And the effect they could have on attendance
Syracuse Orange men’s basketball is in the midst of a disappointing stretch. SU barely got through the nonconference slate as a .500 team and their struggles have continued into ACC play… in more ways than one.
Fans are not exactly rushing through the revolving doors of the JMA Dome lately, as the combination of lackluster play and high ticket costs seems to be turning more and more people away.
For those who remember, I previously did a comparison of Syracuse football pricing with the rest of the ACC, and now it’s time for the basketball version of it. These prices reflect the floor and ceiling of both the best and worst seat options available in each team’s respective arena. The same rules as before apply: no premium seats (courtside or anything that has food/beverages included in the ticket cost) are factored in, only games at home courts are compared, and all prices are retail. Additionally, these prices are only for conference games and are retroactive to the ones that have already taken place.
You’ll notice that SU has some of the higher ceilings in the ACC, and that’s with a much larger capacity than any of their competitors. Only Louisville and UNC have arenas capable of holding 20k (NC State is close with 19.5), and many in the conference are below 10k. Additionally, the cheapest seats are true “nosebleeds” – higher up and farther away from the action than elsewhere – yet are still almost $60 each for the two marquee matchups of Duke and UNC.
The tickets for those two games just went on sale to the public Tuesday, and people aren’t exactly jumping at the opportunity:
The bottom line may not look terrible now, but it’s only going to get worse as season ticket holders and casual fans alike choose to spend their time and money elsewhere.