<H1>Seminoles suffer dip in ticket sales, Gators still going strong
Andrew Carter | Sentinel Staff Writer July 16, 2008 TALLAHASSEE - The many people who during the past several months have turned down sales pitches to buy season tickets for Florida State football games usually have given the same reasons, FSU Athletic Director Randy Spetman said recently. They talk about the economic concerns, the rising cost of gas.</H1>
As soon as we go back to being a regular old 8-3, 7-4 team again, all these folks will vanish into the night. (by the way those "cumulative scores" below are $$$$ contributions).Edited
Well, of course. The Gators still, after all these years, have a much larger support base than we do. For most of the state, Gainesville is a day trip. For everybody except those of us lucky enough to live in the Panhandle, Tallahassee is much further and the two-night hotel minimum at way-jacked-up prices makes season tickets almost undoable. Not to mention gas. It is $50.00 for me to go to Tally and back now. If I didn't live three hours away, there is no way I'd be able to go.
You also have to consider that we have like eight home games this year. I would have to go dig up my receipt, but I think my four seats were over $300 a pop. This is double what they were ten years ago. That doesn't count the game in Jacksonville. Nor does it count my donation to Seminole Boosters, which is required in order for me to maintain four seats. And the one that is always the draw for getting season tickets, the UF game, we are not likely to win.
That brings us to the product on the field, which the Orlando Slantinel, the Tampa fishwrapper, the Tally Democrap and every other UF-journalism-school staffed rag in this state, want to say is the reason for declining ticket sales. Meanwhile, they beat their chests (and probably other things too) when they write about Oscar and Timmy and hideous shades of orange. Obviously, we are at a disadvantage here...but not as much as we were three years ago. And it's not like our fans are non-renewing in order to attend UF games instead. That's absurd.
In 1999, it was great to be a Nole. It was very hard for my gator friends (yes, I have gator friends.) Now, it is hard to be a Nole, and has been for several years now. Add that to gas for our SUVs, a $500.00 hotel bill several times over, and yeah. But, I think good things are around the corner. And even if they aren't, the more fans that don't renew, the better my seat location will become.
I really don't think you should sugar coat things. How do you really feel?
Why would anyone go to the game when the players might rob you.
Central Michigan: Hartman Fund contributors who ordered Central Michigan single game tickets and who have a cumulative score of 13,752 and higher will receive tickets.
TAMPA — Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden said he knows he’s not far away from retiring; but he’s going to keep people guessing as to when.
“All I know right now is that I’m not interested in retiring, but I know my days are numbered,” Bowden said during the Florida Sports Writers Association College Football Media Days at the Marriott Tampa Waterside on Friday. “But ain’t a one of you can guess when those days are.
I’ll just have to feel when it’s time, I gotta be sure. I don’t want it decided by (FSU administrators). I’d like for it to be my time.”
Bowden said he’d like to win a third national championship before he retired, but that will be a big challenge this season. FSU will be without seven starters for the first three games of the season because of an academic scandal.
“Normally, with 16 or 17 starters back, that makes you look pretty good,” Bowden said. “By the fourth game, we’ll get everybody back. Our success will be how we do in the first three ballgames.”
The Seminoles are helped in that their first two games are against Western Carolina and Tennessee-Chattanooga, a pair of Division I-AA schools.
Florida International’s Mario Cristobal, Jacksonville’s Kerwin Bell, Webber International’s Kelly Scott, Edward Waters’ Kevin Clark and Florida A&M associate coach George Small joined Bowden at the media event.
Good news for state fans? - no retirement for Bobby.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/SPORTS/80718037/1075
shallowsnole - are all newspapers in FLA run by gators? Don't thay get good coverage in Tallahassee?
I'd wager to bet most are. For sure, check the credentials of the sportswriters in both the Tampa Tribune and the Orlando Sentinel; indeed, most of our media. The reason? UF has a school of journalism, and FSU does not.
On the subject of Bobby, I thought that Jimbo Fisher's HC-in-waiting contract stated he would take over in three years at the most. Did I miss something?
Bobby grew up a Bama fan, and Bear Bryant was his idol. And he has said in the past that the thing that scares him the most about retiring is that, like Bear, the next step will come much too soon.
The good news is most UF J-school sportswriter grads are, in reality, not big homers. The simple truth is, ShallowsNole, it is summer and they don't have much else to write about. Most state papers are run by UF journalism graduates, with the possible exception of the St. Pete Times, which is run by folks with more impressive degrees from Indiana University, Northwestern and Columbia.
I hope :shock:
Are you trying to tell me that the VGMC (Vast Gator Media Conspiracy) theory is false? Geez. Next you'll be telling me that the world is flat.
You know I'm funnin' with you
I need some FSU party items. Can anyone give me a lead to local places that stock a wide variety of FSU napkins, plates, banners? Maybe they'll have a good sale with this temporary slow down in ticket sales. Or, if you've got a trip planned to Tallahassee soon, let me know.
) Also, Tallahassee hotels, even as far over as Quincy and Monticello, demand a two-night minimum and $189.00 - $249.00 per night is not uncommon. Do they do that in Gainesville? I know they don't in Lake City, which is where I've stayed for UF/FSU before.That must be to be able to secure new season tickets. My MIL's booster contributions went up this year, from about $1600 to $2800 for 4 primo primo seats (been in family for 55+ years). Still a lot, but not what UF deems "market value." :shock:
Please wait while we verify your forum account.