The Big Ten is in its third year sponsoring ice hockey, but Univ. of Minnesota officials are still "working to win over people who believe the new league offers inferior competition and who miss being a part of an elite, history-laden conference that included the state's four other Division 1 programs," according to Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Big Ten Deputy Commissioner & CFO Brad Traviolia said that the league is "committed to hockey for the long term." Blount noted season-ticket sales "rose slightly in the first year of Big Ten play but have fallen in each of the past two years," from 7,394 in '13-14 to 6,732 this season. Announced average attendance this season is 9,788 -- 98% of capacity -- but has "dropped to its lowest level" since '11-12. Traviolia called the conference's first three hockey seasons "a learning experience." Traviolia "expects Big Ten hockey to evolve, with potential expansion and cooperative ventures with other leagues among the options being discussed." Traviolia also said that competitive struggles have had "a major effect" on the Big Ten tournament. In '14, the five-game event at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul "drew a total announced crowd of 42,610." Last year the tournament was moved to Joe Louis Arena, where announced attendance "was a dismal 16,144." The tournament returns to Xcel this season, with "little apparent buzz." Many fans "assume Big Ten hockey was a money grab" for UM, though that "hasn't happened." The program's "total revenue" was $5.73M last season, compared with $5.98M in '12-13. UM Senior Associate AD & CFO Tom McGinnis said that the move "caused the Gophers' travel expenses to rise by about $380,000 per season, because they are flying more often" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/27).
ONLINE PRESENCE: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL'S Michael Smith reports Michigan State's athletic department recently "turned to Google to help push tickets" for the school's hockey team. Through Google's search-engine marketing, MSU "saw a 14-1 return," meaning every dollar the school spent with Google "resulted in $14 worth of new ticket sales." Michigan State Assistant Dir of Sales & Marketing Jim Donatelli: "What it did was really intensify our presence on Google. Instead of fans going to the secondary ticket market for tickets, they were coming to us" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/29 issue).
