My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed attending the 2023 women’s basketball tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis. Great basketball, knowledgeable fans, and a smackdown victory by Iowa over Ohio State in the finals at Carver North. With sky-high expectations for the 2024 tournament, especially with Iowa’s and Caitlin Clark’s season, we purchased all-session tickets.
[It’ll be very obvious that I’m an Iowa supporter, which was difficult this season as season tickets sold out all home games before the season started. Single-game home tickets were only available on secondary markets, with absurd markups, so instead we watched Iowa play away at Wisconsin and Minnesota.]
Ticketing Changes
All tickets were general admission in 2023; in 2024 tickets were both reserved and general admission: the 1xx sections (lower level) were primarily reserved – excluding some higher rows in sections on either end of the court – and the 2xx sections (upper level) were general admission. The tournament sold out two weeks before the event, a first in its 30th edition.
Expecting increased attendance based on 2023, The ticketing changes were seen as the Big Ten being greedy: our now-reserved seats were 60% more expensive. Nevertheless, the all-session remain affordable for most most (13 games in 7 sessions over 5 days).
Chaos Ensues
The bigger issue was the Big Ten’s decision to sell general admission tickets at all, which created confusion and frustration for all.
Target Center staff were often uninformed about which sections were reserved. During Session 1 some rows were marked Reserved, but additional rows were added during both Session 2 and 3 (truthfully, during game play). Ushers explained to ticket holders which sections were general admission from hand-written notes, but their info was not completely correct. Reserved ticket holders were told that any seats within their section was fine; later, they were forced to move back to their assigned seats. Everyone shared their story about trying to figure it out.
Now let’s talk about the lines: people with general admission tickets lined up hours in advance of doors opening, lines snaking throughout the downtown Minneapolis skyways. The dedicated arrived at 5am to wait for 9am door-opening for Sunday’s championship game, likely feeling like 4am as Daylight Savings Time started Saturday overnight. Once inside, people sprinted to find their seats for friends and family.
Players’ parents were not immune: parents had problems getting their tickets before the first Iowa game and then jumped the line to get seated before tip-off, though some apparently missed the first quarter. Iowa officials called the Big Ten Commissioner, Tony Petitti, directly help sort things out. Saturday, I learned of one gate specifically for reserved ticket holders, but it was not widely known or communicated: Guest Center staff inside Target Center did not know about it.
[Before Saturday’s semi-final game, parents were led en masse to their seats, likely as a result to Friday’s frustrations.]
Inexcusable
Data-driven organizations use quantifiable data points to make decisions, but unfortunately that is not the Big Ten’s modus operandi. So let’s identify what the Big Ten should have considered.
2023 Tournament Attendance
I heard that more all-session tickets were sold prior to the tournament than years past, and attendance grew session-over-session, especially as Iowa advanced. Indiana and Ohio State were both well-represented, and locally many Minnesota fans attended even after the Gophers lost in the first round. The championship game set an attendance record of 9500.
Iowa’s Run to the NCAA Final
Caitlin Clark’s record-setting performances during the NCAA tournament raised her play to must-see TV. Iowa win over South Carolina was unexpected and delightful.
Season Tickets Sold Out
If four previous decades of women’s basketball, Iowa had only sold out three regular season games; in 2023-24 that total was quintupled.
Crossover At Kinnick
Over 55K fans for an exhibition game? In October? Couldn’t match outdoor Nebraska volleyball in August – Kinnick Stadium doesn’t hold 90K – but wow!
Away Attendance
Record sell-outs at Ohio State, Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota. The neutral-site game against Virginia Tech is largest-ever women’s basketball game in North Carolina.
Iowa Travels Well
Perhaps less quantifiable, but Iowa is known for their loyal fans. Bowl games favor Iowa when selecting their Big Ten team. I constantly run into Iowa fans in my national and international travels. I truly believe I can yell Go Hawks almost anywhere and get a reply. My wife is convinced that everyone escapes Iowa but never truly leaves (and she’s right).
Conclusion
The Big Ten turned their seminal event into a shit-show for fans.
Facts bely the conference’s decision to sell both reserved and general admission tickets. Attempts to justify/explain otherwise lacks credibility and only emphasizes their lack of foresight and planning. Many schools only offer reserved seating even though – other than Iowa this year – there’s absolutely no likelihood of a sellout. The optics for the Big Ten are not good.
Damage control started before the tournament’s conclusion, as both Target Center and the Big Ten pointed at each other, hoping to be deflect blame. In my eyes, it’s the Big Ten’s responsibility: they control the event, define all aspects from beginning to end, and are responsible for its execution. Target Center holds over one hundred ticketed events annually, so it’s beyond belief to say on this one occasion they screwed up. A Target Center official I spoke with indicated that Target Center strongly recommended reserved seating only and Big Ten said no. So I blame the Big Ten.
Target Center is also hosting the 2024 Big Ten Men’s Basketball tournament. It’s all-reserved seating, ironically not sold out at the time of this writing.
