Unpopular Opinion: Attending Ohio State soccer video games is harder to justify now

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I keep in mind how excited I used to be to attend my first Ohio State soccer recreation in 2005 after I moved to Columbus from New York. It was the season opener towards Miami (OH), which was a layup win for the Buckeyes. Essentially the sport towards the RedHawks was a coaching run for me, as the subsequent Saturday I’d be again on the iconic stadium for the showdown with Texas below the lights.

At the time the tickets had been comparatively low cost for me since they had been scholar tickets. I’d benefit from the discounted tickets for a couple of seasons earlier than my time at Ohio State was over.

Since then I’d attend video games right here and there. 2010 towards the Miami Hurricanes, 2011 towards Wisconsin, then in 2021 I used to be in a position to take my mother and stepdad to the Tulsa recreation after they got here right down to Columbus. I even have a good friend who has season tickets and he has handled me to a few video games over the previous few years.

Over the years it has develop into harder and harder to seek out the motivation to attend Ohio State soccer video games.

Prices for tickets are getting uncontrolled, watching at dwelling and even out at a bar appear to be extra satisfying then really going to the stadium, and it appears like athletic director Ross Bjork doesn’t care concerning the coronary heart of Buckeye Nation, that are the followers within the center class.

Before scripting this I went on to StubHub to see how a lot the most cost effective ticket for the season opener towards Ball State, in addition to the sport towards Kent State two weeks later can be. To get within the door and sit up close to the highest of C Deck you’re looking at about $100 per ticket.

Nothing like dropping a c-note simply to get a seat within the nosebleeds towards groups the Buckeyes are going to be favored by half 100 factors. I can perceive that value for the Ball State recreation because it’s the season opener, however for Kent State that’s ridiculous.

The $100 you’ll spend to get by means of the gates doesn’t embrace parking, meals, drinks, and any souvenirs or attire bought throughout the day. Just think about what a household of 4 must drop in the event that they needed to go to the sport and root for the boys within the scarlet and grey.

With the costs of fuel, groceries, and every thing else going up on what appears like a every day foundation, it’s turning into tougher and tougher to justify spending a lot to attend an Ohio State soccer recreation towards a non-conference cupcake or Big Ten backside dweller.

Don’t get me unsuitable, I’d nonetheless spend some cash to attend the Michigan recreation, or one other high-profile recreation, like when Texas got here to Columbus for the season opener final season. When it appears like one thing is definitely on the road, then I wouldn’t assume twice about spending a couple of hundred {dollars} to look at a recreation at Ohio Stadium.

Unfortunately with the state of school soccer lately, there isn’t fairly as a lot of these video games since now if the Buckeyes lose two or three video games in a season they’ll in all probability nonetheless be within the playoff.

When I attended the sport towards Texas in 2005, it felt Ohio State’s nationwide title hopes had been erased when the Longhorns gained. Even in 2014, many wrote the Buckeyes off after the loss to Virginia Tech.

For video games at Ohio Stadium not towards Michigan, or some extremely ranked opponent, I simply don’t really feel like I get sufficient bang for my buck. Since 2019 I’ve been a quarter-season ticket holder for 10 Columbus Blue Jackets video games, which for 2 tickets within the 200 stage run slightly greater than $40 per recreation.

I do know the Blue Jackets not often make the playoffs however the leisure issue makes the tickets appear low cost. I rotate buddies who I take with and so they at all times have a good time regardless of the consequence.

Along with tickets for Ohio State soccer video games getting increasingly costly yearly, the expertise at Ohio Stadium by no means appears to enhance. I perceive it’s exhausting to do a lot in terms of altering a constructing that’s over 100 years outdated, however typically you must assume outdoors the field.

Last yr I went to the out of doors NHL recreation on the stadium and the strains for toilet and drinks in C Deck had been ridiculous. While it’s been some time since I’ve sat in C Deck for an Ohio State soccer recreation, I can’t think about the expertise is a lot better within the fall.

At least the college lately introduced the wi-fi can be higher within the fall! I’m positive that’ll change every thing.

So what does Ross Bjork keep in mind to try to make the expertise at Ohio Stadium extra satisfying? A members-only restaurant and extra suites! Exactly what the vast majority of Buckeye followers had been clamoring for! People like Bjork operating issues within the athletic division make the choice to remain dwelling on Saturdays straightforward, since I don’t need to allow his endless greed.

The wi-fi at my home works nice, the drinks are chilly and low cost, and there are not any prolonged strains for the toilet. Plus I don’t must get up practically as early to get right down to campus space for one of many many midday video games.

I do know I’m not the target market in terms of attending Ohio State video games. I’m only a common man and never some mega donor who’s going to splash the money to assist Bjork fund his initiatives to assist the elite watch Buckeye video games extra comfortably.

Families are getting priced out of attending Ohio State video games and whereas Buckeye Nation is very large it doesn’t have fairly the identical really feel prefer it used to.