Ticket prices the same for football, but required donation for the lots is up

[wheezer]

The required donation for parking took a leap
3 green passes was $3, 000 in the past, increased to $4,500

I would think the change is increased for each lot, and by quite a bit, if you get multiple passes

edit:....here is the green lot chart, I did not get anything else

Minimum Annual Athletic Gift	$1,500.00	$3,000.00	$4,500.00	$6,000.00	$7,500.00
Season Tickets	1-4	5-8	9-12	13-16	17-20
Maximum Passes	1	2	3	4	5

 

[LeapinLou]

The chart on https://scarletknights.com/sports/2021/12/9/2022-football-season-parking-selection-process.aspx still has the 2023 information. Where did you see the 2024 information?

 

[WhiteBus]

Are you surprised after the success of going to a bowl game?

 

[wheezer]

I don't follow. Are you saying your green lot passes are costing you $1500 each? At $50/game, the pass would be $300-$350 for the season. We only paid donation fees for ticket location in the past. That has changed?

EDIT - OK I researched it and you're saying that to get the passes, you need to donate a certain amount of money. In the past, I was already paying over $1000 in seat licenses so I wasn't paying any extra for my parking passes. But you are saying they boosted the donation to $1500? In that case I will owe more to cover the difference. But correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you don't owe an extra $1500 per pass. I get two passes and I'm pretty sure I just had to cover $1000, not $2000 last year.

Yes, the parking pass price remain the same, the required donation to get the passes is going up
In my cases, the group has to donate an extra $1,500_total,not 1,500 per parking pass for three green n lot passes
My group had to put in some money previously to get to the 3 thousand donation before, now we have to put in an extra ,1,500

 

[wheezer]

Are you surprised after the success of going to a bowl game?

Kind of sneaky though, since the football tickets, and seat donation are public knowledge now, and you are expected to renew starting now, without being aware of the added increase at this point

 

[rutgersal]

My tickets are up $10 per game to $64. 448 per season plus 200 seat fee + 7 for shipping and handling. So since I have 2 tickets, the damage is 1303. Last year my seasons were 384 per.

The site says parking info will be available at a later date.

 

[LeapinLou]

Kind of sneaky though, since the football tickets, and seat donation are public knowledge now, and you are expected to renew starting now, without being aware of the added increase at this point

As you can see, I did additional research after my initial post and then completely changed my response. Bottom line is in your initial post, you said it went from $1500 to $4500. Are you now revising that to say it went from $1500 to $3000?

Bottom line for me is I need to see the updated chart. In the past, you paid the same for one or two passes. Is that still the case, and if so, what is the new number for yellow? It was $1000 last year. If my nut has gone from $1000 to $1500, I can manage that. If it's now $2000 or more, that's going to put a fly in the ointment with my ticket partners.

 

[wheezer]

My tickets are up $10 per game to $64. 448 per season plus 200 seat fee + 7 for shipping and handling. So since I have 2 tickets, the damage is 1303. Last year my seasons were 384 per.

The site says parking info will be available at a later date.

I have obtained a portion of the parking lot donation chart, the table for the green lot shows an increase across the board for multiple green lot passes

My ticket prices and seat donations did not go up at all

 

[wheezer]

As you can see, I did additional research after my initial post and then completely changed my response. Bottom line is in your initial post, you said it went from $1500 to $4500. Are you now revising that to say it went from $1500 to $3000?

Bottom line for me is I need to see the updated chart. In the past, you paid the same for one or two passes. Is that still the case, and if so, what is the new number for yellow. It was $1000 last year. If my nut has gone from $1000 to $1500, I can manage that. If it's now $2000 or more, that's going to put a fly in the ointment with my ticket partners.

I didn’t revise anything
I said we paid 3,000 before and it is now 4,500
These are total figures for the 3 passes, not per spot
So we have been increased a total of 1,500

 

[LeapinLou]

I didn’t revise anything
I said we paid 3,000 before and it is now 4,500
These are total figures for the 3 passes, not per spot
So we have been increased a total of 1,500

I follow you now. You're saying last year, your nut for 3 green passes was $3K. In 2024, it will be $4.5K. Got it.

Do you have the information for the yellow lot? I have 2 passes. In the past, the nut was the same for one or two passes. Has that changed? The number for two yellow lot passes was $1000 last year. What is it this year?

 

[wheezer]

I follow you now. You're saying last year, your nut for 3 green passes was $3K. In 2024, it will be $4.5K. Got it.

Do you have the information for the yellow lot? I have 2 passes. In the past, the nut was the same for one or two passes. Has that changed? The number for two yellow lot passes was $1000 last year. What is it this year?

no, my rep sent me a portion of the donation table that was specific to the green lot....I got a feeling they don't want this out there yet, but I was not told to keep it quiet

here is the limited green lot chart, I fall into the 3 pass spot

Minimum Annual Athletic Gift	$1,500.00	$3,000.00	$4,500.00	$6,000.00	$7,500.00
Season Tickets	1-4	5-8	9-12	13-16	17-20
Maximum Passes	1	2	3	4	5

 

[LeapinLou]

no, my rep sent me a portion of the donation table that was specific to the green lot....I got a feeling they don't want this out there yet, but I was not told to keep it quiet

here is the limited green lot chart, I fall into the 3 pass spot

Minimum Annual Athletic Gift	$1,500.00	$3,000.00	$4,500.00	$6,000.00	$7,500.00
Season Tickets	1-4	5-8	9-12	13-16	17-20
Maximum Passes	1	2	3	4	5

This tells me what I need to know. They aren't keeping the donation the same for one or two passes. My nut is doubling from $1000 to $2000. Not good news for my ticket partners. They'll likely need to switch to buying their parking pass ala carte on Stub Hub.

I know big time athletics is expensive. But maybe get this revenue from other sources and try to keep the price of attendance reasonable to ensure a full stadium. Personally, I'm not affected. But my ticket partners and lots of other good fans that have small budgets are going to be hosed.

 

[wheezer]

This tells me what I need to know. They aren't keeping the donation the same for one or two passes. My nut is doubling from $1000 to $2000. Not good news for my ticket partners. They'll likely need to switch to buying their parking pass ala carte on Stub Hub.

I know big time athletics is expensive. But maybe get this revenue from other sources and try to keep the price of attendance reasonable to ensure a full stadium. Personally, I'm not affected. But my ticket partners and lots of other good fans that have small budgets are going to be hosed.

sorry I did not post it from the get-go
I would have, but don't know how to copy and paste from a cell phone, even if that is possible
had to go to my trusty but old computer

 

[JayDogSmooth]

I understand why they’re doing this, but the optics don’t look good

First bowl game in 10 years and you raise prices to these levels?

We’re not Alabama or Georgia, and we certainly weren’t sold out via season tickets or single games last year

There’s not a ton of buzz around the program and there are multiple other athletic viewing options. People around here can do.

A lot of people attend strictly for our tailgating, it is one of the best in the nation and threw it down years, we could always depend on a solid tailgate scene

The loyalists here will continue to purchase those in the fence when I’ll be more inclined to do other things

 

[RUTGERS95]

can't fill the stadium but let's increase any way we can

brilliant business move

 

[jtung230]

There are other parking options. It’s supply and demand.

 

[rutgersal]

This tells me what I need to know. They aren't keeping the donation the same for one or two passes. My nut is doubling from $1000 to $2000. Not good news for my ticket partners. They'll likely need to switch to buying their parking pass ala carte on Stub Hub.

I know big time athletics is expensive. But maybe get this revenue from other sources and try to keep the price of attendance reasonable to ensure a full stadium. Personally, I'm not affected. But my ticket partners and lots of other good fans that have small budgets are going to be hosed.

StubHub isn’t really an option as sellers try to fleece people for parking passes. Parking at a house on Riverview Avenue or Greek Church is the best bet.

 

[bac2therac]

can't fill the stadium but let's increase any way we can

brilliant business move

You mean you dont believe the attendance numbers that Rutgers puts out!

 

[LeapinLou]

StubHub isn’t really an option as sellers try to fleece people for parking passes. Parking at a house on Riverview Avenue or Greek Church is the best bet.

Al - my situation is such that my partners would have to find another $700 in donations to be able to spend an additional $350 for a parking pass. That's $1050. They'll be able to get yellow lot passes for 5 games likely for less than $500. So I get what you're saying but they'll likely pay the money to be in the yellow lot. And while it will be more than they spent last year, it won't be by much. So RU will have less money in their pocket and they will spend more. Lose-Lose.

 

[rutgersal]

I understand why they’re doing this, but the optics don’t look good

First bowl game in 10 years and you raise prices to these levels?

We’re not Alabama or Georgia, and we certainly weren’t sold out via season tickets or single games last year

There’s not a ton of buzz around the program and there are multiple other athletic viewing options. People around here can do.

A lot of people attend strictly for our tailgating, it is one of the best in the nation and threw it down years, we could always depend on a solid tailgate scene

The loyalists here will continue to purchase those in the fence when I’ll be more inclined to do other things

Compare our prices to the competition, and you’ll find our pricing is very reasonable. The Scarlet Lot equivalent at Michigan requires a $25K donation. The university of Florida equivalent is a $50K donation. Football Success requires resources and football tickets and donations are one of the few levers the department has to pull.

We’re paying for a better product.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

Compare our prices to the competition, and you’ll find our pricing is very reasonable. The Scarlet Lot equivalent at Michigan requires a $25K donation. The university of Florida equivalent is a $50K donation. Football Success requires resources and football tickets and donations are one of the few levers the department has to pull.

We’re paying for a better product.

Al you know that's not apples to apples
We've never sniffed that level of success they have
Additionally, they average 110k and 85k respectively in regard to attendance
Ours is around 40k

 

[LeapinLou]

Compare our prices to the competition, and you’ll find our pricing is very reasonable. The Scarlet Lot equivalent at Michigan requires a $25K donation. The university of Florida equivalent is a $50K donation. Football Success requires resources and football tickets and donations are one of the few levers the department has to pull.

We’re paying for a better product.

I don't care how rich you are. Anyone paying $50,000 just to have good parking 7 days/year is certifiably insane.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

I don't care how rich you are. Anyone paying $50,000 just to have good parking 7 days/year is certifiably insane.

#WriteOff

 

[Rhuarc]

You mean you dont believe the attendance numbers that Rutgers puts out!

LOL - The man ain't blind!

 

[e5fdny]

Seems about right (meaning someone is listening/reading) considering how we value parking and the experience on here. So this doesn’t surprise me.

Green seems to be staying and they are letting us know, Yellow and Blue…who knows.🤷‍♂️

@RUTGERS95 is right.

 

[rutgersal]

I don't care how rich you are. Anyone paying $50,000 just to have good parking 7 days/year is certifiably insane.

They’re called Bull Gators, and they’re the FatCats at the University of Florida.

 

[rutgersal]

Al you know that's not apples to apples
We've never sniffed that level of success they have
Additionally, they average 110k and 85k respectively in regard to attendance
Ours is around 40k

Their success is the success we aspire to. Reaching that level takes money.

 

[jtung230]

I don't care how rich you are. Anyone paying $50,000 just to have good parking 7 days/year is certifiably insane.

No one is paying 50k just for parking. That’s the mindset of RU fans. They are donating to support the program. One of the perks is better parking.

 

[rutgersal]

Al - my situation is such that my partners would have to find another $700 in donations to be able to spend an additional $350 for a parking pass. That's $1050. They'll be able to get yellow lot passes for 5 games likely for less than $500. So I get what you're saying but they'll likely pay the money to be in the yellow lot. And while it will be more than they spent last year, it won't be by much. So RU will have less money in their pocket and they will spend more. Lose-Lose.

Hope they are able to get what they need. Buying parking passes last year on StubHub was a nightmare, and I only did it a few times.

 

[jtung230]

StubHub isn’t really an option as sellers try to fleece people for parking passes. Parking at a house on Riverview Avenue or Greek Church is the best bet.

So it’s too expensive to buy but it’s getting fleeced if you try to resale at true value? Game day parking at the RAC is good option.

 

[rutgersal]

So it’s too expensive to buy but it’s getting fleeced if you try to resale at true value? Game day parking at the RAC is good option.

Ha. Reselling at true value is fine. But hardly anyone is doing that. They were looking for a premium to true value.

I parked at the RAC once and will never do it again.

 

[Knight Shift]

This tells me what I need to know. They aren't keeping the donation the same for one or two passes. My nut is doubling from $1000 to $2000. Not good news for my ticket partners. They'll likely need to switch to buying their parking pass ala carte on Stub Hub.

I know big time athletics is expensive. But maybe get this revenue from other sources and try to keep the price of attendance reasonable to ensure a full stadium. Personally, I'm not affected. But my ticket partners and lots of other good fans that have small budgets are going to be hosed.

I don't care how rich you are. Anyone paying $50,000 just to have good parking 7 days/year is certifiably insane.

No one is paying 50k just for parking. That’s the mindset of RU fans. They are donating to support the program. One of the perks is better parking.

The points and the counterpoints nail it down quite well here.
Growing pains of trying to move up the ladder of one of the two best P5 conferences is going to cost money. There's ticket and parking costs, and bigger donors are rewarded with better parking opportunities. And there's NIL, which is a separate issue.

Feeling @LeapinLou 's pain here. For the average fans who don't have the means or have other priorities (like living and college tuition for kids) to spend there money on, this is a huge leap and ask. Fans are being pulled in different directions on where to spend their dollars.

On the other hand, there is a thread pointing out the operating deficit for athletics.

Something has to give. The dynamic of how this plays out on the fans' willingness and/or ability to cough up more dollars will be interesting.

One thing is for sure. If (and it's a big if) 2024 season is like 2006, the lots and the stands will be full. Will RU be there, and will RU ever be there in this conference. Time will tell.

 

[ruinac]

With all due respect Al, how do you reconcile your beliefs that the high prices are something necessary and “we’re paying for a better product” while at the same time saying it’s too expensive and you don’t have a pass?

 

[RU#1fan]

StubHub isn’t really an option as sellers try to fleece people for parking passes. Parking at a house on Riverview Avenue or Greek Church is the best bet.

Or park over in the Park across Landing Lane Bridge. Not a bad walk to the South Entrance.

 

[RULegacy]

Raising ticket prices (or even keeping them the same as last year, which was WAY too high) is a huge mistake. Rutgers was 10th in the conference in announced attendance last year but we all know Rutgers wildly inflates those numbers. For instance, the Wagner game attendance was announced as 40,165 which was completely laughable and easily disproven by photos taken throughout the game. The fan interest was simply not there except for when big name opponents were in town.

Rutgers Athletics should be lowering ticket prices and doing more promotions and outreach to get alumni and locals to come to games. Lower concession prices and more giveaways (bobbleheads, etc.) would be smart, too. This program can't count on Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State fans to sell out the stadium this year plus there is no marquee non-conference opponent at home. This is the season to pull out all the stops to get butts in the seats.

 

[rutgersal]

With all due respect Al, how do you reconcile your beliefs that the high prices are something necessary and “we’re paying for a better product” while at the same time saying it’s too expensive and you don’t have a pass?

Where did I say I didn’t have a pass? Of course I have a parking pass. But to buy passes for friends is a nightmare.

 

[ashokan]

I understand why they’re doing this, but the optics don’t look good

First bowl game in 10 years and you raise prices to these levels?

Things like that are why I say the minimum wins for a bowl bid should be 7 games and not 6.
Teams have mediocre 6 win seasons and then ticket/parking prices go up and staff gets thousands in raises etc.

Its kind of a racket tbh

 

[RUTGERS95]

the parking situation should be made easier to drive more fans to games. I can't tell you how many people have cited parking as a reason they don't want to go. When something enjoyable becomes a hassle it's just that, a hassle.

Rutgers needs to make things easier, cheaper, less intrusive and puts butts in the stands first

 

[bac2therac]

the bottom line is the parking pass is much more valuable than the actual ticket to the game....RU knows this

 

[RUTGERS95]

the bottom line is the parking pass is much more valuable than the actual ticket to the game....RU knows this

and therein lies the problem and that is not being fixed soley by the product on the field.