Ticket Prices Going Up

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East Side Pioneer Guy
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Ticket Prices Going Up

Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:10 am

http://kstp.com/sports/minnesota-state- ... e/4846113/

I've been wondering when tickets would go up for a year or two. For AA & maybe A boys hockey, I'd rather adults tickets go up $2 and students stay at $11. Boys hockey pulls it's own weight at the X, with AA more than pulling it's own weight.

Girls hockey tournament prices are the same as boys. Maybe, just maybe, they could grow the game by not charging $17 for adults for the girls. In reality, the X hates hosting sparsely attended events. They couldn't wait to get rid of the Schwan's Cup. You might get some more casual fans to the girls tournament if a family didn't have to pay $56 for Mom, Dad, and two kids just to get in the door. It's hard to tease out the costs of one tournament when the contract is for four, but AA boys hockey and wrestling are subsidizing volleyball and girls hockey for sure. That is money that could go to subsidize many activities, rather than subsidizing empty buildings.

I don't get volleyball being at the X. Wouldn't the U of M Sports Pavilion be a good fit? And a lot cheaper?

We paid for the half of the Ziggy Palace, so we the Prep Bowl should be there rent free. Too bad we didn't set up a deal like that for the X. On the other hand, those are two days the Ziggy Palace would likely be empty. Four days for girls hockey and 3 days for volleyball, that's 7 days the X could otherwise host the Wild or a concert and actually make money.

I'd also like to know if having two basketball tournaments at the Woofies shed is a money maker. I don't think even AAAA boys games fill the lower bowl. And there too, that's 8 days of no NBA or concerts. Maybe Williams Arena, the historic home of the b-ball tournament would be a better fit.

These modern day sports palaces are fantastic buildings, but they are very expensive to operate.

Zamman
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Post by Zamman » Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:46 pm

Queue the sexist and people who do not see the light...
The girls tourney should be held at Ridder. Much better venue and will APPEAR full in person and on TV. Prices could be cheaper and more people would come. I tell you what if the boys tournament did not sell out and had sparse crowds, I would be all in favor of it being held somewhere else...Just saying. I have been to the girls tournament at the X so please do not say I need to go. If Ridder is good enough for the Womens NCAA Frozen Four why not the state tourney...

zamboniexhaustinhaler
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Post by zamboniexhaustinhaler » Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:55 pm

Zamman wrote:Queue the sexist and people who do not see the light...
The girls tourney should be held at Ridder. Much better venue and will APPEAR full in person and on TV. Prices could be cheaper and more people would come. I tell you what if the boys tournament did not sell out and had sparse crowds, I would be all in favor of it being held somewhere else...Just saying. I have been to the girls tournament at the X so please do not say I need to go. If Ridder is good enough for the Womens NCAA Frozen Four why not the state tourney...
Queue the person with an obvious chip on their shoulder to start a thread in such way.... :roll:

East Side Pioneer Guy
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Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Sat Mar 31, 2018 3:00 pm

For the record, I, too, have laid out cash money for the girls tournament. And not because I had a relative of some sort playing.

In my book, you're only a supporter of womens/girls athletics if you lay out cash money to watch a contest AND you don't have a daughter/relative/neighbor participating. Otherwise it's just called being a good parent/uncle/grandma/neighbor.

alcloseshaver
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Post by alcloseshaver » Sat Mar 31, 2018 3:57 pm

Is my understanding that the X is rent free for the the girls tourney.

inthetwine
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Post by inthetwine » Sat Mar 31, 2018 5:38 pm

alcloseshaver wrote:Is my understanding that the X is rent free for the the girls tourney.
The X is not rent free for anything. the tourneys that sell out, subsidize the tourneys that do not.

East Side Pioneer Guy
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Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:06 pm

inthetwine wrote:
alcloseshaver wrote:Is my understanding that the X is rent free for the the girls tourney.
The X is not rent free for anything. the tourneys that sell out, subsidize the tourneys that do not.
Yup, that's like saying my baked potato was free. After I paid for a $50 steak.

alcloseshaver
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Post by alcloseshaver » Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:47 pm

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:
inthetwine wrote:
alcloseshaver wrote:Is my understanding that the X is rent free for the the girls tourney.
The X is not rent free for anything. the tourneys that sell out, subsidize the tourneys that do not.
Yup, that's like saying my baked potato was free. After I paid for a $50 steak.
yep, just saying if your only going to eat a baked potato then should pay less. Charge more for the boys but lower the price for the girls and help grow the sport. I think it was $14 for basketball.

Jeffy95
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Post by Jeffy95 » Sun Apr 01, 2018 12:07 am

alcloseshaver wrote:
East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:
inthetwine wrote:
alcloseshaver wrote:Is my understanding that the X is rent free for the the girls tourney.
The X is not rent free for anything. the tourneys that sell out, subsidize the tourneys that do not.
Yup, that's like saying my baked potato was free. After I paid for a $50 steak.
yep, just saying if your only going to eat a baked potato then should pay less. Charge more for the boys but lower the price for the girls and help grow the sport. I think it was $14 for basketball.
Ticket prices and Venue will not do squat to grow the game. Absolutely nothing, zero, zilch! Like everything else in life, it's all about the product. Women's sports will always struggle with that. I'm a fan of Giris Hockey but I understand that most aren't and there isn't anything we can do about that.

Note: Having the girls tourney at the X is asinine. That is not helping.

goldy313
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Post by goldy313 » Sun Apr 01, 2018 1:12 am

For a certain number of years the Xcel was free to the MSHSL, those days are gone. The Wild make huge money off the MSHSL now. Honestly, the MSHSL should bid Target Center off of the Wild. FWIW, I hate the Wild and how they extort the high schools. But the Legislature is really at fault. The state had a good deal with the Metrodome and Target Center but gave the Wild and Vikings way to much from taxpayers.

TheMNhockey1
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Post by TheMNhockey1 » Sun Apr 01, 2018 3:11 am

goldy313 wrote:For a certain number of years the Xcel was free to the MSHSL, those days are gone. The Wild make huge money off the MSHSL now. Honestly, the MSHSL should bid Target Center off of the Wild. FWIW, I hate the Wild and how they extort the high schools. But the Legislature is really at fault. The state had a good deal with the Metrodome and Target Center but gave the Wild and Vikings way to much from taxpayers.
Something tells me you hate a lot of things

zamboniexhaustinhaler
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Post by zamboniexhaustinhaler » Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:04 am

Jeffy95 wrote:
alcloseshaver wrote:
East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:
inthetwine wrote:
alcloseshaver wrote:Is my understanding that the X is rent free for the the girls tourney.
The X is not rent free for anything. the tourneys that sell out, subsidize the tourneys that do not.
Yup, that's like saying my baked potato was free. After I paid for a $50 steak.
yep, just saying if your only going to eat a baked potato then should pay less. Charge more for the boys but lower the price for the girls and help grow the sport. I think it was $14 for basketball.
Ticket prices and Venue will not do squat to grow the game. Absolutely nothing, zero, zilch! Like everything else in life, it's all about the product. Women's sports will always struggle with that. I'm a fan of Giris Hockey but I understand that most aren't and there isn't anything we can do about that.

Note: Having the girls tourney at the X is asinine. That is not helping.
=D>

BSUBeaver
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Re: Ticket Prices Going Up

Post by BSUBeaver » Sun Apr 01, 2018 2:30 pm

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: I don't get volleyball being at the X. Wouldn't the U of M Sports Pavilion be a good fit? And a lot cheaper?.
Because two volleyball courts can fit inside the confines of an ice arena, so the MSHSL can play two games at the same time. Makes scheduling three classes of championship rou ds very easy and using just one venue.

Gov78
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Post by Gov78 » Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:43 am

zamboniexhaustinhaler wrote:
Zamman wrote:Queue the sexist and people who do not see the light...
The girls tourney should be held at Ridder. Much better venue and will APPEAR full in person and on TV. Prices could be cheaper and more people would come. I tell you what if the boys tournament did not sell out and had sparse crowds, I would be all in favor of it being held somewhere else...Just saying. I have been to the girls tournament at the X so please do not say I need to go. If Ridder is good enough for the Womens NCAA Frozen Four why not the state tourney...
Queue the person with an obvious chip on their shoulder to start a thread in such way.... :roll:
Stating the obvious doesn't require a chip, ignoring it indicates a block rather than a chip.

I have a daughter who played at X so know first hand that is not the correct venue for girl's hockey today.

zamboniexhaustinhaler
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Post by zamboniexhaustinhaler » Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:17 pm

Gov78 wrote:
zamboniexhaustinhaler wrote:
Zamman wrote:Queue the sexist and people who do not see the light...
The girls tourney should be held at Ridder. Much better venue and will APPEAR full in person and on TV. Prices could be cheaper and more people would come. I tell you what if the boys tournament did not sell out and had sparse crowds, I would be all in favor of it being held somewhere else...Just saying. I have been to the girls tournament at the X so please do not say I need to go. If Ridder is good enough for the Womens NCAA Frozen Four why not the state tourney...
Queue the person with an obvious chip on their shoulder to start a thread in such way.... :roll:
Stating the obvious doesn't require a chip, ignoring it indicates a block rather than a chip.

I have a daughter who played at X so know first hand that is not the correct venue for girl's hockey today.
never said it was :roll:

goldy313
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Post by goldy313 » Thu Apr 05, 2018 12:29 am

TheMNhockey1 wrote:
goldy313 wrote:For a certain number of years the Xcel was free to the MSHSL, those days are gone. The Wild make huge money off the MSHSL now. Honestly, the MSHSL should bid Target Center off of the Wild. FWIW, I hate the Wild and how they extort the high schools. But the Legislature is really at fault. The state had a good deal with the Metrodome and Target Center but gave the Wild and Vikings way to much from taxpayers.
Something tells me you hate a lot of things
I hate pro teams who benefit from tax payers building their palaces coming back and extorting the public to use their facilities 10 days out of 365. The Metrodome didn't do that.....the deal the state legislature made with both the Wild and Vikings allow the owners to do just that. The MSHSL barely makes money on the hockey tournament anymore after expenses. The wrestling tournament had to drop a day a couple of years ago because they lost money. Screw the Wild. I hope they lose again in the first round.

Go to any Legion or VFW and ask how much money they give to Zygi Wilf now due to a guarantee from the legislature on etabs. Less money for your community, more for Zygi! Fricking legislators came to a meeting at our Legion and straight out lied to us.

ZachHalverson
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Post by ZachHalverson » Thu Apr 05, 2018 1:17 pm

One of the biggest problems on a long list of problems the MSHSL has is their sales staff. They could make a lot more in advertising at these venues, instead they insist on putting the MSHSL logo EVERYWHERE. You can have up to four on ice advertisements in the neutral zone, and while one of them is Wells Fargo and another is 45TV, the other two are MSHSL logos. That is a lot of money lost.

They air the same commercials in each TV timeout in the arena which is more money lost. They have the MSHSL itself on the LED ribbon rotation. And they are losing money on programs, which should honestly never happen.

Finally, their website is awful for a multitude of reasons, but one of the bigger problems with it is the potential for it to be very profitable. If it were on a better platform, they could use it to sell ads on team pages and could make a good amount of revenue off of all the sports. That website generates a ton of traffic, if they could harness that they wouldn't have to worry so much about money.

East Side Pioneer Guy
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Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Fri Apr 06, 2018 5:51 pm

Gov78 wrote:
zamboniexhaustinhaler wrote:
Zamman wrote:Queue the sexist and people who do not see the light...
The girls tourney should be held at Ridder. Much better venue and will APPEAR full in person and on TV. Prices could be cheaper and more people would come. I tell you what if the boys tournament did not sell out and had sparse crowds, I would be all in favor of it being held somewhere else...Just saying. I have been to the girls tournament at the X so please do not say I need to go. If Ridder is good enough for the Womens NCAA Frozen Four why not the state tourney...
Queue the person with an obvious chip on their shoulder to start a thread in such way.... :roll:
Stating the obvious doesn't require a chip, ignoring it indicates a block rather than a chip.

If the girls tourney is ever to move to a more appropriate venue, it will only come via a push from the players and their parents, and more so the moms than the dads. That would give cover to anyone who would make a push for it.

I have a daughter who played at X so know first hand that is not the correct venue for girl's hockey today.

East Side Pioneer Guy
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Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Fri Apr 06, 2018 6:03 pm

I don't have a problem with requiring tax payer subsidized professional teams to lose money a few days a year. Until the Wild seek more public money, that probably won't happen. From what I know, the X loves boys hockey. Class A wednesday may be a bit of a loss leader, but Thursday is the biggest day of the year, the only day they have back to back sellouts. I doubt wrestling is a problem for them either.

Whoever rents the building sets all the rules, whether that's the MSHSL or a concert promoter. Some concerts say bottled water must be poured into plastic cups, or that there will be no alcohol sales.

To Zach's point on advertising, the Wells Fargo logos on the ice ARE advertisements. That's part of what they pay the MSHSL for to be an official partner. Not saying the couldn't do a better job over all.

Finally, I doubt that the X (or the Woofies' Shed) is the only venue in town that can accommodate a pair of volleyball courts.

goldy313
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Post by goldy313 » Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:58 pm

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:I don't have a problem with requiring tax payer subsidized professional teams to lose money a few days a year. Until the Wild seek more public money, that probably won't happen. From what I know, the X loves boys hockey. Class A wednesday may be a bit of a loss leader, but Thursday is the biggest day of the year, the only day they have back to back sellouts. I doubt wrestling is a problem for them either.

Whoever rents the building sets all the rules, whether that's the MSHSL or a concert promoter. Some concerts say bottled water must be poured into plastic cups, or that there will be no alcohol sales.

To Zach's point on advertising, the Wells Fargo logos on the ice ARE advertisements. That's part of what they pay the MSHSL for to be an official partner. Not saying the couldn't do a better job over all.

Finally, I doubt that the X (or the Woofies' Shed) is the only venue in town that can accommodate a pair of volleyball courts.
No, the Wild set the rent. They MSHSL had a grace period given to them by the state legislature. That has expired. There are cheaper venues but Title IX and existing contracts prohibit the MSHSL from moving. All sport save AA hockey would benefit from opening up to bid but they can't.

Screw the Wild.

TheMNhockey1
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Post by TheMNhockey1 » Sat Apr 07, 2018 4:30 pm

goldy313 wrote:
East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:I don't have a problem with requiring tax payer subsidized professional teams to lose money a few days a year. Until the Wild seek more public money, that probably won't happen. From what I know, the X loves boys hockey. Class A wednesday may be a bit of a loss leader, but Thursday is the biggest day of the year, the only day they have back to back sellouts. I doubt wrestling is a problem for them either.

Whoever rents the building sets all the rules, whether that's the MSHSL or a concert promoter. Some concerts say bottled water must be poured into plastic cups, or that there will be no alcohol sales.

To Zach's point on advertising, the Wells Fargo logos on the ice ARE advertisements. That's part of what they pay the MSHSL for to be an official partner. Not saying the couldn't do a better job over all.

Finally, I doubt that the X (or the Woofies' Shed) is the only venue in town that can accommodate a pair of volleyball courts.
No, the Wild set the rent. They MSHSL had a grace period given to them by the state legislature. That has expired. There are cheaper venues but Title IX and existing contracts prohibit the MSHSL from moving. All sport save AA hockey would benefit from opening up to bid but they can't.

Screw the Wild.
Wouldn't it be screw title IX and existing contracts?

goldy313
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Post by goldy313 » Sun Apr 08, 2018 12:01 am

Title IX forces the MSHSL to have equal facilities. The Wild set rent which by Title IX has to be equal or less for girls.

East Side Pioneer Guy
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Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Sun Apr 08, 2018 11:50 am

I'm not an attorney, so I can't speak to Title IX, and whether or not it exactly specifies that facilities be completely equal in every respect. Equal can mean different things. Does Title IX apply to college athletics? Is Ridder equal in every respect to Mariucci? Title IX existed when the girls tournament was held at Aldrich and the Coliseum. The girls hockey quarters are not televised. is that unequal under Title IX?

I think it's safe to assume that the MSHSL negotiates for these four tournaments as a package. This is similar to the U of M selling tickets to the Iowa game along with a ticket to a less in-demand game. The boys hockey and wrestling tournaments are the carrots, volleyball and girls hockey are loss leaders.

The X would be be very happy to host just boys hockey and wrestling. They are not bound by Title IX. If the tournaments were negotiated separately, the MSHSL would have to pay for both girls tournaments and lose money on both. Combining them into one package merely conceals which produce revenue and which cost money.

There is nothing precluding the MSHSL from negotiating every tournament venue separately. Same for TV coverage. I can get my homeowners and auto coverage from separate insurers or the same one. I do whichever works to my advantage. Once current contracts expire MSHSL is free to negotiate differently.

Schotzy
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Post by Schotzy » Mon Apr 09, 2018 8:34 am

goldy313 wrote:Screw the Wild.
While I figure this is tongue & cheek, to be clear, the Wild have nothing to do with this. It is the Excel Energy Center, and the St. Paul Arena Company, an affiliate of the Minnesota Sports and Entertainment Commission, that operates the arena. The Wild are a tenant.

East Side Pioneer Guy
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Post by East Side Pioneer Guy » Mon Apr 09, 2018 9:36 am

Schotzy wrote:
goldy313 wrote:Screw the Wild.
While I figure this is tongue & cheek, to be clear, the Wild have nothing to do with this. It is the Excel Energy Center, and the St. Paul Arena Company, an affiliate of the Minnesota Sports and Entertainment Commission, that operates the arena. The Wild are a tenant.
It's all the same: MN Wild = St. Paul Arena Co. = Minnesota Sports Entertainment. No daylight between any of them, just corporate legalese.

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