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A sign that the bad economy is starting to affect college basketball

Time for a little sports business math:

Economy in the toilet + Dome basketball + Event away from epicenter of conference = Extra tickets

That's life for the ACC, which today announced it would sell conference tournament ticket books starting Monday for $363.

That comes out to $60.50 per tournament session, and it's for someone else who is less miserly to determine whether that's a good deal or not.

But the price isn't the point. Rather, it's the first time since 1966 there was even a public sale for the event.

Look, the ACC is doing OK for itself. Playing at Atlanta's Georgia Dome for the first time since 2001 has afforded the conference the chance to sell more seats. Even after zapping some seats with lousy sightlines, the ACC was going to rake in plenty of cash.

But since Atlanta isn't, say, Greensboro or Charlotte, and people everywhere have a tendency to value food and shelter over watching basketball, other factors besides a large venue are working against the league.

Conference expansion has made the tournament a much more exhausting affair than it once was, with two quadrupleheaders rather than a play-in game followed by four quarterfinals the next day. One long day is cool. Two --- including one featuring plenty of mediocrity --- gets a little tiresome.

But if anyone has some spare change lying around and some furlough vacation days to kill off, there's plenty of worse ideas that rolling into Atlanta for a Thursday night through Sunday afternoon trip in a couple weeks.


Comments

  • jdip9jdip9 Posts: 1,894 ✭✭✭
    The economy is affecting EVERY sport. We've already seen it in the baseball off-season, and we are going to see in spades during the regular season. Ignoring the increases due to the new Yankee Stadium, which I'm sure will be banged out every night, attendance across baseball will be down 10% minimum. I don't even want to think about what teams like the Marlins, Nationals, and Pirates are going to draw this year.

    Also check out Bill Simmon's article on ESPN.com about the econonmy's effects on the NBA.
  • DarinDarin Posts: 7,115 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Michigan, how about giving the writers some credit for all the articles you post here. Stop plagarizing and give us an original thought every now and then.



  • << <i>Michigan, how about giving the writers some credit for all the articles you post here. Stop plagarizing and give us an original thought every now and then. >>



    Oh please, do you really think people believe that I write this stuff?.

    I'm not smart enough to come up with a lot of original stuff, sorry.
  • drewsefdrewsef Posts: 1,894 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Michigan, how about giving the writers some credit for all the articles you post here. Stop plagarizing and give us an original thought every now and then. >>



    Oh please, do you really think people believe that I write this stuff?.

    I'm not smart enough to come up with a lot of original stuff, sorry. >>



    pathetic
  • "I don't even want to think about what teams like the Marlins, Nationals, and Pirates are going to draw this year."


    The team probably in the most potential trouble at the gate I think would be the Detroit Tigers, the economy is just the pits in
    Michigan and it they get off to another horrible start like they did last year things could get really ugly with attendance.



  • << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>Michigan, how about giving the writers some credit for all the articles you post here. Stop plagarizing and give us an original thought every now and then. >>



    Oh please, do you really think people believe that I write this stuff?.

    I'm not smart enough to come up with a lot of original stuff, sorry. >>



    pathetic >>




    Sorry, I ain't no Mitch Albom or someone like that.
  • Up in the Northeast you can get a ticket for all 15 post-season games for $95 for the upcoming womans basketball tourney

    Now that's a deal

    Some people realize the economy is in the toilet

    Too bad others Have no clue!!
  • alnavmanalnavman Posts: 4,129 ✭✭✭
    I think the economy is affecting everything. I just got my invoice for my Browns season tickets and they are offering installment payment plan instead of one lump sum. I don't remember them ever offering payment plans before.
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