Michigan seeks solution to student no-shows at football games

Ann Arbor ? Michigan officials are making an all-out press this week to get the student section at Michigan Stadium filled before Saturday's noon kickoff against Iowa.

And that has been a problem recently.

Last weekend, athletic director Dave Brandon said there were 11,000 empty seats ? there are approximately 22,000 student tickets ? for the noon kickoff against Northwestern. It only sparsely filled in as the game went on.

For the 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Michigan State on Oct. 20, there were 3,500 no-shows, Brandon said. And, another 1,000 students came in and validated their tickets to re-sell, bringing the total to 4,500 no-shows.

On Wednesday, athletic department officials released brief video messages from quarterback Devin Gardner and safety Thomas Gordon encouraging students to attend Saturday's final home game. They asked, as Gardner says in his video, the "Michigan Nation" to arrive early to be part of the pregame ceremony honoring the seniors.

Even coach Brady Hoke offered some encouragement during his weekly radio show.

"Hopefully their peers will get there early," Hoke said. "It's a 12 o'clock start so that all those kids can be recognized the way they should be recognized when you play at Michigan."

Brandon is concerned about the lackluster turnout, but said this week Michigan is not alone. Programs across the country, he said, are finding it tough to compete with so many other activities on campus.

"There is a trend," Brandon said. "I talked to my colleagues across college football and it's becoming more and more difficult to deal with the number of no-shows in the student section and the fact they arrive so late."

Michigan State has had its issues, too.

There are 13,400 student seats at Spartan Stadium, and even Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo recently scolded the students for not showing up for the Iowa game. There were empty seats during the Nebraska game, as well.

"I don't know what's wrong with the students," Izzo said. "You can tell me about the ticket prices, you can tell me all the baloney, because the tickets are sold. It's not about ticket prices. It's about the passion and enthusiasm.

"I sat there until the end (of the Nebraska game). I don't want to hear about it being too cold. If it is, we've got a bunch of wimpy students. That was a beautiful day for a football game. I loved it."

The fact that student tickets already have been purchased for games at Michigan, as well, makes the no-show issue more frustrating to Brandon. Student ticket sales have been at an all-time high.

"They're showing up in force to purchase tickets, and we're happy to sell them the tickets, but now we're trying to find ways to get them to show up," Brandon said. "It's important to note this isn't a financial thing for us. We've already sold the tickets. It's not a function of money.

"Students pay half what everybody pays. We price the tickets so they're far more affordable. We're just trying to get people to activate the investment because we need them in the stands."

Brandon said school officials have found the number of no-shows is related to kickoff time. A 3:30 game gets a better turnout than a noon game. The first night game at Michigan Stadium last season had the smallest number of no-shows.

"You hear from season ticket holders ? we say, 'No,' when they ask for more tickets because of the students," he said. "You hear from players and the coaches because they would love to hear the stadium full because it's a competitive energy, and then you hear from fans because they want to be part of a huge crowd.

"A lot of people are wishing it were different. That doesn't mean it's an easy solution."

School officials started the H.A.I.L. student rewards program in August to give students points for every event they attend. They accumulate points to put toward postseason ticket purchase priority, T-shirts, and tickets to 2013-14 football, men's basketball and hockey games.

Brandon also has discussed other options with a number of athletic directors. Some schools use a general-admission approach so students must arrive early to get the best seats, and Brandon said Michigan will look into that. He's also interested in going with a bar code on the tickets to find out who's using the tickets.

What Brandon doesn't plan to do ? at least not right away ? is reduce the size of the student section in the stadium.

"We've always believed that if you're a student at the university, and if you want tickets, we should make them available," he said. "I still think that's something we should embrace. After all, it's a football game, student-athletes representing their fellow students. I'd hate to be part of a world that does not offer that opportunity."

angelique.chengelis@detnews.com

twitter.com/chengelis

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121116/SPORTS0201/211160345/1131/rss17

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