Why So Many Empty Seats?
by ruralvillefan on Feb 7, 2012 10:53 AM EST
Email
PrintI have an honest question that may interest most of you. First of all, let me be very clear that this is not a disrespectful post toward the team, coaching staff, individual player(s), or the fans. Please know that I just have an honest question and have never read anything about this in the past, but I could have missed it if it were.
My father & I attended last night's game. We sat in section 324 seats 15 and 16. As the game was about to tip- off, my dad asked me, "Is this thing not sold out?" As I scanned the gorgeous KFC Yum! Center I understood what he was asking. Even in our section there were 7 empty seats next to us and in front of us. As I looked over the lower level seats I saw rows of unused seats that were empty the entire game. I've heard that the crowd exceeded 21,000, but I honestly have to take issue with that.
There we were on the ESPN Big Monday Prime Time game and we had MANY empty and unused seats! Why? I cannot understand why the seats are not being sat in? For us to come to a game requires 8 hours. 2 & half up there, 2 & a half at the game, & 2 and a half coming home. We set in upper level seats because that's all we can seem to get, but lower level prime time seats are empty! Why! If you live in the 'Ville or within a 30 minute drive to the Arena, why are you not there? Are you not using your tickets?
Last Christmas my family & I played "Dirty Santa" with gift exchanges of fun items. I took a calendar of some industrial company that we do business with & inside of it I wrapped up this year's poster with Kyle & Chris on it. In my family are a bunch of pUKe fans so I knew I'd get'em with the poster. However, when they opened it up, the first thing they said was, "Look at all the empty seats! Ha ha! LOL! You all build a 22,000 seat arena & you can't even fill it! We (pUKe) fill our house every night. Y'all can't even give your tickets away!!!" So I guess I'm asking: "Why are we not filling up the Yum! Center? And, if you have lower arena seats & you're not using them...CALL ME! I'll drive from the Central Time Zone to be there if you won't!
56 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Since you seem earnest...
That horse has long since died.
Basically, the Yum is a really nice place in which to get up and gets drinks and food — even moreso for the folks in the lower bowl, who, in addition are often more casual, corporate seat fans. That said, watch the highlight video Mike posted from the CJ around 40 seconds in and tell me if you still see many empty seats.
The bottom line is, our fans are in their seats in the thick of things, but not always otherwise. But the seats are definitely sold. Does it still bother me? Yep.
Thank you for your patient reply...
I am relatively new to the CC so I’m not all that familiar with what was written some time back. It bothers me too! No wonder there are as many pUKe fans at a Louisville home game against the Mildcats as there are Card fans. That stinks for sure!
by ruralvillefan on Feb 7, 2012 11:57 AM EST up reply actions
It's the same in football.
Give your tickets away if your not going to sit in them. That’s what my family does when we can’t go to a football game.
they're going, they're just not in their seats
They’re enjoying the awesome facilities. Blame the architects.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
I'll be glad to use those tix sometime if you can't go.
Never been to a football game at Papa John’s Stadium.
by ruralvillefan on Feb 7, 2012 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
one reason that i know of is that a ton of the tickets go to season ticket holders which a lot of the time are corporate companies. I get to go to some of the games b/c my wife works for one of these large companies and one of the people she works with in management is in control of a certain number of tickets. He practically begs someone to take them off of his hands for most games. And in this case the tickets dont go unused a lot of times b/c people dont want to go but they are giving the tickets out last minute and a lot of the time people already have plans so they cant take them therefor the seats end up empty….just one scenario i know of….also the nosebleed tickets are like $35 and for a lot of people its just too expensive b/c your talking if you have you and a date/wife or w/e then thats $70 just for tickets plus $10 to park plus most people eat dinner before, after or during the game (figure another $30-$50 depending) and the majority of people consume alcoholic beverages during the games which you can figure at anywhere between $10-$50 depending on how much/what you drink so going to a game can EASILY cost $150 for two people if you go to have a good time….sorry for the horrible punctuation, I’m at work so I didnt take much time to proofread
Have that man call me if he can't find anyone to take the tickets off of his hands! What section are they in?
by ruralvillefan on Feb 7, 2012 11:58 AM EST up reply actions
You can find good street parking for free
Just requires a little bit of a walk.
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 7, 2012 1:04 PM EST up reply actions
Yep, my dad's company has lower bowl seats which they use to take out clients.
These are usually people from out of state and often out of country who won’t actually sit in the seats because they’re elsewhere being entertained, or who don’t show up at the game at all. I imagine many lower bowl seats are the same – sucks but what can you do?
by bythesidewalk on Feb 8, 2012 12:00 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Everyone is there, just bloobin around in boxes and secret caves and dumb "bars"
or leaving early because they parked in the garage and they would get home than congratulate their team on a win
by GOCARDSATTITUDE on Feb 7, 2012 11:33 AM EST reply actions
Can I get a definition of "bloobin"?
by CardinalFanaticus on Feb 7, 2012 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
I can handle that, bloobin - verb, to bloob.
There you go.
by Carolina Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
you're such a bloober
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
by rickmbari on Feb 7, 2012 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Guilty. And a bloober of the highest order.
In my defense, I come from a long line of bloobers, and therefore consider it just another genetic defect.
by Carolina Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 12:15 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Do you like bloobs a lot
Yes I like bloobs a lot
Bloobs a lot bloobs a lot
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
I think the lower bowl is worse than the boxes
My family has a box and our box and the surrounding ones are pretty damn good at supporting the team. Everyone was chanting Gorgui on Saturday when he went down and came back and people were there til the end. My dad was texting me all last night saying how reved up the place was and everyone jumping around high-fiving.
The real “problem” is the lounge bars that the lower level people shoot the shit in. I always go down to get a cocktail at halftime and I was all flustered waiting for my drink because I saw it was 2 minutes to the start of the second half and I still had to get back upstairs…. The place was packed and completely oblivious to that fact. That is the real issue and what makes us look bad on TV. But like others are saying – after about 5 minutes in the place is usually rocking and sure was last night (from what I heard/saw on TV)
by I WantReeceBack! on Feb 7, 2012 3:37 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
I know we have all seen this type of post before and know all the reasons why some seats are empty, but......
I think it would be cool if the University had some sort of system where if you knew you would not be attending the game and the seats were going to be unused, that they could be given to some students or other devoted fans to be occupied. Seems like that would enhance the appearance of the arena for tv, add some enthusiasm to some sections that might be a little more laid back shall we say, and not cost anyone, anything. Truly a win-win.
Thoughts?
by Carolina Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 12:22 PM EST reply actions
It's a nice thought
but ain’t nothing given away for free at the Yum! Center.
But if there was some sort of system for that, I’d pay full ticket price to get those seats.
I appreciate your willingness to pay (and I'm sure they would take your money), but the seats have already been paid for.
Seems to me if everyone in the arena has paid for a seat, all you are doing is letting one group of paying customers, exchange seats with another group of paying customers. And like I say, It would create a better look for tv and likely add to the noise level and overall atmosphere for the team. Win-win.
And from a pure promotional standpoint, who’s to say that some people who have never been close to the floor, and get that opportunity, might decide that this is the life and spring for upgraded, more expensive season tickets for the future. Just seems like smart business to me to promote those better seats at no cost to the Yum, and enhance the tv look and overall atmosphere.
Maybe I’m missing something. So, where’s the downside?
by Carolina Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
West Virginia does this exact idea
If they can figure it out….. Well it’s obviously not complicated
by I WantReeceBack! on Feb 7, 2012 3:40 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
This is what StubHub was created for
I’m sure if anyone really wanted to give up their tickets, they could easily find people to buy them on there. Maybe people just aren’t technologically proficient enough to do that (old people joke here)
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 7, 2012 1:06 PM EST up reply actions
Would be a nice gesture, but someone would end up abusing it
and collecting the tickets to scalp…
GO! CARDS!
BEAT!
PURDUE!
Everyone has valid points but I would also add
when you are in the upper level empty seats stick out like a sore thumb. there could be a group of four that went to the bar or consessions or whatever but it makes half a row look empty.
Theres only one section thats really bad. Looking from the student section, the right hand side behind the opposite goal
There are ALWAYS 25-30 empty seats there. That’s really embarrassing and its consistent. The problem is people who have the money to afford those seats don’t care if they waste that money. Cloids, from this point forward you have my permission to claim those seats for yourselves.
They have ticket scanners, they know who’s there and who’s not. They should start charging people double who miss more than 3 or 4 games, and triple for anyone who sells there tick to the UK/UofL game to a UK fan!
Most of the rest is because of food, drinks and bathrooms. I don’t really complain about that because I also like to eat, drink, and pee.
Isn't that where the recruits sit?
I was in 104 at Depaul day and it was full then the next time I looked the entire section was gone.
Those seats are controlled by the athletic department
They are always filled with recruits or aathletes from other sports. If they aren’t filled its becasue the athletic department has something to do with it. I sit in that section and can assure you that all the paying customers around me are in their seats for basically every game.
This is correct
We sit in 103 and see the recruits, team members, people who go onto the floor who sit there. Additionally much of 103 and some of the lower section of 104 are university seats. Past athletes usually sit across the aisle from us in 104.
You might be surprised to know that the university controls a minimum of 5,000 lower level seats for its own use. That’s why a lot of people who had really good seats in Freedom Hall couldn’t get as good seats at the YUM even paying a higher donation.
I believe those are athletic department discretionary seats
Recruits sit there. Visiting groups/teams sit there. And in most cases, those groups are escorted in late and out early — especially if they have commitments to appear on the court at halftime or are being taken to receptions/locker room meetings.
Commitments to appear in court? Sounds like they belong further down I-64. What? In court? Oh, sorry.
by Carolina Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
Never mind!
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
If all this brouhaha is over 25-30 empty seats out of 22,000
then that’s a good problem to have.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
I have another question for people who attend the games regularly while we are on the topic of the Yum:
I drove down to L’ville on Saturday to go to the Rutgers game with my dad (only my second game at the Yum — the other being last years UK game). We sat in Section 308 in the upper level near center court. From where we sat, the place seemed pretty quiet even when good things were happening for UL. Even the wonderful Gorgui chant (which I wish had lasted five times as long) didn’t seem quite that loud.
Was this just a product of the acoustics of the upper level and it actually sounds much louder on the court/lower levels? Or is this a product of the fact that the majority of people who can afford tickets are older and don’t have the energy to be loud throughout the game?
It's a large arena
Most of the people I’ve sat next to in the lower bowl yell just as much as anyone else. I’ve noticed it is quieter in the upper deck then it is down low
Not sure if this would account for 10's or even 100's
But a good friend of mine got us tickets for the Memphis game and the upcoming syracuse game through the athletic department. We also received suite passes to UL’s luxury box in addition to our lower level seats. We had the option to watch from either location. I’m not sure how many others have the option but that could account for some empties.
by cardchomp on Feb 7, 2012 2:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions
When I was in 307 for last year's Marquette game
the place was roaring and the floor was literally vibrating under our feet. When Kyle laid that last bucket in I thought a few people were gonna fall forward. I would just like to have some good seats- especially if someone is not going to use them!
Wow, great post.
People have lives you know. I can’t skip things like basketball photos and school regestration. Don’t go headhunting everyone- some can’t help it.
Remember the Beef Bowl!
Not head-hunting at all...
Just stinks that I saw so many empty seats in both the lower & upper arena. I know things happen & people have lives. Just wish if people aren’t going to go they’d give their tix to someonw who’ll go & actually be accounted for in the worlds greatest arena & not in the bar!
by ruralvillefan on Feb 9, 2012 7:25 PM EST up reply actions
I agree we need to fill the yum dont leave EARLY AND BE LOUD.
We need to sell tickets to the less competitive games cheaper ans make fill the lower levels are priorty. I dont like seeing empty seats and if your not going to the game give you tickets away. Also Im Tired of Louisville fans that leaving football and basketball games win of lose. We need TRUE DIE HARD fans that dont leave. Most of all we need fans that can get loud and cheer on our team. A great crowd that supports our team is an obvious advantage. I wanna challenge our fans to stand strong and not run when it gets hot in the kitchen.
Shayne Cecil
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
