The Badger hoops doubleheader in Milwaukee got more affordable

Five months ago, the University of Wisconsin and Milwaukee Brewers announced that the Badgers’ basketball teams — men’s and women’s — would play a doubleheader at American Family Field. 

In November. On a Friday. In a baseball stadium capable of warming things up 30 degrees above the outdoor temperature.

It appears ticket sales weren’t quite as robust as everyone hoped because the lowest-priced seats offered through official channels have dropped to $19. Initially, the best you could do was $29.

As a UW grad and fan of all teams Badger, I checked things out when tickets went on sale and recall those cost-effective seats being less than optimal, view-wise. Now, sitting in the upper reaches of AmFam Field isn’t even an option. In fact, your 19 bucks (plus fees) will land you in the 200 level behind one of the baskets.

The weather just might cooperate as well. We’re looking at temperatures of 37 degrees when the women’s game against Kansas State tips off at 3:30 p.m. and 33 degrees three hours later for the men’s game vs. Stanford. So you’ll probably be able to ditch that warm coat as you enjoy the luxurious mid-60s that await you inside the stadium.

Not being privy to the negotiations and logistics of this event, I’m sure the people involved did their level best to make this fun for all concerned. But if I can offer a few humble suggestions for next time:

Play on a Saturday. Starting things at 3:30 p.m. on a Friday is asking a lot of your average fan who would likely need to take off work and pull the kids from school early. You’re also squashing the tailgating atmosphere that makes things like this feel like a big event.

Price things sensibly. Tickets at the Kohl Center are $26-34 for most nonconference games and $33-41 for Big Ten games. As of today, tickets for the AmFam event that don’t include complimentary food and drink range from $19 to $99. And I’m fairly certain they were higher when they first went on sale. Just because we don’t live in Madison or can’t get season tickets doesn’t mean we’re desperate.

Move the whole thing to Fiserv Forum. Yes, there’s a novelty to playing in a baseball stadium. As a fan, novelty wears off pretty fast if you can’t see the game. Or it’s cold. Or you want a convenient place to grab a bite before or after. There’s a whole district that solves every one of those problems and adds a bunch of benefits. You could have a pretty great fan event outside the arena. Hold a watch party for people who couldn’t get tickets. Invite the UW Marching Band, famous alumni, etc. Maybe there’s some weird contractual thing between Marquette and Fiserv that prevents this from happening. But maybe ask nicely?

Anyway, for now, we can layer up and head to AmFam Field for the doubleheader going down tomorrow, Nov. 11. You can get information on tickets and everything else right here. Go Badgers.