Congrats to Jim Crowley and season tix

[pete]

Oldie- I make a game a year

[BonaBBFan]

I have purchased tickets to a big east team for
a number of years and pay $240 per ticket to sit
at mid-level -- many of these games are less than
exciting because of the non-conference schedule,
but I go to support the team and also because
if you don't continue to buy your tickets you go to the
bottom of the list for decent seats - and yes the price
goes up a little each year.
UMass tickets are about the same, $220 per ticket,
so in that respect I believe the current $169 is
a pretty good deal for SBU fans.

[oleander]

Oh, and i keep hearing the same, the local economy is bad arguement, maybe but don't tell that to the people buying homes for double what they sold for acouple years ago. Spare me the Olean's economy is bad agruement, it hasn't been "good" for 20 years. Bottom line, St. Bona needs money to run athletics, athletics increasingly costs more, Basketball is the only revenue besides donations.

And in regards to last year. if you would have paid $10 for season tickets you still would not have been able to give them away and you would still be complaining about that.

Oh how the residents of the southern tier love to complain

[bonniesin2k6]

As I mentioned before if you don't like the price (which isn't that bad anyways, relative to other forms of entertainment and especially sporting events) then don't buy them. St. Bonaventure doesn't owe you anything contrary to what many of you are implying. They don't owe loyal fans low ticket prices. They have financial obligations to meet and in the process they're trying to use this capital to help renovate the basketball program. No if and's or but's about it.

[mainlinemadness]

Villanova Wildcat tickets are $330 for upper level. That includes a "mandatory donation" for the privilege of having season tickets. I believe lower level is almost double that.

It can always be worse.

I realize that last year's team was pretty horrible. But it wasn't that long ago that you guys took Kentucky to triple OT in the tourney in one of the most exciting games that year. It will get turned around. The fans are too great to have them stay this bad.

[Copenhagen]

the journey back could be or is as intersting/exciting as the ..........lets enjoy and be a part of it.....in 2, 3, 5-years when we again make post season tournament play....there will be posts from Bandwagoners who brag of there support during those lean rebuilding years....

I think its fun to track the development of the program to include the coaching staff, players.....it will work itself out, most likely and be a good story to be a part of!

[Jimmy Chitwood]

In the season ticket brochure, Slo makes a nice appeal to the fans asking them to come out and recognizing the importance of local support. He knows that the RC can be a great venue and is asking you to attend and support an improved team with many new players. You would be surprised how many Rochesterians make frequent trips to games in Olean. There are also a number of folks from Rochester who subscribe to season tix. The same can be said of Buffalo. Many of these folks donate to the BAF as well. I have never heard one of them complain about the drive or the cost of season tix. Frankly, some local fans are simply spoiled and feel that Bona "owes them" for being loyal fans. Give me a break. You're lucky to have a D-1 team in a major conference and would be smart to support the program if you can do so. We make choices every day about how we spend our money. All of you have the power of choice. As for the price increase "being justified", just look at the A-10 budgets. BTW, I think that there is an increase of one home game at the RC this year.

[pete]

FYI- I am not a fan of Spitzer by any means but I thought his comments were interesting regarding economic development.


We are not capitalizing throughout the SUNY system, through our private universities; we're not capitalizing on the opportunities presented by bringing together educational systems and the economy and government to build the foundations we need for our economic growth," Spitzer said.

[LumsdnA10Academc98]

Yes, Copenhagen. The athletic department recently renewed their contract with CollegeSports.com, the official Web site provider of GoBonnies.com, and upgraded to a premium package that I believe will include live audio feeds of all games for a set price. The decision to upgrade to a premium package was, financially, a difficult one for the athletic department, but it will include upgrades such as live audio that make the GoBonnies.com of yesterday look prehistoric. Perhaps those who complain about the $169 season ticket price can keep in mind that Bona's will soon have a Web site on par with or ahead of any school in the A-10.

[DerekBrower]

Yes, lets make sure that we complain about season ticket prices when:

1) Parking is free. Not only is parking free; but it's a five minute walk from your car to the Reilly Center. Most college basketball venues would charge at least $5-$10 for a 10 minute walk.

2) A hot dog and soda costs you a combined $3.50.

You can't complain about ticket prices going up with a bad season. It's not based on the previous year's season; its based on inflation, keeping up with other team's facilities, payrolls, etc.

Bonnies fans complain about lack of facilities, not being able to keep up with the Jones' when it comes to recruiting, and everything else under the sun. Where do you think they are suppose to make their money?

I dont think people understand how good we've got it. Whenever I have taken my friends to games in the Reilly Center for this first time, all they can talk about is how cheap individual game tickets are, how cheap the nachos and bottled water is, and how there is not a bad seat in the place.

Keep complaining.....

[Chuck]

Everyone can tell us how lucky we are to have a team and how cheap our tickets are, but the reality is fewer and fewer people are deciding to attend Bonnie games. Bona's attendance has declined by more than 1,500 fans a game since the 2003 season (year prior to Solomon's arrival). Honestly I think the increase in ticket prices had little if any affect on attendance. Still after enduring last season, who can blame the fans for complaining about paying more. Hopefully Solomon turns things around this season and fans will continue to complain about higher ticket prices, but at least the Reilly Center will be packed with 6,000 appreciative fans.


Bona's home attendance for 2005 season (look nar bottom of page)
www.ncaa.org/stats/m_basketball/attendance/2005_basketball_attend.pdf#search='st.%20bonaventure%20basketball%20attendance'


Bona's home attendance for 2003 season (look near bottom of page)
www.ncaa.org/stats/m_basketball/attendance/2003_basketball_attend.pdf#search='st.%20bonaventure%20basketball%20attendance'

[FroMunga]

I love the complaining about a price increase. In the past we've heard about how special SBU is, and how you can't find a better value anywhere in D-1. Now we've gotta listen to them moan about a slight increase. As for the economy getting worse, when was the last time it was decent? Everyone still managed to pay the "lofty" prices in years past. If you are worried about coming up with the extra scratch to pay the difference between last year and this year it's very minimal. Just eat on less Jimmy Midnight Sandwich and cut back on the beer.

It's amusing that the same people complaining about ticket prices and the bad economy were the same ones projecting a booming economy a few years back when plans for the casino were announced. Furthermore, we received stories of the stacked doublewides...I mean motel being built to accommodate the people who would flock to the area to gamble. Thousands upon thousands would pour into Olean/Allegany during their casino trips. Never mind the fact that existing motels around SBU were in awful shape and an alternative was needed (I know this greatly offends the DeSoto group who get together and talk about the "grand old times).

How can you claim this is a big time program and yet you want small time prices? So you had cheap tickets (And still do!) for years to which you've become so accustomed, you now believe you are entitled to them. I know many of you still relive the glory years of the 60s and 70s but unfortunately just because you still live back in that era doesn't mean the rest of us do.

If you want, I could try to organize an aluminum can drive to help the complainers defray the cost of the "lofty" season ticket packages.