OPINION: Why The San Jose Sharks Should Embrace College Rush Program
How the Discount Ticket Program Could Usher In A New Generation of Fans
The San Jose Sharks rebuild rolls on in 2023-2024. At the time of this article they currently sit at 9-19-3, which is second-to-last in the Western Conference. According to HockeyDB.com, the Sharks are also in the bottom five in attendance in the NHL, averaging 13,220 fans per game.
The days of the Tank being at capacity seem like a distant memory, but the team does offer a program that could incentivize a newer, younger audience to attend games. The College Rush program is offered to only college students, allowing them access to tickets in the upper and lower bowl, at a discounted price with their .edu email address. With several colleges in the vicinity of SAP Center, such as: San Jose State, San Jose City College and Santa Clara University, among others, this could be a viable way to increase interest and bring in bigger crowds for games. SAP Center opened in 1993, making it the fifth-oldest building in the league, behind only the arenas of the Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks.Â
You might ask, why are you writing about a College Rush Program when you are not a student. The simple answer to that question is I have seen the power of this program firsthand from my days as a high school and college student in Western Pennsylvania. The Penguins’ Student Rush program was introduced in the mid-1990s, when the team was still competing for a playoff each season. I started to notice the program more once the team was in a full rebuild, starting in 2001-2002, when I was getting closer to high school. For the next four seasons, the Penguins were among the worst teams in the NHL. Once the team drafted players like Marc-André Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, there was a renewed interest in the team as well as Mario Lemieux saving the team from a move to Kansas City.Â
During the rebuild and leading back into their days in contention, Mellon Arena would be filled with students from local high schools and colleges as you could go to the arena on game day and buy tickets for $20 dollars with your student ID. The best part about the process, is the seats were random, meaning you could sit anywhere in the arena that was available. There were days when we would sit behind a pillar or a few rows behind the glass. Now, tickets go on-sale in the morning and you can purchase them online.
The Sharks don’t need to follow this model completely, but launching a full marketing campaign on social media towards college students could help bring in younger fans to watch this young Sharks team build toward the future as the prospects continue to grow each game. The game of hockey, like other sports, needs to capitalize on the younger demographic to help the game grow alongside the young talent in the league. Ramping up the College Rush Program won’t save the Sharks season, but it could give them a little extra bite — and maybe a few more fans.