Will Pollard's Plan Work?

(This article originally appeared on www.big12-fans.com.)

Last week, Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard revealed on KXNO’s Marty and Miller radio show the details of a new ticket policy for Cyclone football games. In an effort to drive up season ticket purchases, Pollard announced that no single game tickets would be available for this fall’s contest against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Additionally, season ticket prices have gone up from $36/game to $50/game for the 2007 season. The move has raised conflicting opinions in Iowa, with Hawkeye fans and radio personalities threatening thousands of empty seats and playing the “how dare you ruin the spirit of the rivalry” card.

What do two Brians and a Brad think? Read on!

Brian #1

Jamie Pollard is a big picture guy, and that’s what I love about him.

I don’t have the spreadsheets or the attendance projections he does, and even if I did, we’ve got to admit we’re underqualified to make judgments sometimes, and let the man do his work. But I don’t think this question is really about the immediate bottom line as much a long term public relations vision of how Iowa State will be perceived.

Iowa State is treated by both the local and national media, and of course its rival to the east, as the “little brother.” Even when ISU was beating Iowa five straight times on the gridiron, and winning back-to-back Big XII basketball titles (men’s AND women’s), the media continued to perpetuate the myth that Iowa State was somehow a second-class version of the University of Iowa. The Hawkeyes (who have a strong and respectable athletic program, no doubt) play in the media market-rich Big Ten, while the Cyclones compete in the prairie and oil-field heavy Big XII.

I believe Jamie Pollard looks at this treatment as a public relations disaster, both locally and nationally. Iowa State needs a leader prepared to call a spade a spade and make bold moves that will get people respecting what Iowa State is and what Iowa State can be: a competitive, bold player on the national stage. PR is a state of mind, and it is impossible to measure the effect an adjustment of public image will have in the commentators discuss ISU, the way recruits feel on their visit, and the pride and confidence with which Iowa State’s own employees, coaches and players will do their jobs on a daily basis.

I’m on board.

Brian #2

The idea of sitting inside Jack Trice Stadium for a game against Iowa and not having the Jack full and rocking is a depressing one to this Cyclone fan. I look forward to the Iowa game or the Nebraska game every year because I know that it will be the best environment of the year inside the stadium. Yes, I do hate those opponents more than every other team we play, but it is game day itself that makes me love those games so much, not rubbing it in the other 364 days of the year (even though I enjoy that part too).

So, my gut reaction to this is fear of losing part of what makes that day so special. There are certainly other ways to generate more revenue using the Iowa game as the carrot dangled in front of the casual fan. Why not just up that ticket price even more, into the $90 to $100 range? Or the ticket could come at its usual $65 as part of a season ticket package but cost more if it is sold as a single game ticket. I feel pretty confident that we could sell the Iowa game out with a ticket costing up to $100.

The reason I support what Jamie Pollard is doing, though, is because he is trying to make every game one that has an atmosphere like the Iowa one, not just profit off of our guaranteed draw through one high priced game. I also feel like he will find some way to have 55,000 butts in the seats and on the hillsides next September 15 when Iowa comes to visit, so we won’t lose that electric atmosphere in the short term. The biggest reason that I am supporting Pollard in this, though, is that he has given me no reason not to in his time at Iowa State. He seems to understand the need for revenue and the best ways to generate it at a major university, so I will just follow the company line until he shows me otherwise.

Brad

In his first year as Iowa State’s Athletic Director, Jamie Pollard has caused quite a fuss among Hawkeye fans to the east. Who cares? This, for Cyclone fans, should always be considered a good sign. This fuss is no question a certain fear from Iowa fans, who realize that Iowa State is no longer going to be settling as the second rate team in this state. Pollard has the cajones that Cyclone administrators have lacked over the years, and has the vision needed to take ISU to the next level.

He’s made tough decisions in firing the head coaches of the two biggest programs, but his replacements might be the bigger story. You don’t have to listen to Fran Fraschilla and Ron Franklin to know that Iowa State and Greg McDermott were like love at first sight. And Gene Chizik replacing Dan McCarney seemed a long shot just weeks ago, but Pollard pulled it off. Both searches ended and even the most ardent Iowa State fans were surprised, as well as major media outlets fooled. How does Mr. Pollard do it?

The latest stir he caused is over Iowa State’s football ticket policy. He decided not to release any Iowa/ISU single game tickets for this year’s contest. It’s mid-January and Pollard strategically (of course, it’s Pollard) has the Iowa media focusing on ISU’s season ticket policy. The reasoning behind this plan is not hard to understand—as Pollard said, it’s a “business decision.” If ISU sells an additional 5,000 tickets at the $350 level, that yields $1.75 million. If it sells the additional 20,000 Iowa tickets at the $65 level (the price from last year), it yields $1.3 million. We have more money for the program and still have the remaining tickets for the other games to sell. This is about motivating Cyclone fans to buy tickets, expanding the fan base, and of course, dollars and cents. Yes, there may be empty seats for the Iowa game in Ames, but there will be more money in the AD coffers. Given his first year track record, why not trust Mr. Pollard? I do.


Brian #1 is a freelance writer living in Chicago, and a regular contributor to Rivals.com and his website, briankgolden.blogspot.com. Brian #2 is a sophomore at Iowa State University majoring in finance and Spanish. Brad is a junior at Notre Dame, majoring in Economics and Philosophy.