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| Ticket prices on the secondary market for Monday’s college football national title game are cratering – get-in prices hit $150 Tuesday on StubHub and experts say it should continue to drop. By comparison, last year’s get-in price peaked at about $1,700. “Prices are trending lower than we have ever seen before,” SeatGeek.com’s Chris Leyden told Yahoo Sports. “Demand is down.” And that’s just part of it. The semifinal games weren’t competitive and delivered comparatively low television ratings. The system was again clumsy, staging the semifinals on Dec. 29 while continuing to cede prime New Year’s Day slots to lesser games run by private bowls. Things are so rough, even normally staid power brokers are lobbying for an eight-team playoff to shake things up. |
And yet, in what may be the ultimate embarrassment, the game could be played in front of empty seats at Levi Stadium.
That isn’t the way it should be.
And in all honesty, locals in the Bay Area for the most part couldn't give a rats fat ass about college football. I lived out there and it is a pro sports town. Just to get out to the Bay Area is expensive as shit and that's just for airfare from Alabama and South Carolina.
There's no SEC fan base in the Bay Area, and flying to and from the Bay and accomodations is steap.
Atlanta to SFO is a minimum 600 dollar flight for starters.
You add in the flights from South Carolina/Alabama to Cali and there not being a ton of hotels right near the stadium, why would you go?
Fan base probably not as excited as they were.
Add that to the cost of flights/hotel/etc. and not really a surprise.
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ticket prices for games like this are outrageous to begin with.
And in all honesty, locals in the Bay Area for the most part couldn't give a rats fat ass about college football. I lived out there and it is a pro sports town. Just to get out to the Bay Area is expensive as shit and that's just for airfare from Alabama and South Carolina.
Or exactly that! Happy New Year dude, very long time no see. Hope everything is well.
If this would've been Alabama vs. Ohio State/Notre Dame/Oklahoma, would it have been different?
Not bashing on Clemson - just asking.
So I think they really need to expand to at an eight game playoff. And quickly. This would give more games more meaning.
Furthermore, they need a schedule that makes sense. The final should be New Year’s Day.
And let’s be honest - there is likely some Alabama fatigue here. I don’t have it because I like watching excellence but that might be getting stale for viewers. Throw in Clemson again and people feel like it’s the same movie. So I get the declining interest.
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In comment 14245539 dep026 said:
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ticket prices for games like this are outrageous to begin with.
And in all honesty, locals in the Bay Area for the most part couldn't give a rats fat ass about college football. I lived out there and it is a pro sports town. Just to get out to the Bay Area is expensive as shit and that's just for airfare from Alabama and South Carolina.
Or exactly that! Happy New Year dude, very long time no see. Hope everything is well.
Happy New Year Christian! Hope you are doing well.
If you are a student and win the lottery to get tickets, would you spend $2,000 to travel and stay in Cali or watch it on campus with a huge party going on? Same with Bama kids.
We have a few direhard fans who travel to every home game and most away games and they didn't even entertain going to the championship because of the distance and cost. They will likely go down to clemson to watch the game there too.
Until some team West of the Mississippi shows a liklihood of making the big game, they shouldn't go further west than Texas.
I get it with the NFL conflicts and stuff, but there are better ways to attract eyeballs and lure would-be travelers.
Bama vs Georgia but yeah.
If this would've been Alabama vs. Ohio State/Notre Dame/Oklahoma, would it have been different?
Not bashing on Clemson - just asking.
Clemson has a fan base, but is very regional and specific only to the southern part of the country in addition to being a state school. Florida State has a bigger base than they do, and they didn't even fly out to the Rose Bowl when they played Oregon and were defending champions a few years ago.
Asking folks to fly to Dallas for a weekend, spend good money on a flight, ticket and lodging, come back, and then a week later, ask those same people to fly out even further, to the Bay Area (where its at least double, if not triple the price you just paid) is a huge problem.
I know college had to put some games out West as a bone to the Pac 12 to make it where every conference is getting something, but this was doomed from the start if you were going to get two deep southern teams in that game.
There are enough people who went to Notre Dame/Big 10 schools that are spread out all over the country, so they can fly to any area if the situation called for it.
In this case, there are simply not enough alums/fans of both of these schools that are going to make that trip. When the game was a novelty in 2015 in Arizona, it was fine. 2016 was in Tampa and 2017 was in New Orleans. Easy to do for both sides. San Francisco? No way.
Until some team West of the Mississippi shows a liklihood of making the big game, they shouldn't go further west than Texas.
FMiC, it is all because the big Bowls had to be placated to go with the system. They have to rotate the game. NCAA cannot just pick a location and plant the game there; well they could and the Big Bowls would complain.
I get it with the NFL conflicts and stuff, but there are better ways to attract eyeballs and lure would-be travelers.
What day should they do it? These Bowls are steadfast on when they will play (Rose and Sugar) and at what time and have never moved off it ever.
A called on Sirius suggested they play the semifinals on Christmas Day and then the championship on New Year's Day. This actually makes sense. But then you get into the whole thing about playing on Christmas Day and how it is more sacred for some than others, so that almost becomes a non starter in many locales.
In a best case scenario, you get a Pac-12 team in the mix for a spot in November.
Until the power shifts away from the SEC - there will likely be a huge East Coast representation.
In a best case scenario, you get a Pac-12 team in the mix for a spot in November.
Until the power shifts away from the SEC - there will likely be a huge East Coast representation.
Yeah, I knew you knew. PAC 12 will never match the SEC or maybe even the ACC or Big 10.
It is a result of a half-assed Div 1 playoff system. It has to be expanded to 8 teams.
Is he using Stubhub? The prices are right there.
Link - ( New Window )
9 day turnaround from the previous game. Cross country flight booked last minute is going to cost a small fortune. It's hard to plan a trip that long with only 8 days notice.
Location is on the other side of the country for both teams.
Both teams have played in multiple title games recently, and against each other again. It's not a must attend event for Bama/Clemson fans, this is a regular thing for them so they can just wait until the next one
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a lot of the fault as well. scheduling a game that has been predominantly filled with teams from the East Coast in a location in the Bay Area is ridiculous.
Until some team West of the Mississippi shows a liklihood of making the big game, they shouldn't go further west than Texas.
FMiC, it is all because the big Bowls had to be placated to go with the system. They have to rotate the game. NCAA cannot just pick a location and plant the game there; well they could and the Big Bowls would complain.
The problem with this statement is that the Bay Area was not a site for any of the big bowls ever. Levi's stadium will never host a semifinal because they have no bowl tie in whatsoever, they can only host the title game.
So this has nothing to do with placating the bay area because of the big bowl game tie ins.
I could see an argument for 6 teams, but more then that and you risk watering down the regular season. College footballs regular season is what makes the sport so great.
This year you didn't even need a playoff system. The old BCS system would have worked just fine this year, you'd have the same matchup in the title game as you do now
So this has nothing to do with placating the bay area because of the big bowl game tie ins.
The Bay Area might as well be the College Football void. Outside of stanford, which team anywhere close to there is even a possibility?
Even in Pasadena, you'd have travel issues, but the draw would be better. Are there even college ties in the Bay Area? It is a very aloof location.
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The problem with this statement is that the Bay Area was not a site for any of the big bowls ever. Levi's stadium will never host a semifinal because they have no bowl tie in whatsoever, they can only host the title game.
So this has nothing to do with placating the bay area because of the big bowl game tie ins.
The Bay Area might as well be the College Football void. Outside of stanford, which team anywhere close to there is even a possibility?
Even in Pasadena, you'd have travel issues, but the draw would be better. Are there even college ties in the Bay Area? It is a very aloof location.
outside of Cal and Stanford, none.
Let's be honest. They've never even sniffed a major bowl really.
Let's be honest. They've never even sniffed a major bowl really.
Oh I know...i think back in 07 they were ranked as high as 5 but that is about it. Most people in the Bay Area simply do not care about college sports.
If this would've been Alabama vs. Ohio State/Notre Dame/Oklahoma, would it have been different?
Not bashing on Clemson - just asking.
The article I read this AM from Greenville SC reported a "silver lining" for Clemson fans since they will outnumber Alabama fans 54% to 46% (so far).
Anyone looking forward to next year's Alabama-Clemson "National Title" game?
And let's stop the nonsense about "placating" the bowl games. They didn't placate anyone. It was about co-opting the competition. What no one wanted, even the bowls, was some bowl game putting up the money to buy a matchup between #1 and #2 and then cutting a deal for tv rights without the NCAA.
It is a result of a half-assed Div 1 playoff system. It has to be expanded to 8 teams.
Unless you feel that a Pac-12 team would have somehow won its first two games to get into a national title game (and doubt a Pac-12 team would have made the field of 8 anyway), I have no idea what your point is. The championship game is being played in SF... which doesnt even have a major bowl... its ludicrous.
Also dont understand the point of the article saying you can get in for $130 vs last year's "peak" price of 1700. So, we're comparing this year's cheapest ticket to last year's most expensive ticket... that makes sense... never? But yes, the trend is down... i just think the melo-drama and 1st grade analytics by the writer is pathetic.
The economy is probably also playing a part here. The stock market continues to get fucking crushed.
LOL. Good point.
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to San Francisco. Given the cultural divide in this country, I couldn't think of a city less appealing to travel to from those states. And then factor in the costs and logistics of getting there.
LOL. Good point.
When I first read that post, I rolled my eyes, but it really is a fair point.
I actually don't think it's a bad point at all. It's probably not the sole point, but it might factor in for some. Like do you think I'm dying to go to Starkville, MS for example? Uh, no.
Here, fans have the oppty to see their teams try to win a title (and these are the only teams these states have..... and in any college sport that i know of too)
I just think these fan bases have 'been there, done that' already as Mook says above, and dont want to spend the time and $$ money to travel cross country.
To insinuate political overtones too strikes me as a major reach, and the 'cultural divide in country' thing was unnecessary to say.
There is a cultural divide in this country. My post wasn't to make a value judgment on one place or another. But San Francisco is held up as perhaps the paradigm/bogeyman/epitome of one of the cultural ways of life in this country. It's often held up as everything right or everything wrong with this country. I would guess that the latter opinion is the more popular opinion found among Alabama and Clemson fans.
So with expenses and distance associated with flying out and stayin in San Francisco as it is, I can imagine a tipping point among many fans being "Do I really want to spend all this money to go THERE?"
But perhaps I can clean up my comment: My guess is that for all of the Alabama and Clemson fans who were on the fence about making the investment to go to the game, San Francisco as a location would factor as more of a reason not to go than a reason to go.
Small sample but I was in Fort Myers for four days last week for my son's Perfect Game baseball event. I met several parents from Alabama and talked football.
A few mentioned that they had gone to the national championship game in the past. They gave this year's trip some thought but were turned off by the costs and timing (Jan 7th, being back at work, etc).
I actually mentioned San Fran and what a different city is is culturally. All of them said it would be a cool city to visit. Politics never came up.
I've tailgated with an entire group who nixed the idea of going to the National Championship weeks ago and all of the factors were financially or timing based. Not once has politics been brought up and a few people actually said they'd love to go to SF if it weren't on the heels of going to Dallas and right after the holidays when they don't have time to take off.
I think part of the divide in this country is that a lot of assumptions are made on how people feel that don't necessarily have a basis in reality or are overblown. I'm fairly confident the number of people who wouldn't travel to SF strictly for politics is really small. And those who have it as a 2nd or 3rd reason isn't much larger.
It probably says more about those who think that's the mindset than the actual mindset in the South.
Honest question - if the National championship game is being held in Tuscaloosa and you are a fan of stanford, you really wouldn't travel there because it is in the Deep South? Or does it only pertain to uneducated hicks?
And I think if there were a championship game in Alabama between say, Stanford and Rutgers, who have appeared in multiple recent championships, that Alabama as a destination (ignoring its college football status), for reasons other than cost/logistics, would have a net negative appeal.
If you are a fan of the team you are going to weigh the trip from a monetary and time investment standpoint. Any other factor is going to be way down the list, if it comes into play at all.
That's what I mean by over-blowing the divide in this country. It exists on certain levels, but unlikely when it comes to sports, especially when weighing whether or not to go to a Championship game.
Off topic here, but the Clemson team went to California directly from Dallas which means they won't have been home for 10 days. Alabama was on more of a normal schedule this week.
Fan base probably not as excited as they were.
Add that to the cost of flights/hotel/etc. and not really a surprise.
Definitely not due to boredom. It sounds purely economical to me.
I honestly think this is due to the sheer distance of the game and travel expenses, and I do think there’s some Alabama-Clemson fatigue as well.