The House of Blue

If this was politics and not sports ........ the answer would be it's the economy. and i really think it is.

To you think the economy would have anything to do with it if Tebow was the QB and they were coming off a big season with big expectations this year?

I don't, they aren't sold on their coach and program so their is enough people willing to withhold their money until they are done judging them to noticably affect ticket sales. Not dis-similiar to the situation at UK IMO.

It's joker's fault. (sarcasm)

In general, the fact that so many people now have access to basically any game they want, in their living room, on 40-inch or larger high definition TVs, where they can drink beer (if that's their thing), eat cheaper, see other games at the same time, not pay hundreds of dollars for a parking permit or place to park, without donations to the program, etc. has a heck of a lot to do with why ticket sales are lagging in a lot of places.

As for Florida specifically, speaking as someone who deals with this every two years and looked again today, Gainesville has some of the most insane and egregious price gouging in the SEC. You don't live in Gainesville, or close enough to drive home after the game? Yeah, it's going to cost you $250-$300 per night for a hotel. That's no chump change.

South Carolina (as rabid a fan base as you'll find) is coming off their best season in history and yet they are still hawking 3 game "packages". I guess they don't have a lot of confidence in TOBC?

Matt has it pegged perfectly. Games in big screen HD have made it very attractive to stay home and watch the games. You can still tailgate with friends, but for a fraction of the cost and aggravation with traffic. I haven't been to a game at Rupp in several years, and it's certainly not because of the product on the court. A trip to Lexington will cost me over $300 by the time you figure everything in. It's basically not worth it to me for a basketball game that, in reality has little bearing on UK's postseason chances.

Guarantee it. I have been a season ticket holder since 1989 and have thought long and hard the last 3 years about renewing because I can see every game on my big screen and not spend $200-$300 on gas and tailgating...
Go Cats!

Uh oh, Vanderbilt hasn't been able to sell out a 40,000-seat stadium in an awesome city for a big-time conference season opener against a Top 15 team despite the love affair the 'Dores fans have with the next big thing in coaching on the sidelines....

Pathetic!!! Honestly, with all the buzz around Vandy and they can't sell 40,000 seats to a prime time match-up. Epic fail!!!

I get what you're saying, but the last NFL preseason game has guys who are like the final 20 guys on the roster playing. The starters barely see the field.

More than anything, I was responding to the people who keep saying ticket sales are mostly about faith in a coach and direction of the program, who are the same people who typically say James Franklin is at top of the list in terms of generating excitement. If Vandy can't sell out a 40,000-seat stadium against a top 15 opponent to open a season that supposedly has as much excitement as any ever at that school at outset of a holiday weekend, well, I think that undermines that argument as being the MAIN reason ticket sales are down at a lot of places. It runs much deeper than fan confidence in a coach.

So true, living down along the southern border I listen to Nashville sports talk all the time. They have been pumping Vandy all off season but between it being a thursday night game and being against the Titans it's a recipe for failure.

But it is also an indicator of how dedicated a fan base they have. 25% of Vandy's attendees are SEC fans that cheer for vandy except when their team plays. Nashville is very much the hot destination for SEC grads (used to be ATL).

I think it would be close to a sellout on a saturday, but I still don't think that SC would have travelled THAT much better for a game against vandy.

Also, alot of people downplay the continued economy condition towards ticket sales. I lost 2 couples in my group that just couldn't swing the dineros this year.

I don't see many UK fans at all on a daily basis. I see the Blue Swarm when the SEC tournament is in town, when they play Vandy, etc., but I totally agree with you on Bama. Bama, UT and my next in line would be Auburn.

Have Vandy's ticket sales dropped 30% in the last few years? I didn't think so.

Franklin is creating excitement with potential recruits and his own players. Vandy fans have rarely, if ever, filled their crappy little stadium.