will back in business by then.

Go Shocks!!!

[Aargh]

I was wondering if those weren't selling....all the players today have been tweeting advertisements asking for folks to buy them. Not a great look....

That allows the athletic department to pay them for use of their NIL. Armchair might be funding it, but that's a legitimate way for the athletic department to pay players. Keeping players happy is a good look.

[SubGod22]

Will this move the needle for fans?....

ESPN - More mid-major stars are leaving for bigger schools than ever. Meet the star who didn't.

It was enough money to change Zeke Mayo's life.

With the amount of cash on the table, according to the South Dakota State star, he could have comfortably moved his entire family with him if he accepted the NIL offer attached to a Power 5 program that tried to recruit him over the summer.

"I had an opportunity to move my family out of where we're staying right now," Mayo said. "I had an opportunity to make some money to feed my family. It's always been a dream of mine to take care of my parents and take care of my sisters."

But Mayo, a 6-foot-3 point guard and the Summit League's preseason Player of the Year, did not enter the transfer portal, instead staying at South Dakota State, the league's preseason favorite to win the conference championship.

That hasn't been the trend. Mayo is the only player from last season's All-Summit League first team who did not transfer during the offseason. Texas standout Max Abmas, the former Oral Roberts star who won Summit League Player of the Year last season, is the face of that exodus, but he's not alone. Overall, five of the conference's top seven scorers from last season have found new homes. Six of the league's nine teams lost at least one of their top-two scorers from a year ago.

He's also a Kansas kid.

[JVShocker]

Intrust Arena is a big venue. No slight to SDSU. They're not a big fancy shiny name. Face the facts, a fair amount of shine has fallen from the Shockers name as well. It's another team the Shockers are playing away from home. Because Intrust is not home court. It's more of an away game if anything. WSU has never played well there. I don't know, maybe they have ice under the floor or something this time of year. It's a cold venue. It's pricey.

KU. K-State. Oklahoma. Oklahoma State. Texas. Those regional schools would draw better. You know who else would draw better? Kentucky. Or Duke. I bet Duke vs. Kentucky in Intrust would probably draw better. These big venues are just not very creative when it comes to drawing crowds in. Tickets to Koch Arena games are already expensive for ticket holders, I'm guessing there's a premium on Intrust games. Many venues have continually priced themselves out of reach of casual fans, who have probably found an activity or event that they can enjoy just as much (if not more) than a pricey basketball game. I don't know how any venue gets a casual fan to return when that has happened, because in the mind of the event goer, they've already been replaced.