Not sure why we are having this discussion since we have no control over the outcome and all the options are terrible
Season Ticket Renewals...
- Thread starter Sheffielder
- Start date
Driving there on a Saturday, with our sparse crowds, should be ok except for a few games against behemoth opponents
I really have no sympathy for NU fans who have to drive in from the suburbs to Soldier Field for a Saturday football game. If you can't do that you really aren't much of a 'Cats fan. Get there early and enjoy a tailgate for 2 or 3 hours before the game, just like we do at Ryan Field! 
This is the literal purpose of a sports fan message board - to wildly speculate on hearsay and comment on things we cannot control.
The last thing I heard was that we'd play at Wrigley once football season is over, but split between Soldier and Seat Geek for the early part of the season. Of course I didn't hear that from any official sources.
Has anyone heard anything from the department, a ticket rep, or other reliable source since that intel?
I think Seat Geek would be optimal because of the smaller capacity. I would rather see it filled with all NU fans. That being said, Soldier would be fun too. Both would be better for me in terms of driving as I wouldn't have to fight all the Chicago traffic before and after games to get to and from the game from Michigan.
Wouldn't be surprised if they allowed people to maintain their standing/priority in the event they decide not to renew during the transition to the new stadium
I bet Seat Geek is in the conversation because:
1. They really, REALLY want the business and have aggressively pursued it, whereas Wrigley and Solider will "take" it.
2. They're a fraction of the operating costs of the other aforementioned venues.
3. There's clearly no consensus on where fans would like to go in the absence of Ryan Field. Splitting between northside/downtown/south burbs is a reasonable option that accommodates everyone and no one.
1. They really, REALLY want the business and have aggressively pursued it, whereas Wrigley and Solider will "take" it.
2. They're a fraction of the operating costs of the other aforementioned venues.
3. There's clearly no consensus on where fans would like to go in the absence of Ryan Field. Splitting between northside/downtown/south burbs is a reasonable option that accommodates everyone and no one.
Don't forget that Wrigley sucks
I agree, but it still has a level of Wrigley cachet that moves the needle for people who don't live here. I can still picture middle aged white male Iowa fans walking in with their long-lens cameras around their necks discussing where they'll eat deep dish after the game.
1. I already attended a Northwestern game at Soldier Field, a Big Ten game even, and the stands were a quarter full. Large, empty stadiums are depressing.
2. It's a pain to get to and parking is expensive and you still have to walk a long way. For Wrigley, at least the students can hop on the L and be dropped off right at the park.
3. Maybe there will be a good crowd comprised of opposing fans if the opponent is Iowa or Ohio State. That doesn't sound like a fun experience for the home fans, though.
3 Corollary: Some have been very vocal about the opposing fans at the Wrigley games. Why would that be a positive for Soldier Field games?
4. Maybe I just don't have nostalgia specifically for Soldier Field because I'm not a Bears fan? But even if I did, I don't think it would be for the ugly UFO version.
5. NU's new stadium will have a smaller capacity, in theory, to improve the home fan experience. Why wouldn't this logic extend to SeatGeek? We won't be outnumbered 6-1 by Ohio State fans at SeatGeek, and the stands won't look so empty against Dook.
That game was an Illinois home game because Beckman and the then Illinois AD wanted it to be there.
Still not a very good crowd for Chicago's Big Ten Team (a top-25 one, at that).
The logic is there but it remains to be seen if our fans will travel anywhere at all. Nobody went to Rosemont for basketball.
This is quite enlightening. Imagine if it wasn’t. Each game day, the fans have to find the game in a hide and seek fashion. One week, the opposing team fails to find it. The next, the Cats fail. It would be quite entertaining. Where’s Waldo hosting the game?!?!
But it would be posted on the Rock - begging the question why Lou didn’t comp Braun a membership so he could find it.
I reckon our fans will number <5k for non cons. Between 5-10k for certain conf games. Need a place that holds like 10-15k
The smaller stadium isn't to improve fan experience--although it probably will--it's to create demand. When you can purchase tickets cheaply in the 2nd-hand market, there's very limited motivation to purchase season tickets. Scarcity enables NU to charge more and grow it STH base. Not being overwhelmed with the opponent's fans is a side benefit.
The logic doesn't extend to Seat Geek because many ST holders will be resistant to traveling to Bridgeview (human nature to resist change). However, opponent fans -- mostly Chicago-based alumni of large schools --may still be motivated to see their team cheaply compared to traveling to Ann Arbor, Champaign, Madison or Columbus where tickets are significantly more expensive.
I still say that Dekalb would be a reasonable option for most games
Ha, depends on where you are starting from.
I agree with you about Wrigley though.
I've never been to SeatGeek myself but some of my friends in Chi are Fire season ticket holders, they've been and swore against ever going back there if they host a Fire game there again. Said the location was awful, very difficult to get to, and I quote "imagine a worse Ryan Field that's located in the hood with nothing but empty lots and warehouses all around".
Doesn't sound like it would be very conducive to tailgating. Even if they are offering a good deal, this is probably a situation where it doesn't make sense to be cheap.
Re the higher capacity, we can cover large parts of the upper deck at Soldier (maybe even all of it for EIU or something) to get capacity down to the 40-50k range and limit the opposing fans for Wisconsin and OSU games. Sure it's tougher for the folks in the suburbs than Ryan Field, but there's no good solution to that. For Soldier you can offer the free buses to and from for students, at least it's accessible by public transport for those who live in the city. And tons of tailgating space. It's far from ideal but I think it's relatively the best of the options available (then shift to Wrigley once baseball season ends).
(PS - I really hope they can get this done in 20 months so that Ryan Field is open in 2025 and we only have 1 season of being vagabonds, each year of it is quite detrimental.)
It's not "in the hood," it's just on empty commercial/industrial land. It's not a bad spot for tailgating - the Fire actually had a pretty good tailgating scene when they played out there - but getting into and out of the parking lots is an absolute nightmare that has apparently gotten even worse since the Fire left.
None. Have had to go there a few times in the last couple years for job and found it a lot easier to deal with than downtown, Regardless of where we go we will lose a lot of our regular attendees,. NIU is better suited to what we need than the other venues I have seen discussed. Stadiums size, check. Designed for FB, check. Infrastucture surrounding game, check. Ease of getting in and out... Just a lot better for our needs than many here acknowledge.
Soldier Field? Been there, done that. Sucks. Wrigley? If I never see it for another FB game it is too soon. Lambeau? Are you kidding? Seat Geek, I would reserve judgment because I don't really have a feel for it but some of the things that are attractive about DeKalb are also true of Seat Geek
Even sadder that NU administration probably doesn't know either
Well, it’s in a majority non-white area, which, for racists, is the same thing. It’s hard to get to via public transportion from the city proper. About the same as Ryan if you are driving. I know a number of tailgate groups who come from west or south of the city for whom SeatGeek would be a dream.
Something must have really changed in recent years as Bridgeview, Bedford Park area is definitely majority white populations.
We are going to a football game, as long as it it safe who cares.
Oh no, I'm the racist! You are right that the area is only about 35-40% non-white, mostly Hispanic. I amend my statement to "materially" non-white.
I will be at the games as well.
I only care about easy in/out parking. Gone are the days of parking on the street in Wilmette and walking down. In reality, parking is only an issue for 3 of the games (OSU Wisc and ILL). The rest of the games will be a ghost town
Relax, who called you a Racist. My point was, this isn’t some horrendously unsafe neighborhood that would make you think twice about attending.
I was kidding, given my comment re: people who see a neighborhood that's not all white and immediately think it's "the hood". I agree with your point and was trying to make the same point earlier.
I'm not going to lie to you, it'll be easy in and really, really, really hard out at SeatGeek.
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