Ticket Roulette Week #1--Final

Did not get a price on the Louisville game as it was too late. There weren't any great surprises nor trends although it seems that for the popular games the prices increase as the game approaches and as we can see at Boston College there is the possibility of getting a last minute bargain.

Weber State at Boise State Football Tickets 8/30 $75
Only three listings
http://www.stubhub.com/boise-state-football-tickets/?event_id=376196
8/29 Lowest price @ $80

Tennessee at California Football Tickets 9/1 $39.99
http://www.stubhub.com/cal-football-tickets/?event_id=356024
8/29 Lowest price @ $48

Western Carolina at Alabama Football Tickets 9/1 $55
http://www.stubhub.com/alabama-football-tickets/?event_id=353403
8/ 29 Lowest price @ $74

Wake Forest at Boston College Football Tickets 9/1 $14.00
http://www.stubhub.com/boston-college-eagles-football-tickets/?event_id=367688
8/ 29 Lowest price @ $9.75

Murray State at Louisville Football Tickets 8/30 $33.99
http://www.stubhub.com/louisville-football-tickets/?event_id=368187
Too late to find a price

Washington State at Wisconsin Football Tickets 9/1 $54
http://www.stubhub.com/wisconsin-football-tickets/?event_id=353755
8/29 Low price @ $38

Ticket Roulette Week #1

Tickets Week 1
So while the rest of the football world looks at the green (or blue) on the field BCF using StubHub.com is looking at the color of money and asks,” With a week to kick off will this tickets sell?” We’ll check back on 8/30 to see if these seats are still on the market.

Low priced tickets at notable games:

Weber State at Boise State Football Tickets 8/30 $75
http://www.stubhub.com/boise-state-football-tickets/?event_id=376196
Big excitement for BSU and a smaller stadium.

Tennessee at California Football Tickets 9/1 $39.99
http://www.stubhub.com/cal-football-tickets/?event_id=356024
Is it politically correct to watch Tennessee football in the People Republic of Berkley.

Western Carolina at Alabama Football Tickets 9/1 $55
http://www.stubhub.com/alabama-football-tickets/?event_id=353403
Comme on Nick sell ticket for Bama and the scalper.

Wake Forest at Boston College Football Tickets 9/1 $14.00
http://www.stubhub.com/boston-college-eagles-football-tickets/?event_id=367688
Are the Red Sox in town? Early ACC match up with little excitement.

Murray State at Louisville Football Tickets 8/30 $33.99
http://www.stubhub.com/louisville-football-tickets/?event_id=368187
Hey Cards fans aren’t you willing to pay the Boise price

Washington State at Wisconsin Football Tickets 9/1 $54
http://www.stubhub.com/wisconsin-football-tickets/?event_id=353755
A good price for Badger fans that want to see a quality opponent.

Help, Help I'm Being Represented

“I am from the government and I am here to help.” Some of the most frightening words in the English language and Dave Crooks State Representative District 63 is the man to fear. He has written a letter to Susan Macey at Indiana Utility Consumer Counselor looking for mediation of the current Big Ten Network v. cable company (Comcast) impasse.

The letter as a Word document can be downloaded but here is the content.

As the Chairman of the House Commerce, Energy and Utilities Committee, I have been watching with great interest the public debate that is taking place between the Big Ten Network and Comcast regarding the manner the network is carried. Comcast appears to be the major cable provider in the Hoosier state that could set the trend for others. It is my understanding cable companies throughout the state such as Charter and Insight, who serve areas like mine, are awaiting the result of the current negotiations to decide whether to carry the network or not. The purpose of this letter is not to side with one entity or the other in this negotiation process but to ask for your assistance in jump starting what seems to be an impasse on an issue that is important to Indiana.

As you are aware, I was a strong opponent of the Telecommunications Reform Act of 2006. My opposition was based on my belief that consumers, especially consumers in rural districts like mine, would be left with little in the form of safeguards when competition in the telecommunications industry is slow to regulate itself. Proponents of the Act touted it as a mechanism that would result in more access to all things in the communications and cable industries. The impasse between the Big Ten Network and Comcast is causing exactly the opposite, and the result will be unhappy consumers.

Again, I do not have a position as what the price should be for the network or how the cable companies in Indiana choose to distribute it. I do, however, feel strongly that my constituents want to see Indiana University and Purdue University sports. I am also aware of your background as a mediator/arbitrator and I believe your current position and your background make you the perfect state official to prevent Indiana consumers from having to miss their favorite college sports team by getting the appropriate parties to the table for discussion.

Please let me know what I can do to help and let me know as soon as possible what you can do to encourage a solution that will protect Indiana consumers.

Sincerely,

Dave Crooks

From Indystar.com

He said he got a call back from Macey Wednesday.

"She said she had no statutory authority to be involved in this," Crooks said.

So we are safe for now saved by an offical not in a hurry to expand on their authority.

BS-Damus 2007 College Football Predictions Part 2

Bullwinkle
Eeni Meani
Chili Beani
The spirits are about to speak!
Rocky
Are they friendly spirits?
Bullwinkle
Friendly? Just listen...









Cloven hoof upon the ground
Hurried size not refused
Losses to lesser foes
Gotham monument is denied

Titan brought back to earth
Rallies the nation to hope beyond
Valley of ferrous battle
Victory another cycle away

Paladin of the coastal rivals
Magic stone under ones bed
Electrons will not find the ground
Back to the depths of yore

Dreams visit the valley
Wake and see the unhappy fate
Spoiler no joy for thee
The verdict comes from afar

Quick Hits 8/19/07

Go FGCU!
So how much would it cost to go D1? Florida Gulf Coast University has crunched the numbers and the price to get into the college football business includes:
Most of the stiff-arm has to do with money matters. It would take a minimum of $50 million to build a stadium today, more likely toward $100 million to do it first-class. McAloose figures it would take an additional $10 million to start the program and at least $5 million per year for scholarship and salary funding.

McAloose said the student population likely would need to be around 20,000-25,000 to support the sport, about triple the current enrollment.

This is low side estimate as it only looks at the start up costs not the losses incurred while getting the program off the ground(See FIU/FAU).

Army/Navy and BE Combo Reconsidered
Although Navy has been performing well enough to qualify for bowl games they have the problem of finding an alliance that works for them as they are an independent and the bowls like to have the predictability of conference tie ins. Therefore reconsidering the problem pointed out in Spit and Bailing Wirethere is a trade to be made conference games in exchange for bowl access. Navy and Army (with the exception of Notre Dame) could play each other, Air Force, Notre Dame, four Big East schools and still have five open games with a good chance of making a bowl. We could see some move on this as the bowls will be revising their deals in the next few years.

Jumping In?
UMass is again considering the move to D1. Nothing more than exploration but they should be considering their options.

BS-Damus 2007 College Football Predictions

Part 1

The cat shall silently hunt
Some will get away
Then the attack will come
An injury beyond healing

Sol will shine upon the water
New marks will be made in flight
Vanquish the canine foe
Falling to ground in the blue

Mid or belt or a two
Humble ones exalted
A member of the six
Shame will be felt by the congress

Maize to triumph
Vanquish many foes
A crown host on high
Fin brings frustration

Two from the coast that fell
Seeking old powers
The swagger of old
Still have a journey to go

A bird will take flight
Soaring beyond the past
Perching higher than others
Over the wall and the trial

Getting to the Core

You have to admire good PR.
The art is to get your message out for free with the bonus being that the media positions your message not as an advertisement but as important information. TicketCity.com scored a nice little coup when they published a list of the most expensive tickets in college football. Topping the list is the Notre Dame at Penn State game where someone is asking $1100 for a ticket. While neither team is in the top 10, the fan support/interest is so strong as to push ticket prices through the roof.

Both schools have devoted fans and as we all should have learned in Econ 54 (with Dr. Kim for whom pronouncing English words was a huge challenge) an increase in demand with a fixed supply will results in higher prices. As noted byCollege Football: Penn State Vs. Notre Dame the Top of the Five Hottest Games This Season the Irish sell tickets which gives them the leverage to get a bigger slice of the pie than they should. See Sexy and Greedy and Too Sexy for Their Own Good

Getting back to the TicketCity.com issue, there is one lingering question, "Can you get a picture of the sucker that pays $1100 for those tickets?"

Two other interesting articles

Right on schedule?--Twelfth game complicating nonconference matchups

Seattle Seahawks to Fans: Please Watch Other NFL Games you just got to love the mixture of technology with commerce.

In the old days we had to get ourselves out of bed and get to class

His players also have the academic advisers' screen names for instant messaging and their cell phone numbers. There are "class checkers" who report to the coaches if someone is missing, and Friedgen said he hired tutors at about $12 an hour.

There are two ways to look at this:

1. The University of Maryland (and many other top tier sports programs) are helping student-athletes balance the demands put on them by needing to in the classroom and on the field. It is a win for the program keeping the student eligible and for the student they are pushed to keeping up with their studies.

2. These young people are being given so much “support” that they may not have to struggle, fail, and take stock in how they need to mature and grow to avoid future failure. In short personal responsibility growth skills atrophy because the lack of stress put upon them—much like building any other muscle.

There may be a connection in the poor personal conduct decisions made by players in football at both the college and professional levels with the lack of personal management skills. Think about how many times that the cannot miss blue chip recruit washes out at college. Could it be that he was never challenge enough in a high school game to deal with setbacks? When that player misbehaves and the issue is smoothed over, have key learning opportunities been missed (because he’s a great talent on the field)?

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” the poster on the weight room wall tells us. The pain that goes with being called to account for personal behavior is another form of weakness that the student athelete needs to exercise.

Question of Intent

Syracuse University recently sent a letter to the University of Wyoming notifying the Cowboys that the Orange will not be returning the game they agreed to as part of a home and home series. This series was announced in late 2005 or early 2006 and filled the 2006 hole in the Orange schedule very nicely. The cancellation looks fishy! So the questions to consider is, "Did Syracuse ever intend on attending the return game?" or is this a case where the $200,000 buy out that both parties agreed to low enough to as to tempt Syracuse.

One's reputation is valuable asset that will at times get you the benefit of the doubt. An action like this while within the letter of the contract may end up costing you in the end. The next mid-major might want to make that buyout amount high enough to help Syracuse from being tempted or having such dishonest intent.

If you are willing to risk the cancellation, click here to fill out the Otto Appearance Request Form .

College Business News

For all those CAA -- Colonial Athletic Association fans Comcast will have your football needs covered with CN8, Comcast Sports Net and on demand tape replays. Those with Comcast can watch a college game on those nights ESPN does not have a game on.

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"We can negotiate almost anything," Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said in a meeting with The Capital Times on Thursday. "The only thing we can't negotiate is (placement). This network will not be on a (digital) sports tier. Our goal is to bring our network to as many fans as possible."

How about price? Hey Charter offer BTN 25 cents per subscriber for the next ten years as the price for being on basic cable.

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NFL Network Expanding Beyond Pro Football to College, Preps
”The NFL Network can be seen in 44 million of the 97 million U.S. households with cable, according to Nielsen Media Research. It is available on basic cable, the industry’s lowest- cost package, in 35 million of the 44 million households, according to a league spokesman.”
Does this take into account Comcast’s recent move to put Channel NFL as part of the premium package? And does this new programming mean they will show fewer NFL Cheerleader profiles?

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Mark your calendars! For Mars Hills College football.
Mars Hill College football game to be nationally televised

There are nice photographs of the football stadium construction.

Learn more about this college here.

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Sun Belt football keeps getting hotter
Conference still making strides against others
Maybe the Sunbelt Conference should be given more credit than merely just as cupcake games for BCS schools. Remembering to be respectful of the youth of these programs in D1 arena they have only one way to go which is up. Watch out Conference USA!

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Speaking of life at the bottom: Escaping college football's basement easier said than done. Mr. Forde missed the opportunity to discuss how BSU beat the odds.

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He was told that he would have to forfeit the season tickets that he had held for almost 30 years unless he donated $2,000 per year to the Flynn Fund in addition to the price for the season tickets.

Interestingly, Notre Dame is ended their series with Boston College and beginning a long series with Syracuse which make you wonder if they Athletic Department can command such a payment after 2008.

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