I don’t want to tell people how to spend their money, but $21,000 toward an NIL package for a four-star offensive lineman seems like a better use of funds than being able to say you singlehandedly secured sellout number 387.
***
Here’s the sadly ironic part: Nebraska is really close to going on a run of legitimate sellouts. Let’s look ahead:
Last three home games of 2022: Maybe I’m underestimating the number of tickets left to be sold, but I can’t help but think Mickey Joseph’s turnaround could inspire sellouts without resorting to deep discounts. As I type this, there’s a chance that Illinois could come to Lincoln ranked, with control of the West Division race on the line. The prospect of potentially beating Minnesota and Wisconsin should be enough get the streak to 389.
2023: The two home nonconference games (Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech) are tough draws, but the current Big Ten home schedule (Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland and Iowa) is excellent. Plus, excitement for the new full-time head coach should help demand. Selling out the 2023 season will be a challenge, but it’s doable. If so, the Streak would reach 396 games.
2024 & 2025: Schedules are likely to change, but as of now the 400th consecutive sellout would be against Ohio State on October 12, 2024. Expect Memorial Stadium renovations to be in full swing by that point. Details have not been announced, but NU president Ted Carter said the project will be like “repairing and rebuilding an airplane while we are flying it.”
In the short term, that means tens of thousands of seats likely will be unavailable as construction occurs during the 2024-25 seasons. When the project is done, Memorial Stadium will have a smaller capacity, possibly under 75,000. I suspect most (if not all) of the plank bleachers will be replaced with chairback seats. I have some other ideas on how NU can make Memorial Stadium a more desirable destination than your couch, but we’ll get to those in the future.
By 2026, Memorial Stadium should be a more comfortable and enjoyable place to watch a game. Assuming the new coach has the program moving in the right direction, ticket demand could once again be greater than supply. The Streak could conceivably get to 425 or even 450 games.
And they shouldn’t need fire sales to make it happen.
***
I would hope this is obvious, but I feel I should say it anyway: Nobody is going to catch Nebraska’s sellout streak. Forbes magazine called it back in 2019
Notre Dame was in second place (273, over 100 behind NU), but they allowed their streak to end in 2019. Guess what? They still have passionate fans, get great recruits and win football games. Among active streaks, Oklahoma is currently in second place at 144 games. If Nebraska allowed the streak to die at the end of the 2022 season, Oklahoma would need to sell out seven home games per year for the next 35 years to catch NU. Our legacy as the most loyal, passionate, and greatest fans in college football is secure.
There’s no shame in letting go of the Streak. It doesn’t mean Nebraska fans failed. It doesn’t mean we no longer care.
The passion of this fan base has endured for over 60 years. It has survived good times and bad. We have witnessed some of the greatest coaches the game has ever known … and some other guys that fell short. We’ve watched exciting wins, painful losses, and everything in between. Throughout it all, we showed up every dadgum week.
And guess what …
We’ll continue to show up even if the ticket office has a thousand tickets they couldn’t sell. Because that’s what we do better than any other fan base in the country. We. Show. Up.
Your age is a number, it does not define who you are or what you are capable of.
The same holds true for Nebraska’s sellout streak. It’s a number, but it does not need to define this fan base.
The same passion exists if the Streak is at 388, or if it is at 2. I’d rather that passion be authentic, instead of purchased in bulk at an 85% discount.
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