Tickets for sports events...how much is too much?

I took a class at Stanford last spring call Biz Ball, on sports as a business. It was taught by Andy Dolich, a top sports executive who currently runs his own consultancy firm. Andy previously worked in the front office for teams across professional sports including the Oakland A’s, Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers, and the Golden State Warriors.

One of the topics we discussed was where is the breaking point on ticket prices? How high can they go before fans stop going to games?

Unfortunately, we didn’t come up with the answer and as a fan and now a blogger this is a topic I can’t seem to stop thinking about.

Given that it is Super Bowl week and the San Francisco (SF) 49ers just announced the first phase of pricing for their new stadium, I think it’s a good time to focus on NFL ticket pricing.

Since I moved to the Bay Area about six years ago all I’ve heard about is a new stadium for the 49ers. The City of San Francisco offered certain parcels of land, but they could not reach an agreement. The 49ers decided to move to Santa Clara, where their headquarters and training facility are—an hour south of the City. After propositions on the ballot and fighting on both sides of the issue, the 49ers are set to break ground on the new stadium this spring and plan to play the 2014 season there. And, they just lined up the funding and all the land recently…after at least six years of trying.

Although, they still need a company to buy the naming rights on the stadium.

Funny, LA doesn’t have a team yet. They are building a new 100% privately-funded stadium. And, Farmers Insurance bought the naming rights for $700 million for 30 years.

It seems to me like the folks in LA know how to get things done. Maybe Jed York, CEO of the 49ers should ask them how they did it.

Here’s another thing Jed York and the 49ers don’t understand…their fans. Most of their fans and season ticket holders have been going to games for years. York was quoted as saying that he expects the stands to be filled with “working class families.”

Let’s see if working class families can afford these prices:

Between $3,250 and $3,750 for tickets each season…and a stadium builders license ranging from $20,000 to $80,000, with most being either $20,000 or $30,000. Oh, and the 49ers are offering a 10-year financing plan on the license fee, if you don’t pay it off by the time the stadium opens, in about three years, you get to pay interest fees of 8.5%.

Now, that’s a deal!

And, just to give you some perspective, 49er fans are currently paying $1,790 a season for a first row seat on the 49 yard line and of course, no license fee.

This past season the highest Fan Cost Index (cost of taking the average family of four to a game) was $628.90. This was to go to a NY Jets game. The second highest was in Dallas ($613.80) where parking costs $75.

With the advent of these new stadiums (the Dallas Cowboys opened in 2009) and the combined NY Jets/NY Giants stadium in 2010, ticket prices have soared. And, the 49ers are pushing it even higher. They are passing along the cost of these $1 billion stadiums to their fans.

They will be losing many long-time season holders. I’m not saying that they won’t sell these seats, but that working class family that Jed York thinks is going to be sitting in those seats isn’t coming back. He is helping to change the demographic of who is attending NFL games. And, I imagine this change has been going on for a while. This is just in my backyard this time.

Personally, I have not attended an NFL game in years. No, I have not ventured to the ‘Stick and sat through the winds. It hard for me to admit this as a Packers fan, but I think the last game I went to was a Bears game at Soldier Field. And, yes, that was cold and windy, as all games are there. Tickets got too expensive for me years ago. And, besides if I can’t be at Lambeau watching my beloved Packers, just not interested.

The SF Giants are the last professional team in the Bay Area to build a new stadium. And, unlike them, the 49ers did not keep their season-ticket holders in mind when developing this pricing strategy. As Russ Stanley, Giants VP Ticket Services and Client Relations told me for my post on dynamic pricing, the Giants “are always looking to make the season ticket experience better for their customer.”

For the 49ers it is obvious that it’s all about the bottom line. They are hoping that 49ers will become the new darlings in the South Bay and that Silicon Valley companies will buy up these seats.

When the SF Giants moved into the new ballpark, the licenses ranged from $1,500 to $7,500. They had very few at $7,500, just the first five rows between the bases.

So, let’s get this straight…

SF 49ers: $3,250-$3,750 per season and $20,000-$80,000 for the license. That’s for 8 home games, plus two playoff games…if they get there.

SF Giants: Last check $3,175 for lower box for the season. Less than $7,500 for the license. That’s for 81 home games.

Hmmm…which one seems like the better deal?

Hey Russ, how about two seats down the first base line…

Karen Chen...and the Two-Minute Drill

At nearly 12-and-a-half years old and one of the youngest competitors in the Novice Ladies competition at the US Figure Skating National Championships in San Jose, CA, Karen Chen wowed the audience with two amazing performances last week. She was the only novice to try six triple jumps en route to her 10-point win.

Karen, who is a local Bay Area skater, from Fremont, CA, is coached by Sherri Krahne-Thomas and Gilley Nicholson.

Karen doing a spin

As a few reporters were waiting as Karen was tying and retying her skates at Sharks Ice, the Practice Ice for the competition, we learned that it typically takes her a while before she gets on the ice. According to Gilley, “It just how long it takes. She only has one pair of skates and they have to feel just right. She warms up the same way, has a special routine…warming up and stretching, which is needed for the spins. Otherwise, there could be injuries.”

The maximum skating time for a pair of skates for Karen is six months. They just break down from the impact of landing. New skates cost $1,000 pair.

Karen practices six days a week, two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. She is home schooled, which gives her a little more balance in her schedule (not having to wake up so early for practice!). She does miss playing with her friends on the playground, but keeps up with them through email. However, Karen was quick to add that she loves what she is doing.

I talked to Karen after she won the 2012 Ladies Novice Championship and here is what she shared.

PJ: How did it feel winning your first US Nationals?

Karen: I was excited. I put in lots of effort for this, tons of hard work. When I won, I was partially shocked. I did not perform as clean a program as I would have liked. Yet, I still hung on for the gold.

After I landed my first three jumps [in the long program], I felt so far, so good. I was enjoying it and got momentum and tried to keep it.

PJ: Which program, long or short, did you like the best?

Karen: I really like my short program. It’s much easier. It’s more graceful. The Tango has sharper movements, a different facial expression for the music [more serious] and it’s harder.

PJ: What is your favorite move?

Karen: I like the spins. It’s hard work to get them and I finally got back to where I feel good. I look up at the ceiling and it feels…it’s what I want to do. I try not to think of too many things or I lose focus. I am concentrating on the current position I am doing and try not to get ahead of myself.

PJ: What is it like to have Kristi Yamaguchi as a mentor?

Karen: I appreciate her help. She gives suggestions, answers questions. [For example] she said, for the butterflies I get right before I step on the ice, ‘pretend you got an invitation, like to a party…go out and have fun out there.’

It’s exciting and feels almost unreal to skate with an Olympic champion. It feels like a dream.

PJ: What is the most important thing you get from your coaches?
Karen: I appreciate their help very much. I’m not perfect and there have been lots of times things are not working. They are always there to help me.

PJ: Do you have a special place at home for this gold medal?

Karen: Yes, I do. I have some trophies on a specific corner of a table. When I look at them, I feel proud of myself.

PJ: I saw all the stuffed animals that were thrown on the ice after your performances. Do you have a favorite one?

Karen: I got a huge cinnamon roll. I love it so much! One of my friends made it. The ones I like the most I keep on my bed and some on a shelf. I like Snoopy and I love the rink in Santa Rosa with Snoopy on the Zamboni.

A kindred spirit—we are both Snoopy fans. The rink in Santa Rosa, California, is the one built by Charles Schulz, Snoopy’s creator.

Remember this name…Karen Chen…she will be on the US Olympic team one day.

Sights and sounds from the US Figure Skating Championships

A skating fan’s dream: to be in a crowded elevator stuck between Peggy Fleming and Brian Boitano.

The only thing is…it isn’t a dream.

It really happened to me last night after the Opening Ceremonies at the US Figure Skating Championships.

I guess I should back up a bit to share with you all how I got in that corner of the elevator squeezed between these two all-time greats.

As the co-captain of the media room many different activities get thrown my way during any given day. I joke that I never know what my day will look like when I walk through the black curtain separating the media relations and communications team of the US Figure Skating Association and the media or the curtain separating the skaters’ lounge from the copy center. The other day I had to make the Sharks Ice run—taking the draws, judges sheets, and results to get posted at the practice ice.

On Thursday night my co-captain, Ginna, and I got the plum assignment of escorting former skating champions from the Bay Area to the press for interviews prior to the Opening Ceremonies.

And, yes, I did have the honor of escorting Peggy Fleming and her husband, Dr. Greg Jenkins. And, if you read my post from the other day, you will know that Peggy is in my top three all-time favorite women skaters. So, as you can imagine, it really was special to meet her. And, no I am not one to be star struck. After all, I have interviewed numerous athletes as a sports writer from Grant Hill to Edwin Moses. But, for a moment or two, I couldn’t believe this was actually happening and I just had to compose myself.

The other skaters who were honored were Brian Boitano, Debi Thomas, Rudy Galindo, Charlie Tickner, and Kristi Yamaguchi. Kristi had a prior engagement and wasn’t able to attend, however she was at the event earlier in the week watching the Ladies Novice competition.

At the Opening Ceremonies Rudy Galindo was the only one to skate a short routine. The others skated to center ice and to their spots. Karen Chen, the 2012 US National Ladies Novice Champ skated on Kristi’s behalf. Many young kids from the area also skated. Afterwards, I caught up with Rudy and thanked him for skating for us. He lit up, as only Rudy can do, and shook my hand. Clearly, he appreciated being recognized. He coaches now and doesn’t skate too much these days. You couldn’t tell by the way he performed. He was great.

So, we are almost at the elevator.

As I was getting ready to head up to the seats to watch the senior women’s short program competition, a coach needed to be escorted to the area where the skaters were who performed in the Opening Ceremonies. A job of a volunteer captain is never done. As we walked just about all the way around the ice, near the Zambonis, we found them. The kids were getting group photos taken with the former champs. I stood and watched for a while and as they broke up, I headed back around to the elevators.

As I came up to the elevator…there they were…Debi, Brian, and Peggy. We must have squeezed 15 people in a 10 person elevator. And, I was in the back next to Brian with Peggy and her flowers squeezed in tight. With Brian joking about getting stuck in elevator…

...and I was thinking…so this is what Brian Boitano does!

Brandon Marshall...back for the Two-Minute Drill

Last time we talked to Brandon, that Olympic wrestling hopeful, he was doing rehab and hoping his ligament in his elbow would grow and get stronger without surgery.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

After a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, of the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Brandon and his parents knew that surgery was the only way to heal the bad tear—he had to have Tommy John surgery. Dr. Andrews has done more than 2,500 of these operations with a remarkable success rate. This surgery will help stabilize his elbow, replace the ligament, and is the best option to preserve the integrity of the nerve in the process.

After his surgery in front of 
another Marshall's football jersey

An interesting fact about Dr. Andrews is that he is the first call a professional athlete makes when there is a possibility of needing surgery on their elbow, shoulder, or knee. Athletes he has operated on include golfer Jack Nicklaus (his knee in the 1980s, and, btw, Jack won a Master’s after his surgery), quarterback Drew Brees (shoulder, and yes, Drew won the Super Bowl after his surgery), quarterback Donovan McNabb (knee), pitcher John Smoltz (three shoulder surgeries), quarterback Brett Favre (shoulder, ankle), and pitcher Tim Hudson (elbow).

So, on Thursday, January 5, at Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Brandon underwent a surgery that lasted an hour and a half. It took 15 minutes to replace the ligament and his parents were allowed to be in the room taking photos of that part of the surgery (and, yes, Brandon thinks the photos are “cool”). The very next morning he was in first therapy session.

I talked to Brandon Saturday to learn more about his surgery and next steps.

PJ: How rough was the surgery?

Brandon: The only time I was down was when I first woke up. I walked everywhere and started school the following Monday. They wanted me out and moving to get it back to where it needs to be. In my first therapy session I did things to get my shoulder stronger, because I was in a sling they didn’t want that to weaken. I did wrist movements and tried to keep muscles moving so they didn’t get stiff when the cast came off. My first session was about 20 to 25 minutes.

There were a few athletes in therapy while I was there and they treated me the same, which was nice. A number of them just had surgery like me. There was a football player from Purdue, a guy from the Kansas City Chiefs, and someone from Army Flight School.

PJ: What was your next stop?

Brandon: Athletes Performance. This is a training facility that has an association with the Institute. They give you safer ways to lift and tell you what to eat to get your peak performance. They were a lot of college football players there training for the NFL combine, including a senior from Notre Dame who was a running back. And, there was someone from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings.

PJ: You are three weeks in, what’s next?

Brandon showing his Wisconsin spirit

Brandon: I was in the cast for one week and my stitches were removed last Thursday. Now, I wear a brace all the time except when I am icing my arm and taking showers. Everyone who knows me calls me Robocop because of the brace.

I am doing rehab at the nursing home where my mom works. I go three times a week. This [past] week I went Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a day in between to rest a bit.

They wanted me to have therapy, get my stitches out, do more stretching—get my arm out and moving. The goal is to move my arm all the way out and back without a lot of pain in six weeks. That’s when the doctor will check it again.

After six weeks if I can move my arm all the way out and back, then I can get rid of the brace and start a little wrestling-related work and get my strength back—not just my motion.

PJ: You’ve gone through a lot in a short time.

Brandon: Yeah…it was kind of just settling down, then it was Christmas break and we learned I had to have surgery. I had hoped I didn’t have to get it, but it was worth it.

OK…another shot at your favorite movie: I used to watch True Lies all the time.

Favorite wrestler: I admire Anthony Robles. He was the NCAA National Champion this year [going 36-0 for Arizona State University and wrestling in the 125 lb. weight class] and wrestles on one leg. Now, I can kind of understand what it feels like, although it’s really not the same thing.

Keep reading this blog for updates on Brandon and his journey.

Notes from Day 1 at the US Figure Skating Championships

For the next week I am the co-captain for the volunteers in the Media Room at the US Figure Skating Championships in San Jose. Well, really it’s the Media Room/Communications/Copy Center…but, that’s a mouthful…so, I’m sticking with just Media Room!

It was a tremendous honor to be asked by the amazing folks at the San Jose Sports Authority (Patricia Ernstrom, Dave Eadie, and Carrie Benjamin) to pitch in to help out in this capacity. They work tirelessly to bring sporting events to San Jose—in the next year alone, the city is hosting this event, the US Gymnastic Olympic Trials, and the first and second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2013, among others.

I have been a figure skating fan (yes, I admit I like almost all sports) from early on. I remember watching film of Peggy Fleming skate at the Grenoble Olympics and think I was hooked from that moment. Her grace…her beauty…it all captured my imagination.

Ask me to name my top three favorite women’s skaters of all-time. Easy. Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Peggy Fleming.

Of course, I cannot skate—I spent most of my youth on that frozen pond at the zoo not in an upright position. And, my brother spent hours every year trying to get me to stay up—I guess I wasn’t meant to skate. But, I have enjoyed watching all of it—men’s, women’s, pairs, and even ice dancing.

So, for this skating fan and blogger, it was a no-brainer for me to say yes, when asked to help this week.

My co-captain, Ginna Baldassarre (who is an amazing teammate), and I have been working to get our volunteer schedule set for the week, and are now settling in to getting folks trained up on their assignments and making sure everything is running smoothly from our end. And, as you can imagine, after a day of practice and the first day of competition, things are evolving at a fast pace…it’s a good thing I’m wearing my running shoes to keep up!

Sunday was mainly the novice group competing and a great way to ease into the event. A small, but appreciative crowd of nearly 300 (ok, that may be a bit generous) filled the seats and cheered and threw stuffed daisies onto the ice after the skaters finished. Most of those in the stands were friends and family and they were cheering for everyone. It was nice to see many of these first time competitors get so much love from the audience.

Quite a few local skaters competed…with Karen Chen standing out as the leader in the ladies novice. Karen is supported by Kristi Yamaguchi who was on hand afterwards to give some words of encouragement. Karen is one of the youngest competitors in her group. The youngest competitor on the men’s side is Vincent Zhou, another local skater. Vincent wowed the crowd with his spectacular skating and his personality. At 11 years old, he already knew how to answer the reporters…"I can only control what I do, not what other skaters do.”

Names to remember in the pairs are Danielle Viola and Alexander Johnson. They took fifth place in the short program, however they were flawless, strong, graceful, and breathtaking.

I spent a good portion of my day escorting the skaters from the “kiss and cry” area to the mix zone for interviews with the press and the locker rooms. One thing that struck me was that each one performed so beautifully—they are true athletes—and you forget for that moment in time that they are so young. Then, once they are off, they are talking about what any other 12 year old would be talking about. It’s fascinating to see that shift from competitor to kid. And, yes, I had one skater who cried. As one former skater told me today, you train so hard for that competition, and in one moment all it takes is one mistake.

Thoughts on football, life, and tragedy

Typically we use sports as an escape. It takes us away from our real lives for a while. We don’t have to think about the stressful things—jobs, relationships, health issues, money, etc.

However, there are those rare times when we can’t escape what is happening in the real world. It is too overwhelming. 9/11 was one of those times where everything came to a standstill and some games were cancelled. In 1945, during World War II, Major League Baseball cancelled the All-Star game.

Other times tragedies occur and games aren’t cancelled. We saw this earlier this fall during the college football season. The Oklahoma State football team played a game, just days after learning that a plane crashed with no survivors. The plane was carrying the Cowboys' women's basketball Coach Kurt Budke and Assistant Coach Miranda Serna. Oklahoma State faced Iowa State in their only loss of the season—an overtime loss. They came out and took an early lead, then let Iowa State tie it up.

Some sports pundits were surprised that the game was not rescheduled. And, it could be said that team was overwhelmed with grief and it was too early for them to play a game. On the flip side, it also could be argued that Iowa State just outplayed them on that given day. We will never be able to measure the affect that this tragedy had on the players and the coaches that day. However, we do know that they are human and can only imagine how they felt. They felt an extra burden to win…to help those in pain forget…for just a little while. They wanted to win to honor the memory of those lost.

Most times we don’t get the fairy tale ending we’d like to have.

This was true Sunday when the New York Giants played the Green Bay Packers in the NFC playoffs.

On Monday, we learned that the body of 21-year-old Michael Philbin (son of Joe Philbin, the Green Bay offensive coordinator) was recovered in the Fox River in Oshkosh, WI, after he had gone missing the day before. He drowned. Michael’s funeral was held Friday, just two days before the game.

A dejected Aaron Rodgers

According to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Philbin is “very important to our success.” “The day to day stuff — all the coaching responsibilities he has, installing plays and explaining plays, his role in those meetings, the way that he helps get practice run the right way. He does a ton for us. As players we probably don’t even see half the stuff he does to get us ready during the week…We all love Joe, me probably as much or more than anybody in here just because of how much he’s meant to me and my development. Just how important it is, the time we get to spend each week, how he gets us prepared and just his presence around here, it’s just tough to see him and [wife] Diane and the family dealing with this.”

Without Philbin to help them prepare all week, the burden fell on the other coaches and each individual player.

Packer Coach Mike McCarthy preached to his team, “the ability to separate” the tragedy from the game—a difficult thing to do. For those of us who have lost someone close, we know the pain and the struggle to “separate” just days after to continue on…to go to work…to be professional. And, we also know that, for the most part, we are not at the top of our game.

The Packers lost in a lackluster performance. It seemed like everyone was off their game. Starting with Rodgers, last year’s Super Bowl MVP and one of the best, if not the best quarterback in the league—his passes weren’t sharp, and he didn’t lead his team like he typically does. His receivers had too many drops on balls that were catchable. And, the defense, while not one of the best in the league, is known for takeaways. They had only one and the defensive game plan seemed confused. With the confused part coming on who was covering...leading to no one covering the receivers and giving up way too many yards.

Troy Aikman, one of the announcers calling the game, said that the Packers did not seem emotionally up for the game when he talked to them the day before and that carried over into the game.

Earlier in the week, Rodgers said, “It gives you perspective on … as much fun as we have playing ball…there are some bigger issues that we deal with each day.” He continued, “You have to be able to separate the off the field from the on field stuff and make sure when you’re at work it’s your main focus, but we’re human as well,” he said. “The human element in this is that it’s on your mind….”

Once again we ask the question, how much did this tragedy affect the Packers? They wanted to win for the Philbin family, for the Packer family. They felt that extra weight on their shoulders to carry on and perform at a high level.

Another big question is how much were the Packers affected by not having Coach Philbin at practice all week?

On this given day, one thing we do know for sure: two days after the Packer family buried one of their own; the NY Giants outplayed them and rightfully earned their spot in the NFC Championship game and a shot at going to the Super Bowl.

After the game, the Packers stood up and took this hard loss. No excuses. They just didn’t come to play.

Even with one of the best quarterbacks and with the best record this season (15-1), the Packers were not able to overcome their grief and put this aside. They were not able to separate. They were human, just like you and me.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Philbin/Packer family.

FanFeedr...Transforming the way we get Information

I’ve lived in Racine, WI; Madison, WI; Chicago, IL; Danville, VA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; and San Jose, CA. I have not always lived in the same city or state as my favorite team. And, at times it has been difficult keeping up with what is going on.

It has gotten easier through the years with the Internet; however I am always looking at multiple sources to read everything. I know I am missing something.

Well, there is now a solution to my issue (besides moving!)—FanFeedr. This site aggregates all the best stories on your favorite team in one place (as well as creating some original content). My life just got so much easier. What am I going to do with all that extra time I have?

Ty Ahmad-Taylor, Founder & CEO of FanFeedr, recognized the challenge that most fans, including myself, face. He did the research and found that we typically search four to six websites and that 57% of us don’t live in the same location as our favorite team or player. And, he found that a fan’s interest is with the player, team, or league—not where they get their information.

So, Ty seized the opportunity to create a website where the sports fan could control the content based on his/her own personal interest (player, team).

I sat down with Ty, who is also a social media guru, to learn more.

PJ: Your business model changed a bit. Where are you now?

Ty: We are a lean start-up doing a ton of customer development. We learned how our customers were using the site and what they wanted to see. After the research this fall, we did a pivot. Our audience wanted news and information around their favorite team, not teams. We learned that people follow an individual team. So, we went from a multiple team concept to focusing around a single team.

On the metrics side of things, we have seen deeper engagement and more time spent on the site as a result of these changes.

Ultimately, we are hoping to be the first place a person goes to for news and information on their team. We hope to grow virally by leaps and bounds.

PJ: What’s next for FanFeedr?

Ty: We are continuing to streamline this. And, we will be migrating to other verticals—music and finance. So, in music this will look like…a Radiohead fan getting all the news in one place, which is strategic and advantageous. We have a passion for trying to provide the best solutions for a user’s interest graph.

PJ: What do you see as the next thing in social media?

Ty: I see an increase in brands committed to instill value through social media, not just marketing.

Companies are being more open and transparent about what is going on. Recently, the Lowe’s controversy ended up playing out on Facebook [Lowe’s pulled their ads from TLC’s All-American Muslim last month after receiving complaints from a conservative group. They were facing calls of religious intolerance and bigotry. So, they turned to Facebook to issue an apology, which, in turn, caused more turmoil.].

On the marketing side of the social media space, there is a reduction in price on platforms [that help build a fan base, communicate and engage with that fan base, and monetize.]. For example, FanBridge is offered at a lower cost. Marketers are getting savvier without using third parties.

 To help make your life easier, check out the site http://fanfeedr.com/