Time to get REAL seats in Kinnick!

C

cf84

Well-Known Member
With all of the money going thru the football program, it's long past due that the bench seating is replaced in Kinnick. They were designed for short, skinny people and there aren't too many of those around anymore. Nothing worse then sitting there on a warm day next to some caveman and his sweaty legs all over over you. Now, if it's a couple of nice looking ladies on either side, I may have to rethink this. :D

With the advent of large HD TV's, we need comfortable seating for the fans that choose to come out. I think the trend of ticket sales declining will continue. It's just a lot of time and money to spend for a day and to get stuck in there like sardines makes no sense.

Get stadium seating so everyone has their own space, seat back and arm rest. Hell, for those that can't fit in those seats, make a section with bigger seats for a premium. If they have to lessen capacity by a couple thousand to make this happen, I think it will pay off in the long term.

At the very least, put permanent seat backs on the metal bleachers. The current seating is just a joke and WILL drive more and more people away who will choose the comfort and price saving of being at home. Anyone else feel this way or pretty much resigned to what we have?
 
cf84 said:
With all of the money going thru the football program, it's long past due that the bench seating is replaced in Kinnick. They were designed for short, skinny people and there aren't too many of those around anymore. Nothing worse then sitting there on a warm day next to some caveman and his sweaty legs all over over you. Now, if it's a couple of nice looking ladies on either side, I may have to rethink this. :D

With the advent of large HD TV's, we need comfortable seating for the fans that choose to come out. I think the trend of ticket sales declining will continue. It's just a lot of time and money to spend for a day and to get stuck in there like sardines makes no sense.

Get stadium seating so everyone has their own space, seat back and arm rest. Hell, for those that can't fit in those seats, make a section with bigger seats for a premium. If they have to lessen capacity by a couple thousand to make this happen, I think it will pay off in the long term.

At the very least, put permanent seat backs on the metal bleachers. The current seating is just a joke and WILL drive more and more people away who will choose the comfort and price saving of being at home. Anyone else feel this way or pretty much resigned to what we have?
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Ticket sales have increased this season.
 
HawkeyeHypnosis said:
Ticket sales have increased this season.
Click to expand...

I didn't say from last year to this year but if that's true it wasn't without the help of more extensive promos. All I know is the sellout streak is a distant memory and only 66k bought tickets for opening day. The seats suck either way but it's duly noted that you're okay with them.
 
They could go different seating and if they lose seats they can make it up elsewhere.

I think an easier option is going to the current seatbacks as mandatory in most areas of the stadium. I agree that they skinnied down the seating width sometime ago and a row with a lot of fat and wide bodies in it can be uncomfortable. They may have widen the seats back to what they were I am not sure but I do remember when they skinny-ied them down.

If one third of the seats right now have a seatback at $45 a piece then simple algebra would say you could make seatbacks mandatory in all east and west grandstand areas ( except for student sections) and they would double the number of seatbacks and could reduce the price to $25 each (which would be the day hell freezes over).

We have had seatbacks since they started to be offered because I was tired of the extra people squeezing into rows and crowding me.

Paying $400 for a seat of season tickets and you can't even stay on your seating area is a joke.

It was great having theatre style seats at a bowl game. I can still fit into one and if you are super fat you have to pay for a wider seat.
 
The smart thing would be to widen the seat allowance and re-number the whole stadium, bringing the capacity down to about 60,000. Then you'd have sell-outs again plus a lot more happy fans perhaps more likely to donate cash or keep getting tickets.

I think it's becoming unrealistic to think that, with big-screen HDTVs, and satellite and cable TV, and surround sound, that people will be willing to pay $50-75 a person to have what is becoming an increasingly miserable over-crowded stadium experience--yet with empty seats clearly visible elsewhere in the stadium.
 
HawkeyeHypnosis said:
Ticket sales have increased this season.
Click to expand...

With 5,000 empty seats yesterday, many it seemed in the student section, I would say ticket sales are sluggish.

I find it hard to believe that 3,000 more UNI fans wouldnt come down to Kinnick as their team looks pretty good.

I also find it weird that the UI has not released the student area unsold tickets to general public or kids and parents at reduced prices.
 
Serious question. I've heard over the years that the seating in Carver were to comphy and that is why everyone sat on their hands and snoozed at the games. Now you want to bring them to Kinnick? You never w
ould get the older fans to yell......but at least while their napping they won't yell at you for standing. Question is do you think it would decrease enthusiasm or it wouldn't matter. Not being an @$$ just asking.
 
cf84 said:
I didn't say from last year to this year but if that's true it wasn't without the help of more extensive promos. All I know is the sellout streak is a distant memory and only 66k bought tickets for opening day. The seats suck either way but it's duly noted that you're okay with them.
Click to expand...

I don't sit much to worry about the seating. I understand they can be tight, I've been squeezed out so I couldn't sit before, but its the same everywhere that is as old as Kinnick.
 
if you are going to spend money on saison tackets in kinnick, you have to spend the xtra bucks on seatbacks. they define your space, if nothing else. otherwise, it can be a maddening experience when you can't even sit in your designated area because of some lardo, or some wiseguys cramming more people into an area than seats.
 
seat width isn't an issue...but anyone over 6 foot tall, struggles to have enough leg room when the person in front of you has a seat back.
 
pezhawk2 said:
seat width isn't an issue...but anyone over 6 foot tall, struggles to have enough leg room when the person in front of you has a seat back.
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i'm 6'3" 230#. i agree the place isn't made for comfort. but as someone else stated, if it was any more comfortable, the place would be dead.
 
imported_ankle23 said:
i'm 6'3" 230#. i agree the place isn't made for comfort. but as someone else stated, if it was any more comfortable, the place would be dead.
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I think I have to disagree with this. People who are quiet fans who sit on their thumbs won't get loud just because you make them uncomfortable, maybe they'll stay home, but until it becomes impossible for loud fans to buy tickets that argument is moot.

I haven't been to a lot of other college stadiums, is having cheap high school looking bleachers the norm for high level programs?

NFL stadiums like Seattle's and Arrowhead have some pretty damn loud crowds and they somehow manage to do it while sitting in actual stadium seats.
 
judzeehawk said:
Serious question. I've heard over the years that the seating in Carver were to comphy and that is why everyone sat on their hands and snoozed at the games. Now you want to bring them to Kinnick? You never w
ould get the older fans to yell......but at least while their napping they won't yell at you for standing. Question is do you think it would decrease enthusiasm or it wouldn't matter. Not being an @$$ just asking.
Click to expand...


This is probably a silly pet peeve of mine, but I wish posters would stop making the assumption that "older fans" don't yell. I have season football and basketball tickets and my seats in both cases are around many people who are 60+ and retired. They (I) don't seem to have any trouble at all screaming at the officials, yelling at KF, cheering for good Hawk plays, doing the wave and the (very embarrassing) "big burrito lift.", and generally showing they understand the game. BTW, we stand up all the time, but usually when something big is happening. Nobody ever gets yelled at for standing, because there is a clear understanding about when it makes sense.

Seating: I have chairbacks and enjoy them because they carefully define your seats. I am a big guy and wish I was smaller, but the seats also assure that those who sit next to me will have plenty of room. I even select aisle seats for both sports so I can be considerate to those around me. I sit by choice in the south endzone, which you know has been recently re-constructed. It provides much more leg room, which really helps. Last year I sat in the east stands for one game and it was pretty miserable.

I would favor the eventual addition of "theatre" type seats. I have been at some bowl games and have used them and they really are nice. I hardly think they will put anyone to sleep...that is a pretty silly assumption. They are pretty comfortable at Carver Hawkeye and even big guys like me fit into them pretty well.

I am a big movie freak and go to the theatre all the time...the Marcus has redone all of their 10 auditoriums in Sheboygan and they have leather recliners for all seating. Get over it...its a sign of the times. Make it nice and comfortable and they will come. Otherwise, they will stay home with there big TV sets...movies, football, basketball, whatever.
 
The longer I sat in the my seats yesterday with some jack wagons kid on his lap kicking me in the back the more I thought about my lazy boy at home. Includeded in the experience was the moron behind me dropping an F bomb as an adjective every two words. Its gna be a hard sell to get me too renew, with ticket sales being the way they are I might just snag tixs to the big games and forgo season tickets. Just my two cents...
 
This is one of the main reasons I don't feel the urge to go to a game. I usually try to go to 1 a year, but I always am uncomfortable the entire game. My goal is to eventually be able to afford club seats. :)
 
We used to sit in the middle of the row and it was almost mandatory to get a seat back, otherwise you simply didn't have a spot. This year we made sure we got on an aisle and its not a big deal at all. Very grateful for the aisle seat this year.

Its also frustrating that they didn't show a few key plays on instant replay at the game...because apparently they fear the fans booing or starting a riot? I've never understood the refusal to show questionable plays/calls live at the game. Instead they just leave the fans in the dark...because that really improves the experience...
 
pezhawk2 said:
seat width isn't an issue...but anyone over 6 foot tall, struggles to have enough leg room when the person in front of you has a seat back.
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This.

And, even if you're normal height, and you and the person in front of you both have the seat backs, good luck. You'll be cramped the entire game. Guaranteed.

I tried the seat backs for one season and haven't ordered since...due to leg room.
 
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SamsonHawk515 said:
The longer I sat in the my seats yesterday with some jack wagons kid on his lap kicking me in the back the more I thought about my lazy boy at home. Includeded in the experience was the moron behind me dropping an F bomb as an adjective every two words. Its gna be a hard sell to get me too renew, with ticket sales being the way they are I might just snag tixs to the big games and forgo season tickets. Just my two cents...
Click to expand...

This may sound strange, but my experience has shown the first couple of home games you're going to get that. Warm weather brings out the rookies, and, the young kids. As the weather gets cold, kids stay home. It's actually a much better adult experience in Kinnick once the weather cools off.
 
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