By ROBERT CESSNAIt's natural for fans to complain about ticket prices. But having an enjoyable game-day atmosphere is priceless. Texas A&M football fans were reminded of that last weekend at the expense of the New Mexico Lobos.
Plenty of New Mexico fans passed on seeing their Lobos play the Aggies in protest of tickets costing an UNM all-time high $50. Despite chamber of commerce weather and evenly matched teams, an announced crowd of only 28,007 showed up to 40,094-seat University Stadium. The Aggies did their part by almost filling two sections, and maroon-clad fans were sprinkled elsewhere among the red-clad Lobos.
Still, the overall turnout was a slap in the face to the red-faced New Mexico officials, who reportedly passed on moving the game to San Antonio for $1.8 million.
"We have to develop our fan base," UNM athletics director Paul Krebs said at the time. "Moving the game to San Antonio, I think, would sell out our fans, would be a decision made purely for economic reasons. I think it sends the wrong message to our fans and to our football program."
The empty seats showed Krebs he should have headed to the Riverwalk and taken the money.
There were 31,583 at the Lobos' home opener against Texas Christian, and reporters covering the game for the Albuquerque Journal said they expect another 30,000-plus crowd for Arizona this week. Compared to other Big 12 programs, the Aggies were a better draw than Missouri in 2006 (27,806) but not Texas Tech in 2004 (38,746).
Lobo officials are trying to build a football culture, but that's not always easy, even in a city of more than half a million.
No matter where I went over the weekend -- and I stayed in Albuquerque an extra day -- the locals were most appreciative of the Aggies visiting. Workers in restaurants, hotels and other places throughout the city put their best foot forward, but most turned mean when ticket prices were mentioned. A couple even lamented Lobo head coach Rocky Long getting a recent contract extension, raising his salary from $439,000 to $750,000.
Lobo fans want million-dollar results at high school prices.
They can buy tickets for the other home games for as little as $17 for adults and $9 for students. Season tickets went for as little as $72 for adults and $36 for students. So for $12 a week they could see TCU, Arizona, Wyoming, San Diego State, Utah and A&M. And there's really not a bad seat in the stadium.
Lobo students got in free for the A&M game, but their guests were charged $25 instead of the $10 for other games. Youth tickets for A&M were only $25, so a family of four could get in for $150.
Yet at those prices (relatively low compared to Big 12 prices), the 34th largest city in the country -- also one of the nation's Top 10 fastest growing cities -- along with almost 26,000 Lobo undergrads, postgrads and staff members could do no better than 28,007?
The Journal quoted an engineer complaining about having to pay $200 for him and his wife to take their Aggie friends to the game. How much does an engineer make? They have $50 steaks and $25 casino table games in Albuquerque, so money wouldn't seem to be an issue.
It gets back to building a culture.
Just two weeks into the college football season, the locals were already talking basketball. The Lobos have a rich tradition in that arena, and they currently have Steve Alford as head coach. University Arena, known as "The Pit," was the site of the 1983 NCAA basketball championship. UNM averaged 12,853 fans per basketball game for the 2006-07 season, which ranked 23rd nationally.
UNM officials would love that kind of following in football, but the Lobos averaged only 29,751 for seven games last year, which ranked 78th nationally. That's not big-time football, which the Lobos will experience when they visit Kyle Field next year.
New Mexico also has been to Tennessee, Nebraska and Florida over the years, but the largest venue in the Mountain West is BYU's 65,000-seat LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Lobos have visions of one day matching that, but judging by Saturday, visions may be all they have.
Aggie fans will complain about the $80 tickets for Oklahoma and Texas Tech, but they will pay them. And the bargain-basement prices UNM typically offers have their long-term drawbacks -- as in, you get what you pay for.
It wasn't that long ago that A&M was drawing only 50,000 per home football game. No one wants to see those days return.
A&M has become a player in men's college basketball after years of mediocrity, and Aggies have spent millions to make it happen. Ticket prices have risen, and so has the complaining about ticket prices, but both are natural parts of the process. Fans get what they pay for, and lately, they've been getting more at Reed Arena.
The few thousand Aggies who made the trip to New Mexico might feel a little better about paying for those $80 tickets to see A&M play OU and Texas Tech. Sometimes it's good to leave home. You appreciate what you have.
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It's going to be hard for New Mexico to make its sixth bowl appearance in seven years. The 0-2 Lobos still must face MWC favorites BYU and Utah. There's also road trips to rival New Mexico State, Nevada-Las Vegas and Colorado State.
If the Lobos take a dip this year, it will be hard to rebound next season with nonconference road games at Texas Tech and A&M.
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It seems many schools are setting records for season-ticket sales despite growing prices.
Oklahoma State has sold 38,590 season tickets -- 86 more than the previous high in 2004. It helped that OSU athletics director Mike Holder made tickets to the Oklahoma game available only as part of the season-ticket package. OSU drew 45,001 for last weekend's season opener against Houston as OSU opened its new west end zone seating area.
Kansas has sold more than 34,000 season tickets, also a school record.
Missouri is over 40,000, which shatters the previous record of 34,878 in 2004.
Arkansas is right at 50,000 season tickets, and Texas Tech passed the 40,000 mark for the second time, selling 41,732.
A&M has been able to generate one of the game's great atmospheres by maintaining its massive student allotment, which is afforded by a generous alumni. The Aggies have to have at least 50,000 in season-ticket sales. I tried to find out an exact number but was unable.
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Arkansas State is 2-0, and the Red Wolves play host to Southern Mississippi this week. Southern Miss., coached by A&M Consolidated graduate Larry Fedora, is 1-1 and coming off a 27-13 loss at Auburn.
ASU is coming off a record-setting 83-10 victory over Texas Southern. But the biggest record for fans in Jonesboro, Ark., Monday was a promotion offered by a local store that sells Red Wolves apparel. The store came up with a new advertising ploy this season -- 1 percent off after each home football game for every point the Red Wolves win by. The Design Shoppe, which offered 73 percent off merchandise, had more than 200 customers Monday, some waiting 3-4 hours to open its doors.
This is not new.
Many of you remember a store called the Coach's Shop in Bryan on Texas Avenue that did a similar thing in the late 1970s. It offered a 49-percent discount in 1976 for a 59-10 victory over TCU, then offered a 58-percent discount for a 58-0 victory over Memphis State in 1978. Each time it produced long lines and a sellout of inventory.
I took part in both week-long events, and some say I still wear what I bought.
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Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee was the keynote speaker at the Fourth Annual Bob McQueen Fellowship of Christian Athletes Golf Classic in June honoring the retired Temple High School football coach.
A local group of golfers grabbed second-place net honors -- Brazos Valley FCA director Bill Johnston and his aunt Camille, along with the Aggie father-son combination of Jim (1968) and Mike Kazmierski (1997-99), who were lettermen for the football team.
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One of the worst things in college football was doing away with the Division I-A and I-AA designations. They are now the Football Bowl Subdivision (I-A) and Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA). I typically have to look up the new designations when trying to politely say that Texas Southern can't be compared to Troy, which can't be compared to Arkansas.
I erred last week in saying that A&M had its first nonconference home loss to a Football Championship Subdivision team in more than 50 years. I slighted Arkansas State and made A&M's loss seem worse. Arkansas State is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
I meant to say it was A&M's first home nonconference loss to a team not currently in a Bowl Championship Series conference in more than 50 years.
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Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair, who had his first hole-in-one this summer, was on the winning golf team at the inaugural 4Kay Golf Classic on Monday at the Cowboys Golf Club in Dallas.
More than 150 coaches, friends and colleagues gathered to help the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
Blair and associate women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer, former A&M board of regent Steve Stevens and former A&M football great Charlie Milstead won the four-person scramble.
Aggie fans will be happy to know that Texas women's basketball coach Gail Goestenkors was on the third-place team.
Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com
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Posted by: miller58 On: 9/12/2008
Comment Title: Non-bcs team!
My personal opinions: It's a lot of money to pay to watch a non-bcs team for the past decade, and one that is looking like that for the next decade! miller58
Posted by: On: 9/11/2008
Comment Title: You are right
Working folks have no business at ball games, unless they are working the game. We do not want the scouts (remember taking away their tickets)we need the revenue to recruit and scouts do not make good ball players anyway. Oh yeah and as Cessna says "you get what you pay for," and when does that start.
Posted by: Ben On: 9/10/2008
Comment Title: Cheap tickets?
Cessna already said it best--you get what you pay for.
Posted by: Shiner On: 9/10/2008
Comment Title: A weak post should be anonymous
How can most major college football tickets be out of line? Doesn't that make them all inline? It is about revenue, but the price won't be more than the market will bear. If everyone stops going then the price will come down. Record attendance at Arky State game...so it doesn't look promising for cheap tickets.
Posted by: Brandon On: 9/10/2008
Comment Title: Did you read the article?
Texas A&M former students subsidize the nation's largest student allotment through higher ticket prices than the rest of the nation! If lower ticket prices is what you want, then tell Bill Byrne to get rid of the 12th Man and drop the student allotment to about 5,000 per game. You would destroy college football's greatest tradition, but hey, at least ticket prices would go down.
Posted by: On: 9/10/2008
Comment Title: None of our business
A&M tickets are out of line in price as are most major college football tickets. A&M was about loyalty, honesty and upstanding people, now it appears we are no different than the rest; it is all about money and we still do not have a top 25 team.
