How much are NU sports "the local team" for N. Shore & N. Suburbs?

[plates]

A part part of what separates Northwestern from the rest of the Big Ten is the fact that it is a top ten university. It is more focused on the education part than athletics. Although other Big Ten schools can more than hold their own when it comes to academics and Northwestern is no slouch in regards to fencing and lacrosse (there is also the resurgence of their basketball and football teams). And Evanston at least is very much so devoted to Northwestern.

[pvande55]

A lot of NU alumni around, and many are loyal season ticket holders. For many it is the local team for college sports. But outside the North Shore it's U of I.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by chet everett

and its incredibly bad luck such as Randy Walker's sudden death and the bizarre murder of basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong.

incredibly sad on Walker; what a wonderful job he did at NU and what a person of character he was. I believe he said "I'm not a 1-800 coach" or something to the effect, meaning he wasn't going to entertain bids from other schools, the opposite of Barnett.

But NU was incredibly lucky to have Pat Fitzgerald in the wings. Amazing so because the talent he has came packed with a very young age which bodes well for the NU grad and star to be with the program many years to come.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by pvande55

A lot of NU alumni around, and many are loyal season ticket holders. For many it is the local team for college sports. But outside the North Shore it's U of I.

can't argue that one, pvande, although I think there is a pull throughout the north suburban area as well. then again, NU doesn't need a stronger base than that. Think of how far a radius you'd have to create outside Champaign/Urbana to match the concentrated population in the north suburban (while factoring in that a good part of that radius would have to be eliminated because it actually falls inside of Indiana.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by nikitakolata

I think that NU could gain more fans if they were to build a better stadium and lower their ticket prices to a more reasonable level. I know that NU is in a more expensive area than U of I, but that doesn't mean the tickets are worth twice as much to the fans. I buy them because my husband really loves going to the games, but they don't have a huge alumni base of support that they need to justify the prices. The case in point would be my husband's many friends that went to NU and still live in Evanston. None of them ever go to the games. In the 5 years we've had season tickets none of his friends have ever expressed any interest in coming to a game with us. My friends (almost exclusively Illini fans) have come to several with us though, even though they didn't really even care about NU. They come to the NU vs. Illini game every year when it is at NU.

It makes me a little sad how empty Ryan Field is when we go to the games. Especially when you consider that the stadium is so much smaller than the stadiums at the other Big 10 schools I've visited.

A few things.

First, as I am not an alumni of the school, I find the atmosphere at the football games to be really ... blah! Personally, I prefer the atmosphere of the crowd at the University of Chicago or even North Central College where the crowd seems to be much more into the game. Or even Northern Illinois.

As for the price of tickets, I do not think that there tickets are out of line with the other Big Ten and are a bargain compared to Nebraska or Notre Dame (start at $70).

It does not help that NU schedules 2-3 games in Evanston BEFORE the students are on campus. It doesn't help that the football stadium is a good hike from the campus and that there are few restaurant options around the immediate area (except the hot dog stand). It doesn't help that many of their games are in the AM - an 11 AM start time.

Also, what surprised me was the high percentage of visiting fans in teh stadium.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

As for the price of tickets, I do not think that there tickets are out of line with the other Big Ten and are a bargain compared to Nebraska or Notre Dame (start at $70).

I really don't think you can compare NU to Nebraska or Notre Dame. The NU student body is simply not as interested in athletics as the schools you mentioned.

The individual game ticket prices are about the same at NU and U of I; so why are the NU season tickets twice the price? That's what I don't get.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by nikitakolata

The individual game ticket prices are about the same at NU and U of I; so why are the NU season tickets twice the price? That's what I don't get.

I don't see that.

Northwestern $262
Illinois $315-230 (inside the 20s/outside the 20s)
Iowa $388


(Egads, Division III football is a great bargain.)

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

It does not help that NU schedules 2-3 games in Evanston BEFORE the students are on campus. .

Doesn't help...or not....it doesn't really matter. NU is on the quarter system. There is now way they can escape scheduling those non-coference games before the students return.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

I don't see that.

Northwestern $262
Illinois $315-230 (inside the 20s/outside the 20s)
Iowa $388


(Egads, Division III football is a great bargain.)

I paid $98 for my U of I end-zone season tickets and I paid $202 for my NU end-zone season tickets. Clearly those seats aren't available anymore, but that's what they cost when they are offered initially each year.