Populous has an outstanding portfolio.

Institutional leaders have a good feel for the development in many of Oklahoma's universities and colleges. Quality at OU has been impressive under Boren's leadership.

There' s money in the OU Athletics' capital fund and I'm sure there are donors who want to get something done. Our last major stadium renovation was 2003. The feasibility study will give us the signal to 'go' or 'no go' on what our market can handle.

Sooner football has enjoyed a string of sellouts; let's not lose perpective that records come and go from winning to losing streaks.

Sure tickets are available for those of have to sit outside the stadium and wait. Loyal Sooner football faithfuls will always be there for this university and team regardless of the situation. We know that there are some who wear the attire; where are they when the team loses? As Grandma use to say, "Ain't nothing jumping but the peas in the pot; they wouldn't be jumping if the water wasn't hot."

OU48A, it is time for renovation and a modest expansion to reward the fans who are steadfast. In my years of watching college football this is my observation about the fair weather fans; their bandwagon quickly becomes the turnip wagon.

Hmm...i don't know if "modest expansions" are cost effective. I've heard some extreme notions to suggest that the current west deck (built circa 1974) be taken down and rebuilt to match the east side plus add the new pressbox. To me, that would be monumentally expensive, not increase (in fact, might even decrease) capacity.

The only places to expand are north and south, and that's endzone. Don't think there's much value to be had with endzone seats. And I'm not sure who is going to be willing to subsidize a largely endzone-oriented expansion if endzone seats are all they are likely to be promised - meaning that, if they do, there's a good chance you'll see the folks who pay for such a theoretical expansion pushing out current folks in "seats between the 20's" right smack IN to that new (albeit theoretical) endzone. That'll go over REALLY well :)

If they're bringing in the heavy hitter design folks to look at the entire stadium complex, who knows what might emerge. I'd fully expect 1) A new pressbox with suites, 2) an overhauled/restructured/bowled south endzone. Heck, I wouldn't mind if they upgraded the big S endzone video board to *full* hidef :) (most folks don't realize it isn't).

I'd love to see some additional amenities like escalator access to the upper decks and overhauled west-deck concession facilities.

Always fun to see them planning upgrades to the stadium. Remember watching them add the west deck when I was a kid; added the oddball south endzone just before I started school down there, then added the east deck, brick facade, and extended perimeter about a decade ago. Next round of upgrades should be really great.

Populous has an outstanding portfolio.

Institutional leaders have a good feel for the development in many of Oklahoma's universities and colleges. Quality at OU has been impressive under Boren's leadership.

There' s money in the OU Athletics' capital fund and I'm sure there are donors who want to get something done. Our last major stadium renovation was 2003. The feasibility study will give us the signal to 'go' or 'no go' on what our market can handle.

Sooner football has enjoyed a string of sellouts; let's not lose perpective that records come and go from winning to losing streaks.

Sure tickets are available for those of have to sit outside the stadium and wait. Loyal Sooner football faithfuls will always be there for this university and team regardless of the situation. We know that there are some who wear the attire; where are they when the team loses? As Grandma use to say, "Ain't nothing jumping but the peas in the pot; they wouldn't be jumping if the water wasn't hot."

OU48A, it is time for renovation and a modest expansion to reward the fans who are steadfast. In my years of watching college football this is my observation about the fair weather fans; their bandwagon quickly becomes the turnip wagon.

Laramie you are so right about the fair weather bandwagon fans and their turnip wagon.

But when we have seen thousands of empty seats at other university's for decades at a time, for most games, and in small stadiums, we need to remember that they would only love to have our problems and our high expectations.

I would agree that its time for significant renovation's to reward loyal fans and that a small expansion is appropriate...
A small expansion is likely with a new press box.

When others who we are in competition with OU are doing a better job with what they have to work with OU needs to maximize its brand better than it's being done. By making a statement with the stadium as many others have done, very effectively, it helps OU on that goal.

Hmm...i don't know if "modest expansions" are cost effective. I've heard some extreme notions to suggest that the current west deck (built circa 1974) be taken down and rebuilt to match the east side plus add the new pressbox. To me, that would be monumentally expensive, not increase (in fact, might even decrease) capacity.

The only places to expand are north and south, and that's endzone. Don't think there's much value to be had with endzone seats. And I'm not sure who is going to be willing to subsidize a largely endzone-oriented expansion if endzone seats are all they are likely to be promised - meaning that, if they do, there's a good chance you'll see the folks who pay for such a theoretical expansion pushing out current folks in "seats between the 20's" right smack IN to that new (albeit theoretical) endzone. That'll go over REALLY well :)

If they're bringing in the heavy hitter design folks to look at the entire stadium complex, who knows what might emerge. I'd fully expect 1) A new pressbox with suites, 2) an overhauled/restructured/bowled south endzone. Heck, I wouldn't mind if they upgraded the big S endzone video board to *full* hidef :) (most folks don't realize it isn't).

I'd love to see some additional amenities like escalator access to the upper decks and overhauled west-deck concession facilities.

Always fun to see them planning upgrades to the stadium. Remember watching them add the west deck when I was a kid; added the oddball south endzone just before I started school down there, then added the east deck, brick facade, and extended perimeter about a decade ago. Next round of upgrades should be really great.


Oklahoma University's football program will invest in its base by building those upcoming young Sooner fans and making space available; these are the future season ticket holders & donors as the old guard fades into the sunset. Texas A & M and Nebraska had to expand into those end zone areas; we increased seating capacity when we added the west side upper deck and removed those old green bleachers in the south end zone with a more permanent structure.

I understand the short-term economics of expanding and the big donors who support the program.

Our biggest challenge is simple, our fan base has been spoiled.




Laramie you are so right about the fair weather bandwagon fans and their turnip wagon.

But when we have seen thousands of empty seats at other university's for decades at a time, for most games, and in small stadiums, we need to remember that they would only love to have our problems and our high expectations.

I would agree that its time for significant renovation's to reward loyal fans and that a small expansion is appropriate...
A small expansion is likely with a new press box.

When others who we are in competition with OU are doing a better job with what they have to work with OU needs to maximize its brand better than it's being done. By making a statement with the stadium as many others have done, very effectively, it helps OU on that goal.

There are always going to be episodes and sequels to up and down years within major college football. You can kill your fan base by catering to the fair weather fans; they are the ones who sit in the stadium as though they were at a fashion fair. The Who's who among the elite--those fashionable seasoned butterfiles who give you that snooty look when you're screaming.

Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater is one of a handful of major stadiums in the United States with goals at the east and west ends. Oklahoma State is building their fan base; although they sound like a rodeo crowd--they are loud and enthusiastic.

Oklahoma University's football program will invest in its base by building those upcoming young Sooner fans and making space available; these are the future season ticket holders & donors as the old guard fades into the sunset. Texas A & M and Nebraska had to expand into those end zone areas; we increased seating capacity when we added the west side upper deck and removed those old green bleachers in the south end zone with a more permanent structure.

I understand the short-term economics of expanding and the big donors who support the program.

Our biggest challenge is simple, our fan base has been spoiled.





There are always going to be episodes and sequels to up and down years within major college football. You can kill your fan base by catering to the fair weather fans; they are the ones who sit in the stadium as though they were at a fashion fair. The Who's who among the elite--those fashionable seasoned butterfiles who give you that snooty look when you're screaming.

Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater is one of a handful of major stadiums in the United States with goals at the east and west ends. Oklahoma State is building their fan base; although they sound like a rodeo crowd--they are loud and enthusiastic.

Very good post^
But just remember, we don't want to hire any OSU graduates to do any of our brick laying on our stadium.
LOL

But current expansion plans for OMS must be tempered by something Oklahoma has *never* previous;y faced: Competition.

Many of those "up and coming" young Sooner fans are also OKC Thunder fans. And some of those fans are also the empty seats in the student section.

The disposable income factor will be something OU must consider in this wave of upgrades in determining how much financing might be available and how many tickets they are likely to sell as a result. That's what makes this round of updates more difficult - modest expansion may be the smartest from a ticket sales perspective, but not from a cost-per-seat perspective. Very difficult balance. Nebraska doesn't have that problem. Texas doesn't have that problem as they have virtually limitless resources.

That's why it seems to me that a minimal capacity increase coupled with a grand new pressbox + suite arrangement is the most likely outcome of the next round of updates....put simply, suites === revenue.

Just got back from OU/Tech game where they announced it was their 91st consecutive sold out game. I understand that doesn't mean every seat was taken but that does mean that every seat was bought. Plenty of tickets for sale on the street.

Maybe they should just put a retractable roof over it.

Just got back from OU/Tech game where they announced it was their 91st consecutive sold out game. I understand that doesn't mean every seat was taken but that does mean that every seat was bought. Plenty of tickets for sale on the street.

Who is to know what's authentic on the streets today? Several people got duped buying Thunder playoff tickets on the streets; you're putting yourself at risk of becoming some kind of crime statistic.

Scammers Selling Fake Thunder Playoff Tickets
http://www.news9.com/story/18521495/scammers-selling-fake-thunder-playoff-tickets

IMHO the University of Oklahoma needs to concerned itself with building its fan base with some kind of modest expansion. Are there 10,000 potential ticket buyers on a waiting list? If so, there are probably another 5,000 who didn't put themselves on that list.

The heck with a 91st consecutive sellout. Are we going to win a prize, trophy or economic recognition for consecutive sellouts?

A 100,000-seat Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is our next direction; something to accommodate fans wanting to obtain tickets without putting themselves at possible risks.

is there any survey, anywhere, to support roughly a 25% increase in seating capacity?

My friends and I have bought tickets outside the stadium pretty much every game for years without any problems.

OU does not need to add seats, certainly not to 100,000. Continue to improve the stadium, but the stadium size seems perfect right now. As long as $94 tickets are sold on the street for $20-30 no expansion is needed. Expanding prematurely could result in empty seats and tickets with little value.

is there any survey, anywhere, to support roughly a 25% increase in seating capacity?

Not to my knowledge.


My friends and I have bought tickets outside the stadium pretty much every game for years without any problems.

OU does not need to add seats, certainly not to 100,000. Continue to improve the stadium, but the stadium size seems perfect right now. As long as $94 tickets are sold on the street for $20-30 no expansion is needed. Expanding prematurely could result in empty seats and tickets with little value.

Glad to hear that you are able to purchase tickets on the streets with no problems. Once you're encountered a bad experience like myself, then you become more aware of people attempting to scam and you become more cautious.

Just got back from OU/Tech game where they announced it was their 91st consecutive sold out game. I understand that doesn't mean every seat was taken but that does mean that every seat was bought. Plenty of tickets for sale on the street.

I'm pretty sure virtually every seat is sold to season ticket holders. Those being sold on the street are usually resales. I don't know what it's like now, but a few years ago I was told there were 10,000+ people on the waiting list for season tickets. When they report a sellout it's tickets sold, not bodies in seats. Same holds true for the Thunder, although their wait list is smaller.

Never buy tickets from a guy with a fist full of tickets.
Lots of people do buy OU tickets successfully with deep discounts and have done so successfully for years.
Rarely is finding a cheap ticket very much of a problem for most people.

Joe C and Stoops have indicated that when OU rebuilds its press box that it would include a small stadium expansion. Joe C said that this would add approximately 1,500 new seats with the current plans. Obviously these plans could change.

But at this time and until the demand warrants I'm not in favor of any expansion beyond the press box expansion... Without the parking and transportation issues being successfully addressed its unlikely that the demand would ever increases by enough to ever warrant a large expansion.

Something I would like to see OU do,,, and a lot more stadiums are starting to do this …..
Add a heating system to the fields surface....
It would do a lot to keep the grass growing, looking good, unfrozen and make it a safer playing surface...
This would be something that OU could sale to its recruits.

I would have only expected a light capacity bump if any, since what makes real money is premium seats/suits and you literally can not build any seats closer to the action. In addition to get it in the range of 100,000 will mean adding a lot of cheap seats that cost a lot to build, compare that to some premium seats bring in more per seat than some entire sections do. I think they even stated at one point they do not ever expect to close the gaps in the bowl because the expected revenue bump would not likely be worth the costs (though that could change if they chose to bump the student section to the new corners and sell the current student section to donors).

Joe C and Stoops have indicated that when OU rebuilds its press box that it would include a small stadium expansion. Joe C said that this would add approximately 1,500 new seats with the current plans. Obviously these plans could change.

But at this time and until the demand warrants I'm not in favor of any expansion beyond the press box expansion... Without the parking and transportation issues being successfully addressed its unlikely that the demand would ever increases by enough to ever warrant a large expansion.

Do you have a link to them saying this? Thanks.

I would have only expected a light capacity bump if any, since what makes real money is premium seats/suits and you literally can not build any seats closer to the action. In addition to get it in the range of 100,000 will mean adding a lot of cheap seats that cost a lot to build, compare that to some premium seats bring in more per seat than some entire sections do. I think they even stated at one point they do not ever expect to close the gaps in the bowl because the expected revenue bump would not likely be worth the costs (though that could change if they chose to bump the student section to the new corners and sell the current student section to donors).

I agree Snowman:

At some point OU will need to evaluate the feasibility of adding to the north and/or south end zone seating. Sure it's going to cost millions, probably some where in the neighborhood of $50 - $75 millions to add 10,000 - 15,000 seats. Ten to fifteen years from now it is going to cost three times that amount to expand. Ticket prices are going to go up anyway; if you wait, the fewer seats you have available--the more it's going to cost. Why do you think the Thunder wanted to down-size the Chesapeake Energy Arena from 19,135 to 18,203? I'll give you three reasons:

1. More comfort for premium court side ticket holders.
2. To create a demand for tickets
3. Create more space for NBA requirements for televising.

Greatest financial impact you'll receive for collegiate and major professional football and basketball events will come from TV revenue, product licensing, parking fees, concession stands, sponsors in the arena/stadium, and ticket sales.

Texas A & M and Nebraska both did end zone seating expansion:

http://www.sportspowerweekends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/kylefield-AggieAthletics.com_.jpg

Kyle Field, College Station (82,589)
Expansion, 2014: Kyle Field (construction will start after the 2013 season and is expected to be completed for the 2015 season) the stadium capacity will increase from 82,589 to 102,500

http://huskersgameday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Memorial-Stadium-Air.jpg

Memorial Stadium, Lincoln (87,091)
Expansion, 2014: The addition of 38 skybox suites pushes the stadium's total to more than 100, and capacity increased from about 86,000 to almost 92,000.

Read More: Nebraska stadium addition pushes capacity past 90,000 - College Football - SI.com (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130822/nebraska-stadium-addition.ap/#ixzz2ize8AkmX)

College Station-Bryan, TX MSA...............228,660
Lincoln, NE MSA....................................302,157
Oklahoma City-Norman, OK MSA..........1,252,987

Source: List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas) 2010 figures.

My friends and I have bought tickets outside the stadium pretty much every game for years without any problems.

OU does not need to add seats, certainly not to 100,000. Continue to improve the stadium, but the stadium size seems perfect right now. As long as $94 tickets are sold on the street for $20-30 no expansion is needed. Expanding prematurely could result in empty seats and tickets with little value.

When tickets are selling for 22-25 cents on the dollar on game day, there's a valid argument the stadium already has more seats than it has demand.

College Station-Bryan, TX MSA...............228,660
Lincoln, NE MSA....................................302,157
Oklahoma City-Norman, OK MSA..........1,252,987

I think the MSAs here can be a little misleading, I would be shocked it more people did not come in from Omaha than from Lincoln. Plus parts of Houston's suburbs are less than an hour drive from College Station, Austin is about an hour and a half from it, so they probably pick up some of the alumni from there and the cities north east of College Station too.

When tickets are selling for 22-25 cents on the dollar on game day, there's a valid argument the stadium already has more seats than it has demand.

No, this is not accurate. The reason the price drops is becuase the game has started, not the demand prior to kickoff. We need to keep up w/ the Big boys in this region. Tex A&M / UT / and us. We don't have all their money, but we can't get LEFT BEHIND either.

No, this is not accurate. The reason the price drops is becuase the game has started, not the demand prior to kickoff. We need to keep up w/ the Big boys in this region. Tex A&M / UT / and us. We don't have all their money, but we can't get LEFT BEHIND either.

Sorry, OKVision, but this is just not accurate.

I've been going to OU home games for four decades, and over the last three of those decades, I've *never* had season tickets, and I've *always* been able to buy outside the stadium well before kickoff for a fraction of face value. Lots of people don't/refuse to believe this. I "tutored" my barber on how to do it, and he was very skeptical, but the last time I got a haircut the first thing he told me was "omigosh, you were right about OU tickets!! I couldn't believe how good the seats were/how cheap they were" (paraphrasing, but words to that effect).

I can think of two instances in those thirty years where I've paid face for more an OU home ticket: 2007 Miami, where a friend of mine came in from out of town, and I needed four together - paid face three days before the game; and 2000 OU-Nebraska - paid $70 for a single.

Do we want to fight for 2nd tier recruits w/ OSU / T Tech / Baylor / ....? We have to UP OUR GAME boys. Boren knows this. This is why he put another look into this subject.

Sorry, OKVision, but this is just not accurate.

I've been going to OU home games for four decades, and over the last three of those decades, I've *never* had season tickets, and I've *always* been able to buy outside the stadium well before kickoff for a fraction of face value. Lots of people don't/refuse to believe this. I "tutored" my barber on how to do it, and he was very skeptical, but the last time I got a haircut the first thing he told me was "omigosh, you were right about OU tickets!! I couldn't believe how good the seats were/how cheap they were" (paraphrasing, but words to that effect).


I can think of two instances in those thirty years where I've paid face for more an OU home ticket: 2007 Miami, where a friend of mine came in from out of town, and I needed four together - paid face three days before the game; and 2000 OU-Nebraska - paid $70 for a single.

I think you are mixing 2 different issues here. Demand for tickets / Season Tickets ...year end year out. Is growing. Demand for the OU Brand is still in-effect. It is not shrinking in any way.

Pricing of tickets on game days is a totally different subject. Face value for Nebraska vs. N. Tenn Sta. This is a different $$$ dynamic.

When tickets are selling for 22-25 cents on the dollar on game day, there's a valid argument the stadium already has more seats than it has demand.

Bingo. This is precisely why my mom gave up her season tickets back in the 80's; they were horrible south endzone seats that I couldn't give away when I had my own student tickets. The light finally went on - it was kind of goofy to spend full price on tickets when significantly better seats could be had for much less and for relatively little effort on gameday.

The current sellout streak, I think, has also been supplanted by some generous sponsors willing to buy up last-minute unsold tickets just for the sake of preserving the "sellout" streak. Think it was Tulsa this year where a good chunk of the visitor section in the south endzone was empty - not a few random sections, but a clear, rectangular block of seats, and I knew there were tickets for sale at the ticket booths (perhaps returned by Tulsa? Not sure). Anyway, those seats were unoccupied into the first quarter, yet the game was a "sellout," officially.

Also remember the 2003 season opener, and I was down there looking for tickets, and two guys with official OU game credentials asked me how many I needed, and I told him "two, for my son and me." He said, "okay," reached into this big glassine envelope that probably had a stack of 100 or more tickets in it, and he handed two off the top to me - absolutely free. I inferred it was a block of tickets a sponsor bought and distributed and wrote off as a promotional expense or contribution.

Point of all this is to dispel any notion that there's some huge unsatisfied demand out there begging an expansion. The only way, IMHO, you get someone to join in is if you promise them good seating from the existing ticket base, and displace those folks into the new, inevitably worse seats. I can't fathom someone saying "here's a wad of six- or seven-figure dough so you can get a promise to sit in our shiny new endzone."

Right now, when that third-tier east-side upper deck is half filled, or the student section is only partially occupied, it looks really bad on TV. FWIW.

I think you are mixing 2 different issues here. Demand for tickets / Season Tickets ...year end year out. Is growing. Demand for the OU Brand is still in-effect. It is not shrinking in any way.

Pricing of tickets on game days is a totally different subject. Face value for Nebraska vs. N. Tenn Sta. This is a different $$$ dynamic.

Not really.

The demand wasn't growing this year, as I received multiple emails telling me how OU had a surprising number of declined season ticket renewals, and would I be interested in getting them. You don't send out a mass email like that for 50 or 100 season tickets. If you've got this "growing demand", you don't have to advertise to sell tickets. Further, its been true for some time now that an "in-kind" donation to the Sooner Club of about $100 per seat (someone that's a member can correct me) will get you season tickets right now.

So we/I (as Sooner fans) have to (as much as it might be hard to do so) separate our head from our heart and realize demand isn't quite as great as we want to believe, and that comes down to hard dollars and cents reality. And that, in turn, has to factor in to how they plan any subsequent stadium expansions and renovations. The great thing in all this, however, is that Joe C is one of if not the premier athletic directors in the country, and I couldn't think of a better guy to be in charge of the next round of upgrades. He surely won't do anything to OU's detriment.

Do we want to fight for 2nd tier recruits w/ OSU / T Tech / Baylor / ....? We have to UP OUR GAME boys. Boren knows this. This is why he put another look into this subject.

I dont think recruits care whether you have an 82,000 seat stadium or a 100,000 seat stadium. Sure they just want a filled, loud stadium but they are going to care more about the quality of training facilities, locker rooms, and living spaces. If this was the case then OSU wouldnt be able to recruit very well with only a 60,000 seat stadium, but that doesnt appear to be the case. Adding 15,000 seats or even upgrading the concourse levels really wont matter much to players...since they dont use those thngs.

The only thing that should matter in a stadium enlargement is whether it has a good ROI from new ticket sales or increased ticket prices. It appears many OU fans want a stadium expansion just because a handful of other schools have bigger ones. Its as if some think you arent a powerhouse without a 100k seat stadium, which isnt the case at all.

I think the MSAs here can be a little misleading, I would be shocked it more people did not come in from Omaha than from Lincoln. Plus parts of Houston's suburbs are less than an hour drive from College Station, Austin is about an hour and a half from it, so they probably pick up some of the alumni from there and the cities north east of College Station too.

Although it too is a stretch, I would look at state size. The only "big time" football programs in states with less than 4 million people are OU, Oregon, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Nebraska. Only Nebraska has a capacity greater than OU's, the rest have no more than 75K seats. Nebraska is a special case because there are no competing D1 college or professional sports in the state. And even still, there seems to be some consternation about whether NU bit off more than they can chew. Is Memorial Stadium Expansion Saturating the Husker Football Market? - Corn Nation (http://www.cornnation.com/2013/2/27/4036408/is-memorial-stadium-expansion-saturating-the-husker-football-market)

IMO I think any expansion beyond 2-3000 seats would probably wreak havoc on the ticket market, and would probably end sellouts in down years. I remember going to some games in 2009, when we were truly down, and the "sellouts" consisted of big chunks of empty benches in some of the upper sections. We would probably get more bang for our buck in adding suites, improving facilities, etc. to dazzle recruits.

Do you have a link to them saying this? Thanks.

Bob stoops said this to reporters and it was in the news papers.
Joe C indicated this on the radio and I have had personal conversations with people who are in the know about this.

I think the MSAs here can be a little misleading, I would be shocked it more people did not come in from Omaha than from Lincoln. Plus parts of Houston's suburbs are less than an hour drive from College Station, Austin is about an hour and a half from it, so they probably pick up some of the alumni from there and the cities north east of College Station too.
Yep, MSA population means absolutely nothing when it comes to football, pro or college. I know people who live in Omaha who go to every Husker game and they have some family members from western Nebraska who travel to every game. Just the people in the area of my father's season tickets were not from OKC, the row in front was from the Tulsa area, the one next to his lived in Springdale, Arkansas. There are people who travel from Little Rock or Memphis to Arkansas home games in Fayetteville. UT games are a prime example, the majority of people there are from DFW or Houston and a large number from San Antonio and rural areas. Probably the biggest draw for A&M games is from Houston or DFW. Even in the NFL there are a great many who travel to the games, as we were flying to Denver last night from OKC there were a good number of people on our flight with OU gear on and a bunch of them in Will Rogers. After landing here in Denver after the Broncos game the airport was crawling with people in Broncos gear (and a few in Redskins gear) heading to flights out of Denver. I remember an article a few years back (talking about the flex schedule Sunday night games) that stated something like 40% of Broncos season ticket holders are outside of the Denver metro area and a game getting flexed to Sunday night really screws up the plans they had in place with flights and hotels. The Broncos are definitely a regional team out here drawing people from all the neighboring states.

OU keeps track on the locations of where they sell season football tickets.
About 12 years ago about 4000 season tickets were sold to people living in the DFW area.

There are thousand of OU fans that travel in to OU games from out of state to most home OU games. I personally known or have meet people with season tickets who come to almost all home games from Wichita, Dodge City, Amarillo, Midland /Odessa TX. Denver Kansas City, DFW. Some of these people fly in each week and a few come in private planes.
I lived out of state 6 years and drove as far as 350 miles one way with that crappy 55 mph speed limit.

I dont think recruits care whether you have an 82,000 seat stadium or a 100,000 seat stadium. Sure they just want a filled, loud stadium but they are going to care more about the quality of training facilities, locker rooms, and living spaces. If this was the case then OSU wouldnt be able to recruit very well with only a 60,000 seat stadium, but that doesnt appear to be the case. Adding 15,000 seats or even upgrading the concourse levels really wont matter much to players...since they dont use those thngs.

The only thing that should matter in a stadium enlargement is whether it has a good ROI from new ticket sales or increased ticket prices. It appears many OU fans want a stadium expansion just because a handful of other schools have bigger ones. Its as if some think you arent a powerhouse without a 100k seat stadium, which isnt the case at all.

Onthestrip, The entire reason Mr. Pickens spent over a 100 Mil was to WOW the recruit. Bring them into the conversation w/ OU & level the playing field of recruiting. ...and it worked.

The bottom line to continuing our elite program (OU) is we have to maintain that edge in one way or the other. We have the history of Championships. That is why they even come here in the first place. The Heisman Park is to Wow them into seeing themselves w/ a statue some day. It is all done to "Wow" a recruit. But, we can't sit back and just "Hope" they decide to sign our LOI.

Let's make Bob's recruiting job a little easier, let's equal our history w/ a stadium that Wow's the recruit too. or, we can start missing out on a few to Tech / Baylor / TCU / Texas A&M / OSU each year. In todays 85 scholly's, it may be a stadium that helps keep the balance of power in Norman.

Yep, MSA population means absolutely nothing when it comes to football, pro or college. I know people who live in Omaha who go to every Husker game and they have some family members from western Nebraska who travel to every game. Just the people in the area of my father's season tickets were not from OKC, the row in front was from the Tulsa area, the one next to his lived in Springdale, Arkansas. There are people who travel from Little Rock or Memphis to Arkansas home games in Fayetteville. UT games are a prime example, the majority of people there are from DFW or Houston and a large number from San Antonio and rural areas. Probably the biggest draw for A&M games is from Houston or DFW. Even in the NFL there are a great many who travel to the games, as we were flying to Denver last night from OKC there were a good number of people on our flight with OU gear on and a bunch of them in Will Rogers. After landing here in Denver after the Broncos game the airport was crawling with people in Broncos gear (and a few in Redskins gear) heading to flights out of Denver. I remember an article a few years back (talking about the flex schedule Sunday night games) that stated something like 40% of Broncos season ticket holders are outside of the Denver metro area and a game getting flexed to Sunday night really screws up the plans they had in place with flights and hotels. The Broncos are definitely a regional team out here drawing people from all the neighboring states.

The last figures I recall (late 1960s) was that the NFL requires that a market has at least 1.5 million within a 150-mile radius. The 150 mile radius was the time it took the average worker in Los Angeles to get to work. I laughed too; just couldn't understand those requirements or the logic.

Getting back on topic:

My reasoning for using the MSA market was to state that there is a market here which OU could take full advantage; yet you have Tulsa where there is another MSA of 1 million. Austin is mostly UT territory; however I give credit that there are a ton of alums from A & M in the emerging Austin area as well as Houston.

OU has a large group of alums in Houston, Los Angeles & Fort Worth-Dallas.

If we don't keep up with the Joneses; we will become a tier II college football team. What 'merits' are there in having consecutive sellouts when your stadium could accommodate more and be in a position to groom younger professionals and fans for the future?

Alabama has around 4,822,023 with two power house competitive major universities:

Currently studying expansion: Is Auburn falling behind in the stadium arms race or managing its money wisely? (Scarbinsky) | al.com (http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/05/post_19.html)

"We won't pursue an expansion of the stadium until it makes sense for us financially over the long term. We think the wiser stewardship of our resources is to make what we already have better. That's my top priority for the stadium at this time."

Let's hope our feasibility of Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium will look at the financial aspects; because Alabama has knocked Auburn off the top of the Summit--where does that put the University of Oklahoma?

Auburn, Jordan Hare Stadium: Capacity 87,451 (2004-present):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Jordan-Hare_Stadium_west.jpg/250px-Jordan-Hare_Stadium_west.jpg

Alabama, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Capacity 101,821

http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/auto/BDS_10_ariel_thumb1.jpg

Comes on guys, I pasted some prints pro & conon the wall.

That cute 'kitten' #58 my good friend (venture79) posted gave his life. Put some skin in the game...

Oklahoma 2010 population: 3,814,820

No, this is not accurate. The reason the price drops is becuase the game has started, not the demand prior to kickoff. We need to keep up w/ the Big boys in this region. Tex A&M / UT / and us. We don't have all their money, but we can't get LEFT BEHIND either.

I have bought tickets between $0 and $40 to every game the last 2 years (except Notre Dame last year). I almost always get them for $20, but this week was given 2 free ones. I never have bought tickets any later than an hour before kickoff.

You're not going to get "LEFT BEHIND" by building more seating that's not needed. Florida State seems to be doing okay with their small stadium. A full, energetic stadium is more important than a bigger one.

Bob stoops said this to reporters and it was in the news papers.
Joe C indicated this on the radio and I have had personal conversations with people who are in the know about this.

I've never heard this and I can't find it anywhere online. Let me know if you are able to provide a link verifying this.

I've never heard this and I can't find it anywhere online. Let me know if you are able to provide a link verifying this.

I am not even going to try.... I remember it.;)

onthestrip, the entire reason mr. Pickens spent over a 100 mil was to wow the recruit. Bring them into the conversation w/ ou & level the playing field of recruiting. ...and it worked.

The bottom line to continuing our elite program (ou) is we have to maintain that edge in one way or the other. We have the history of championships. That is why they even come here in the first place. The heisman park is to wow them into seeing themselves w/ a statue some day. It is all done to "wow" a recruit. But, we can't sit back and just "hope" they decide to sign our loi.

Let's make bob's recruiting job a little easier, let's equal our history w/ a stadium that wow's the recruit too. Or, we can start missing out on a few to tech / baylor / tcu / texas a&m / osu each year. In todays 85 scholly's, it may be a stadium that helps keep the balance of power in norman.

Recruits are impressed with facilities; especially in a place like Oklahoma where they are probably not expecting that CATHEDRAL of a stadium. They want to get away from home and carve their own niche. Our practice facilities, dorms and other facilities are impressive. Let's keep our stadium among the 'monsters,' renew that old adage of Owen Field being a 'snake pit.'


Amem!

I have bought tickets between $0 and $40 to every game the last 2 years (except Notre Dame last year). I almost always get them for $20, but this week was given 2 free ones. I never have bought tickets any later than an hour before kickoff.

You're not going to get "LEFT BEHIND" by building more seating that's not needed. Florida State seems to be doing okay with their small stadium. A full, energetic stadium is more important than a bigger one.

We are not competing w/ Florida State. We will cherry pick Florida for a couple of recruits, but not an everyday situation of competition. Yes, we must have a full stadium w/ energy, but it can / must be more than the status quo of today.

For OU this is much more about increasing the quality of the experience for fans, players, recruits and the media, while doing it in a way that still preserves for future major expansions.

With upper decks in both end zones OU could probably top out somewhere near 110000 to 115000 people.... But that's not going to happen anytime in the foreseeable future.

Joe C and Stoops have indicated that when OU rebuilds its press box that it would include a small stadium expansion. Joe C said that this would add approximately 1,500 new seats with the current plans. Obviously these plans could change.

But at this time and until the demand warrants I'm not in favor of any expansion beyond the press box expansion... Without the parking and transportation issues being successfully addressed its unlikely that the demand would ever increases by enough to ever warrant a large expansion.

I believe the plan has always been to make the new press box the entire width of the west upper deck and add a bunch of suites in the process.

This would generate the most revenue but not all a lot of capacity.

I believe the plan has always been to make the new press box the entire width of the west upper deck and add a bunch of suites in the process.

This would generate the most revenue but not all a lot of capacity.

... I like suites. A new press box will be great. We should have that, but not just that.

... I like suites. A new press box will be great. We should have that, but not just that.

You should take the CASH you are going to build that condo-tower and put it toward the stadium. That may prompt OU to do exactly what you want, when you want it.

Just because you (and a couple of other posters) think the time is NOW does not make it so. I have no connection to OU (went to OSU for grad work) but, from where I'm sitting, the OU leadership has done a damn fine job of making their school prosper. I'm going to trust their judgment over an anonymous poster.

I believe the plan has always been to make the new press box the entire width of the west upper deck and add a bunch of suites in the process.

This would generate the most revenue but not all a lot of capacity.

That is the way I have understood it too.
However I wounder how much some of the previous plans might get tweaked with this new review?
1500 is the amount of the expansion that Joe C said

Take a look at this Michigan half time video....
It would nice to have the lights like they have and a laser show too. If we could point enough lights skyward during a night game with a red coloring it would create a red sky that would look cool and it might be even be intimidating to opponents.

"Beyonce" - September 7, 2013 - The Michigan Marching Band - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSGzeDUL0ic)

Austin is mostly UT territory; however I give credit that there are a ton of alums from A & M in the emerging Austin area as well as Houston.
Austin is definitely changing much to the chagrin of the UT alumni. They still make up the majority of representation but it isn't what it once was there 20 years ago. There are a bunch of people from all over there, I knew more people with no UT connection than with. Seems to be a lot of SEC and Big 10 people there as well.

You should take the CASH you are going to build that condo-tower and put it toward the stadium. That may prompt OU to do exactly what you want, when you want it.

Just because you (and a couple of other posters) think the time is NOW does not make it so. I have no connection to OU (went to OSU for grad work) but, from where I'm sitting, the OU leadership has done a damn fine job of making their school prosper. I'm going to trust their judgment over an anonymous poster.

....No, I'm still gonna build that tower.

Since you went to OSU, you may be a little out of the loop in Norman. Boren does listen to the "people" w/ a voice and take it into consideration, that's what he has done historically. I have no idea of the details he is looking for, but they are looking for input at this time.

If the South Endzone could be a very impressive FANZONE w/ restaurant & game experiences would be cool too.

....No, I'm still gonna build that tower.

Since you went to OSU, you may be a little out of the loop in Norman. Boren does listen to the "people" w/ a voice and take it into consideration, that's what he has done historically. I have no idea of the details he is looking for, but they are looking for input at this time.

If the South Endzone could be a very impressive FANZONE w/ restaurant & game experiences would be cool too.

Not if they don't generate revenue. You can't just build statues. You've got to build something that makes money. You gain not one single seat of additional demand merely for the fact you "have cool video games in the S. Endzone." If your a lousy NFL franchise begging for seats, okay, maybe I'll go along with the idea that a video game spot might draw in a few dozen more folks, but surely for an entity with the insatiable demand that OU has doesn't need to resort to those kinds of gimmicks, does it?

Doesn't anyone just go to ballgames anymore?

Not if they don't generate revenue. You can't just build statues. You've got to build something that makes money. You gain not one single seat of additional demand merely for the fact you "have cool video games in the S. Endzone." If your a lousy NFL franchise begging for seats, okay, maybe I'll go along with the idea that a video game spot might draw in a few dozen more folks, but surely for an entity with the insatiable demand that OU has doesn't need to resort to those kinds of gimmicks, does it?

Doesn't anyone just go to ballgames anymore?

I do just that. I watch every single play. But, that just me. I enjoy the entertainment value that the Gameday experience brings w/ it.

Others have said that we can't have 100K capacity for 100 different reasons that I may / or may not agree with, I'm for 100K. But, if we are not going to increase capacity , but the overall experience, then lets make this place a is a Beast to Play in / The Coolest on TV / & Incredibly Fan friendly. Hense, Fanzone on the South end w/ all the WOW for recruits. Give them an exclusive lounge for the gameday experience. I want the Best Steak in Oklahoma there to order & make that place smell like a Ruth Chris.

If we don't add too many new seats, then lets have the entire South Endzone a FanZone w/ different levels of additional suites for (less expensive renting for parties , etc ) and fill it w/ Last Minute Ticket Options, so if you find that you can't make on gameday, place your seats in this system to get used by others that may want to take their sons / daughters to a game for less money and still feeding that heart for OU. ...so new fans can enjoy watching the ponies pull that schooner as hard as they can. ( NOT cheesy, just the Best ).



Let's make it the loudest in college football.

I do just that. I watch every single play. But, that just me. I enjoy the entertainment value that the Gameday experience brings w/ it.

Others have said that we can't have 100K capacity for 100 different reasons that I may / or may not agree with, I'm for 100K.

I'm all for supporting whatever capacity the demographics and market will allow. If that's 100K, great, but not 100K merely for the sake of saying we have 100K. When you don't get 100K there, the empty seats stick out like a sore thumb and make that gameday experience just a little...strange. And those recruits are saying, "man, this is a cool place, but look at those empty seats way up there..."

Point is you can't just throw money and chairs at the place. Every penny spent has to be spent intelligently, not merely because Texas or OSU or (whomever) is doing it. LIke I said before, I can't think of anyone better suited than Joe C. to oversee it.

Heck, I'd just like to see 'em make the big video board in the south endzone taller and go full HD :)

I'm all for supporting whatever capacity the demographics and market will allow. If that's 100K, great, but not 100K merely for the sake of saying we have 100K. When you don't get 100K there, the empty seats stick out like a sore thumb and make that gameday experience just a little...strange. And those recruits are saying, "man, this is a cool place, but look at those empty seats way up there..."

Point is you can't just throw money and chairs at the place. Every penny spent has to be spent intelligently, not merely because Texas or OSU or (whomever) is doing it. LIke I said before, I can't think of anyone better suited than Joe C. to oversee it.

Heck, I'd just like to see 'em make the big video board in the south endzone taller and go full HD :)

a couple of losses early in the season has a greater impact on the ( butts in seats factor ) than market demographics. Winning has always been a cure-all for attendance.

I'm all for supporting whatever capacity the demographics and market will allow. If that's 100K, great, but not 100K merely for the sake of saying we have 100K. When you don't get 100K there, the empty seats stick out like a sore thumb and make that gameday experience just a little...strange. And those recruits are saying, "man, this is a cool place, but look at those empty seats way up there..."

Point is you can't just throw money and chairs at the place. Every penny spent has to be spent intelligently, not merely because Texas or OSU or (whomever) is doing it. LIke I said before, I can't think of anyone better suited than Joe C. to oversee it.

Heck, I'd just like to see 'em make the big video board in the south endzone taller and go full HD :)

This has been a college football elite Facilities Arms race for 30 years. Do you think Texas / Texas A&M / OSU / Baylor / Tech are going to "slow down" on their recruiting effort? They are increasing their effort & it is having an affect on the 3/4 star athletes here in the Big 12 region. It's not a question of Do we want to spend it on Stadium Upgrades? ...it is required to spend that money, if you want to stay in the front of the Big 12 championship race and not the back of the pack.

This has been a college football elite Facilities Arms race for 30 years. Do you think Texas / Texas A&M / OSU / Baylor / Tech are going to "slow down" on their recruiting effort? They are increasing their effort & it is having an affect on the 3/4 star athletes here in the Big 12 region. It's not a question of Do we want to spend it on Stadium Upgrades? ...it is required to spend that money, if you want to stay in the front of the Big 12 championship race and not the back of the pack.

Sure, but upgrades does not mean recklessly building beyond demand. I agree that OU needs to continue making improvements, but those improvements have to be wise investments. I'm glad you mentioned Baylor... they're building a great, new stadium that will definitely attract recruits. What's the capacity going to be? 45,000. They're building in line with the market demand, which is what every school should do.

We don't have to upgrade at all. We could just freeze all spending on the stadium and hope we continue to win. Hope, Hope, Hope. ...Hope that Baylor doesn't get another RG3. Hope that Texas finally figures out their coaching issues by spending millions and getting another Nick Saban. We could hope that Texas A&M doesn't continue to pull away all the interest w/ their new stadium in 2015. ...we could hope to continue our winning tradition while Mike Gundy gets his next stadium upgrade from Mr. Pickens. ...hope to win in 5 years if don't do anything....

Why does it have to be either/or? A massive stadium capacity increase is not needed. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise. If the goal is to get recruits I can think of several others things that could be added.

And I like enthusiastic go-getters, but you could stand to tone it down about 5 notches.

We don't have to upgrade at all. We could just freeze all spending on the stadium and hope we continue to win. Hope, Hope, Hope. ...Hope that Baylor doesn't get another RG3. Hope that Texas finally figures out their coaching issues by spending millions and getting another Nick Saban. We could hope that Texas A&M doesn't continue to pull away all the interest w/ their new stadium in 2015. ...we could hope to continue our winning tradition while Mike Gundy gets his next stadium upgrade from Mr. Pickens. ...hope to win in 5 years if don't do anything....

Huh?? The only options are to expand to 100K+ now or OU still stop winning football games because the exclusive, implicit alternative is to do nothing? That doesn't even make sense. I really don't think you mean that.

No one here is suggesting we do nothing. We are suggesting that we can't just build up to 100K+ just because someone else does. That's all. And given the fact that tickets are readily available on virtually every game day for typically well below face value, that waiting lists for tickets could be overcome with relatively modest donations to the Sooner Club work together to suggest that demand isn't as strong as some would like to believe, and if there's any question about the strength of demand for seating, it necessarily implies the need for proper due diligence on how much expansion, if any, is appropriate.

If Joe C comes out tomorrow and says "We're expanding OMS to 100K in two years," great. I will have to believe he's done that due diligence to make the expansion work. But I'm not at all as confident we can support expansion-by-endzones the way some other folks have. We know we need to generate revenue, and that surely means suites, and a 40-year-old press facility is begging replacement. I have a hard time seeing any major upgrade path that doesn't include both of these as a top priority. Bowling in the south corners is intriguing, perhaps technically impractical if not impossible and logistically too expensive, but provides better seats IMHO than just stacking up folks in an endzone. I just don't want to see a plan that entails tearing up the current west deck and rebuilding it just to match the east side, which (again IMHO) spends way too much money for very little benefit.

We'll see how it goes.

We don't have to upgrade at all. We could just freeze all spending on the stadium and hope we continue to win. Hope, Hope, Hope. ...Hope that Baylor doesn't get another RG3. Hope that Texas finally figures out their coaching issues by spending millions and getting another Nick Saban. We could hope that Texas A&M doesn't continue to pull away all the interest w/ their new stadium in 2015. ...we could hope to continue our winning tradition while Mike Gundy gets his next stadium upgrade from Mr. Pickens. ...hope to win in 5 years if don't do anything....

Did you read anyone else's comments? It doesn't seem like it.

And, why do you keep implying OU's doing nothing? OU just finished new athletic/student dorms that are among the best in the nation and definitely a recruiting tool. Anyway, moving on...

Why does it have to be either/or? A massive stadium capacity increase is not needed. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise. If the goal is to get recruits I can think of several others things that could be added.

And I like enthusiastic go-getters, but you could stand to tone it down about 5 notches.

...I didn't say Either / OR. daniel, "no evidence to suggest otherwise" ? Have you been following ANY college football? ....Texas A&M / OSU / Baylor / Texas / Tech have all made MAJOR re-investments to their stadium. And aDaniel, the goal my friend is Always to get recruits. ( quote Barry S..." it's the Jimmy's & the Joe's, not the X's and O's" ). The press-box should changed out and brought into the 21st century.

Our stadium was voted 33 out of 50 for places to see in college football. The primary reason so "low", was the stadium did not match the history of OU and small in capacity. Yes, I would like to have 100K, but that may not be the most critical point.

I'm all for supporting whatever capacity the demographics and market will allow. If that's 100K, great, but not 100K merely for the sake of saying we have 100K. When you don't get 100K there, the empty seats stick out like a sore thumb and make that gameday experience just a little...strange. And those recruits are saying, "man, this is a cool place, but look at those empty seats way up there..."

Point is you can't just throw money and chairs at the place. Every penny spent has to be spent intelligently, not merely because Texas or OSU or (whomever) is doing it. LIke I said before, I can't think of anyone better suited than Joe C. to oversee it.

Heck, I'd just like to see 'em make the big video board in the south endzone taller and go full HD :)

Dave, there may be something you are over / under looking, is that OU is NOT the typical university. If you are going to say that "demograhics / market size comps" should be the only criteria for stadium capacity, then you would be correct. IF you are New Mexico State. IF, you are the Northern Idaho Bulldogs.

OU is an Elite program and has been since 1949 1/2. This is not by accident. We have had to "keep up w/ the jones" for almost a century now. This is not just recruits either, the program funds ALL programs at this fine university. So, we cant afford to be "just another" program out there. This Monster has to be fed. So, YES, we have to build / expand just because the others do. ( that is the game we are in ).

...I didn't say Either / OR.

It sure sounded like you did to me. You repeatedly beat the hammer for the arms-race-based expansion, then when folks offered suggestions that an arbitrary expansion may not be a good idea, you then replied with "We don't have to upgrade at all."

I interpreted your comments precisely the same way adaniel and dankrutka did, as either we expand and join the arms race and blindly build just to hit a number, or OU is doomed to football obscurity and irrelevance.

If you review your earlier comments honestly, I think you'll understand what we're talking about. Did you literally say "either/or"? No. But that implication was clear in the other comments.

It sure sounded like you did to me. You repeatedly beat the hammer for the arms-race-based expansion, then when folks offered suggestions that an arbitrary expansion may not be a good idea, you then replied with "We don't have to upgrade at all."

I interpreted your comments precisely the same way adaniel and dankrutka did, as either we expand and join the arms race and blindly build just to hit a number, or OU is doomed to football obscurity and irrelevance.

If you review your earlier comments honestly, I think you'll understand what we're talking about. Did you literally say "either/or"? No. But that implication was clear in the other comments.

Dave, some were saying "that the dollar should be spent wisely... code for le'ts not do too much right now". I'm not calling it "OU is doomed to failure" if we don't expand. But I will promise this, if we don't continue to keep our edge, then we will find ourselves in a very comfortable 8-4 / 9-3 regular season each year. This slippery slope is when we "loose out" on a few keys recruits in each class. Just a couple of difference makers. This is the (average) that happens more quickly than you think. Kids are more trendy, and they want to go to the "HOT" spot for football.