Citing "Saftey Concerns," (boy, I can smell that BS from here) LSU is going to replace the lower level seating in the PMAC and will be using the opportunity to restructure the ticket system for the entire building. How convenient for them.
First off, the long hinted at decision to move students behind the east goal (like it is at Women's games) is now all but done. Student attendance has been down for a while and was very down this year so it's not like they'll have much to complain about, but it hasn't been the same since they shrunk the area a few seasons ago anyway. However, I doubt the folks sitting in the new seats will be anywhere near as enthusiastic or numerous. I'm gonna call it right now, this WILL look worse on TV.
Give them credit for burying the lead, as the announcement first details that season tickets themselves will now be at a flat rate price, giving a significant discount from the cost of buying all the tickets for face value individually. Based on last season's prices. the lower level seats will drop from $332 to $250.
Here comes the gut check. Tradition Fund requirements will be added to all non-nosebleed section seats, ranging from $50 for the high upper level seats to a staggering $750 for lower level mid-court seats (not courtside, the regular chairbacks). So seats that last year cost $332 and were often empty now cost $1000. Add to this the recent change of Tradition Fund "donations" no longer counting in the Priority Point system, and suddenly basketball tickets are a much harder sell.
For a program that is clearing over $1 Million in profit (by their own accounting, which admittedly may be sketchy) and is trying to recover from the flagging attendance that comes with a bad season, I'm not sure raising prices this drastically is the right course of action. It's a ballsy move, to be sure, and it shows a high level of confidence by Alleva that CTJ can do what it takes to justify the higher price. But that's a big jump, especially for the good seats.
The plan would still have to be approved by the Board of Sups, but you can basically consider it done.