At $95, OSU-TU ticket is grossly overpriced
Published: 9/14/2011 4:01 PM
Last Modified: 9/14/2011 4:01 PM
The Oklahoma State and University of Tulsa football teams clash on Saturday at TU’s H.A. Chapman Stadium.
The Cowboys are ranked No. 8 nationally and make their first appearance in Tulsa since 2000. Because of the construction of a north-end facility that knocked out a section of seats, TU’s seating capacity has been reduced to 30,000.
Thirty minutes after tickets became available, this game should have been a sellout.
Instead, as the Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey reported, about 5,000 tickets were unsold as of Tuesday night.
Among the most frequently cited reasons for the sluggish ticket sales: The 9:10 p.m. kickoff is too late for some families. OSU-TU is televised by Fox Sports Net. The 7 p.m. Oklahoma-Florida State showdown is televised by ABC. It’s easier to stay home – watching both games in high definition – than to actually attend OSU-TU.
Ultimately, this is the real reason that 5,000 tickets remain unsold: It’s the price -- $95.
It was ridiculous when OSU charged $90 for a TU ticket last season, and it is ridiculous when TU asks $95 for an OSU ticket this week. About 85 percent of the people who support college football are situated within the middle class, and a great many within that 85 percent have children.
For Saturday’s game – for stadium admittance alone – a family of four absorbs a hit of $380. Families already are slammed with house payments, car payments, insurance premiums, etc. A gallon of milk goes for $3.50. So does a gallon of fuel.
OSU and TU officials direct their football marketing campaigns at families and then charge $90 or $95 for a ticket – and then seem surprised when there’s not a sellout.
Even with the Cowboys holding a position in the national top 10, and even with the Golden Hurricane having recorded 10 wins in three of the last four seasons, OSU-TU is not a $95 football game. It’s a $40-$50 football game.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
