We just got home from our trip to the Orange Bowl.
We stopped at Disneyworld for three days to break up the trip from Miami to Tallahassee - thus the late post.
I want to compliment both the PSU fans and the FSU fans - I saw very little rude or boring behavior at the game. I think FSU fans were happy that they were not embarrassed by a romp - and PSU fans were just happy to get away with a win - any win.
The point I want to address is how many folks seem to think their school "travels better" than others and that when "their team" goes to a bowl - tickets are going to dry up and no one will get into the game below face value.
I have gone to almost every FSU bowl game in the last 20 years - I have gone to 3 PSU bowl games when I happened to be in the in the area where they were playing - Holiday Bowl - Blockbuster Bowl - Carquest Bowl - etc.
This year's Orange Bowl is a prime example of how anyone can go to any bowl game - and buy tickets for pennies on the dollar - even an hour before game time.
PSU fans thought -
1. We travel better than any other team.
2. We haven't been in a big bowl in years - so our fans will travel
3. Pennsylvania folks need some sunshine.
4. The Paterno/Bowden thing would goose ticket sales.
5. Playing Number 22 would insure a victory.
FSU fans thought-
1. We are going to get pounded.
2. Why travel to Miami in the middle of the work week.
3. Tickets will be priced high because PSU "travels well."
4. Ticket prices on ebay are very high - so game tickets will be high.
My observations from the game -
1. Since all bowl games are on TV and made for TV - fans fail to show up to pay the $100 plus price for tickets.
2. Thanks to moving the games away from Jan 1st - fans can't miss the many work days needed to attend the game.
3. Most public school students are already back to classes in both Florida and Pennsylvania.
4. Many PSU fans panicked and bought extra tickets and had to sell them because some of their friends decided not to come to the game.
5. I turned down over 500 tickets in the 400 upper deck level. Most of them were owned by PSU fans thinking they were going to recoup the $85.00 face value because they were convinced this would be a hot ticket.
6. We bought two tickets on the front row at the goal line - $125.00 tickets - for $30 each - about half hour before game time. When we got to our seats - there was almost a whole row of seats empty right by us.
7. The official attendance was 77,000 - but I am guessing there were 10,000 "no shows."
8. Most of the tickets sold directly to the fans via the schools - are the worst seats in the house.
9. The best seats are kept for sponsors - and are given out as "party favors."
10. Many of the tickets given out by the sponsors end up being sold outside the stadium to make a quick profit.
11. We walked around with a stadium map before the game - and only negotiated with people that had tickets along the sideline in the the first 20 rows. Many folks were insulted when we would not even offer them $10 for their "prized tickets."
The point I am trying to make - after attending the 20 bowl games - and not getting shut out once - I would not encourage anyone going to a bowl game (except maybe the number 1 and 2 game) not to buy ahead of time for the list price.
My Conclusion - Fans that follow a team that is known to "travel well" pay way too much for their tour packages - plane tickets - hotel rooms - and game tickets. In short - they are victims of their own illusions.
PSU fans outnumbered FSU fans easily by 2 to 1. Generally - PSU fans paid a lot of money for a travel package that many only bought because the package included a coveted game ticket.
FSU fans have been at 20 or so bowls in a row. They are jaded - they have been at many BCS bowls - and if their team is not in the running for the crown - they stay at home and watch on the HDTV. FSU fans are spoiled - getting the automatic ACC/BCS bid has led FSU fans to believe they are entitled to national champions.
Generally speaking - I think the PSU fans were more polite.
There were plenty of tickets outside the Orange Bowl for sale by fans - not just scalpers - all one had to do was hold up two fingers.
Harry
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