Ca$hing in on rivals: prices for BYU, Utah highest ever
Ticket prices for Friday’s football game against BYU, as well as the game against Utah on Sept. 13, are the highest they have ever been at USU, said Ticket Operations Manager Stephanie Plueard.
Last year the highest ticket price for a football game was $35, which was for reserved seats on the west side of Romney Stadium. Tickets for Friday’s game are $50 for the same seats.
This is not the first time ticket prices have been raised for premium games. It is, however, the highest price increase for a specific game. Last year, ticket prices were raised $5 for the Boise State game. Prices were also raised by $5 two years ago for the home game against Utah.
The idea of raising prices for high-profile games is not one practiced only at USU. According to the University of Utah and BYU ticket offices, both schools raise their ticket prices for high-profile games.
USU has fairly reasonable priced tickets compared to other schools in the state and in the WAC. According to WAC school Fresno State’s ticket office, they had tickets for as much as $80 for their home game against Wisconsin. Regular ticket prices for a Fresno State game range from $25 to $50.
According to Boise State’s ticket office, they do not raise their ticket prices for certain games. However, prices range from $28 to $46 per ticket. Tickets for the Utah and BYU games this year at Romney Stadium go for $30 to $50 per person.
Ticket prices for football games are usually set in the spring for the upcoming season. The prices go through committees and boards, including a senior staff committee and the Big Blue Board of Directors, before they are approved.
“You look at what you think your value is, how long has it been since you have had an increase, what you think the market will bear,” said USU Director of Athletics Scott Barnes.
Barnes also mentioned how common it is among other universities and professional teams to raise the ticket price for premier games.
Even with other teams raising ticket prices, some Utah State fans are not happy about the increase.
“I want to pay for the product I am going to see on the field today, not the product they are trying to build,” said former USU student Casey Smith. “And I don’t feel like the product I am seeing now is worth what they want me to pay.”
Not everyone is complaining about the price.
“We hear a mixture,” Plueard said. “We hear people say, ‘Fifty-two dollars, that’s it?’ I think that’s because they hear other prices.”
Plueard mentioned how the Boise State regular game price is similar to USU’s premium game price.
“I think it is interesting that they raised the ticket prices so much in the same year that we are trying so hard to get a lot of fans to our games,” Smith said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Due to low number of fans attending football games during the last couple of years, the football team could be put on probation by the NCAA. The Aggies need to have an average of 15,000 fans per game, and the higher price of the premium games may hinder getting max number of fans to games.
“I think that’s something that when you have a higher price you are at risk of,” Barnes said. “I think a lot of things affect people coming to the games. I don’t think you can simply say the higher price in and of itself is the only factor in getting people to come to the game.”
Whether or not the prices affect if fans will come, Plueard said USU would meet its quota for ticket sales for the BYU game.
“The people that are knowledgeable of other prices in the nation, I think they see that it’s pretty comparable,” she said.
–p.d.k@aggiemail.usu.edu