Penn State game is proving to be a tough sell despite the hype and circumstances
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fact that approximately 4,000 tickets still remain for the Iowa football team's prime-time matchup against Penn State on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium is:
A: Surprising
B. Concerning
C. Telling
D. Understandable
E. All of the above.
There is no right or wrong answer, but the closest to being right is probably E, all of the above.
I was surprised mostly by the amount of tickets still available when it was announced eight days ago that nearly 6,000 tickets still remained for the Penn State game. That number has since been reduced to approximately 4,000 tickets as of Wednesday afternoon.
So barring a late rush on tickets, Saturday's game, which starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC, likely won't be a sellout.
The atmosphere inside the stadium, and around it for that matter, still should be electric as Iowa fans help to fuel a potential upset bid.
Iowa has won four consecutive night games at Kinnick Stadium, highlighted by the 14-13 victory over Michigan last season, and the atmosphere has certainly been a key part of the winning formula.
“You can't help but be excited,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “It's true on the road, too, there's something about night games, I don't know if it takes you back to when you were in high school playing and all that. But yeah, I think it's a lot of fun for everybody to be involved in. But it's not going to guarantee anything.
“We're playing at home. We'd much rather be at home than on the road at night, but we still have to go play, and that's what it gets down to. I think anybody that's human, their juices will be going a little bit on Saturday just because of the environment. There seems to be a little bit of extra electricity. Then it's our job to keep generating it. We can't just count on the crowd because they, unfortunately, can't help us enough, not in this case.”
Iowa also can’t count on sellout crowds anymore, and it’s been that way for a while.
Attendance isn’t a major concern at this stage. Iowa drew four sellouts last season at Kinnick Stadium and had no fewer than 67,000 fans at all seven home games.
Most programs would be thrilled to be able to say that.
But we’re starting to see cracks in the attendance armor, evidenced by the Penn State game not being close to a sellout as of late Wednesday afternoon.
The game has so much to offer from an entertainment standpoint. In addition to being a night game, it also features the fourth-ranked team in the country in Penn Stata against an undefeated Iowa team that averages 33 points per game and that features one of the most exciting running backs in college football in senior Akrum Wadley.
The weather is expected to cooperate and there will be all day to tailgate.
It seems about as good as it can get until you consider factors such as cost, time, effort and the benefits of staying home to watch the Hawkeyes play in high definition and with the bathroom and a stocked refrigerator just a few feet away.
A single-game ticket for the Penn State game cost $95, which doesn’t include the $6 ordering charge. The total amount is $101, which is about $20 more than my monthly utility bill.
Combine the cost for tickets with the hassles that come as part of the game-day experience, including the annoying television timeouts and the lines for the bathroom, and it becomes a tough sell for some fans.
Iowa has spent millions to improve the game-day viewing experience at Kinnick Stadium, and will continue to spend with the north end zone project about ready to launch.
Schools have to respect the home-viewing experience and treat it as a legitimate threat to drawing fans because it's only going to improve over time.
I asked fans on Twitter why the Penn State game wasn’t a sellout as of Wednesday and most of them blamed it on either cost, the benefits from watching at home or both.
Some fans also have to work, while others have kids who can’t stay up late enough to attend a night game.
But mostly, it comes down to money.
Middle-class America can’t afford all of life’s luxury items, and a $95 football ticket might qualify as a luxury item.
Some fans cherish the opportunity to watch a game at Kinnick Stadium and will go to great lengths to make it happen, while others choose to root for the Hawkeyes at home, or at bar with friends.
Everything, including Iowa football, has a price range.
And judging from tickes sales for the Penn State game, Iowa is close to hitting its limit.