Unpopular Opinion: Attending Ohio State football games is tougher to justify now

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From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about unpopular opinions. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Unpopular Opinion” articles here.

I remember how excited I was to attend my first Ohio State football game in 2005 when I moved to Columbus from New York. It was the season opener against Miami (OH), which was a layup win for the Buckeyes. Essentially the game against the RedHawks was a training run for me, as the next Saturday I would be back at the iconic stadium for the showdown with Texas under the lights.

At the time the tickets were relatively cheap for me since they were student tickets. I would enjoy the discounted tickets for a few seasons before my time at Ohio State was over.

Since then I would attend games here and there. 2010 against the Miami Hurricanes, 2011 against Wisconsin, then in 2021 I was able to take my mom and stepdad to the Tulsa game when they came down to Columbus. I also have a friend who has season tickets and he has treated me to a couple games over the last few years.

Over the years it has become tougher and tougher to find the motivation to attend Ohio State football games.

Prices for tickets are getting out of control, watching at home or even out at a bar seem to be more enjoyable then actually going to the stadium, and it feels like athletic director Ross Bjork doesn’t care about the heart of Buckeye Nation, which are the fans in the middle class.

Before writing this I went on to StubHub to see how much the cheapest ticket for the season opener against Ball State, as well as the game against Kent State two weeks later would be. To get in the door and sit up near the top of C Deck you are looking at about $100 per ticket.

Nothing like dropping a c-note just to get a seat in the nosebleeds against teams the Buckeyes are going to be favored by half a hundred points. I can understand that price for the Ball State game since it’s the season opener, but for Kent State that’s ridiculous.

The $100 you are going to spend to get through the gates doesn’t include parking, food, drinks, and any souvenirs or apparel purchased during the day. Just imagine what a family of four would have to drop if they wanted to go to the game and root for the men in the scarlet and gray.

With the prices of gas, groceries, and everything else going up on what feels like a daily basis, it is becoming harder and harder to justify spending so much to attend an Ohio State football game against a non-conference cupcake or Big Ten bottom dweller.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d still spend some money to attend the Michigan game, or another high-profile game, like when Texas came to Columbus for the season opener last season. When it feels like something is actually on the line, then I wouldn’t think twice about spending a few hundred dollars to watch a game at Ohio Stadium.

Unfortunately with the state of college football these days, there isn’t quite as many of those games since now if the Buckeyes lose two or three games in a season they’ll probably still be in the playoff.

When I attended the game against Texas in 2005, it felt Ohio State’s national title hopes were erased when the Longhorns won. Even in 2014, many wrote the Buckeyes off after the loss to Virginia Tech.

For games at Ohio Stadium not against Michigan, or some highly ranked opponent, I just don’t feel like I get enough bang for my buck. Since 2019 I have been a quarter-season ticket holder for 10 Columbus Blue Jackets games, which for two tickets in the 200 level run a little more than $40 per game.

I know the Blue Jackets rarely make the playoffs but the entertainment factor makes the tickets seem cheap. I rotate friends who I take with and they always have a great time no matter the result.

Along with tickets for Ohio State football games getting more and more expensive every year, the experience at Ohio Stadium never seems to improve. I understand it’s hard to do much when it comes to changing a building that is over 100 years old, but sometimes you have to think outside the box.

Last year I went to the outdoor NHL game at the stadium and the lines for bathroom and beverages in C Deck were ridiculous. While it’s been a while since I’ve sat in C Deck for an Ohio State football game, I can’t imagine the experience is much better in the fall.

At least the university recently announced the wi-fi would be better in the fall! I’m sure that’ll change everything.

So what does Ross Bjork have in mind to try and make the experience at Ohio Stadium more enjoyable? A members-only restaurant and more suites! Exactly what the majority of Buckeye fans were clamoring for! People like Bjork running things in the athletic department make the decision to stay home on Saturdays easy, since I don’t want to enable his never-ending greed.

The wi-fi at my house works great, the drinks are cold and cheap, and there are no lengthy lines for the bathroom. Plus I don’t have to wake up nearly as early to get down to campus area for one of the many noon games.

I know I’m not the target audience when it comes to attending Ohio State games. I’m just a regular guy and not some mega donor who is going to splash the cash to help Bjork fund his projects to help the elite watch Buckeye games more comfortably.

Families are getting priced out of attending Ohio State games and while Buckeye Nation is massive it doesn’t have quite the same feel like it used to.

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