Like everyone here knows, the UFL has a major attendance problem. The entire league is down this year despite the play and storylines being as good if not better than they ever have been. Why is that? Well, I think a big part of it comes down to ticket pricing.

I spent a considerable part of of the last several hours evaluating ticket pricing across all 8 teams' home stadiums. Right now many teams are charging insane prices for tickets. In almost every stadium, midfield seats were listed at $100 or more. You could usually find seats from the corner to the 35 yard line for $20 to $50, and end zone seats were generally $10 to $30. That is incredibly too high for good seats for what is essentially a spring developmental league trying to create and maintain a fanbase.

The problem is that demand simply is not there yet. Outside of St. Louis or DC, most markets do not have a large enough fan base to support premium pricing. Even St Louis and DC seem to be tiring of this lately though.

I'm not one to point out a problem without also bringing a solution. So here is my list of solutions:

1. Fans-First Everything

The league should focus on one goal above all else: making it easy and affordable for fans and families to attend games and have a great time.

At this stage, filling seats and building a loyal fan base is more important than maximizing revenue per ticket. Filling seats has value in many different ways. From potential merchandise and concessions sales to looking good on TV and creating a new fan. Its more important for there to be a butt in the seat having a good time while taking a lesser loss than there is to take a total loss on the seat. So focusing on that is most important.

2. Flat-Rate Ticket Pricing

Scrap dynamic ticket pricing completely in every stadium. Scrap high cost pricing outside of the suites.
Make every seat in the lower bowl $15 or $25.
It does not matter if you want to sit on the 50-yard line or in the end zone. All seats cost the same, and seat selection is first come, first served.
The earlier you buy, the better your seat.

3. Reward Season Ticket Holders

Season ticket holders still pay $15 or $25 per game, but they receive:

• Priority seat selection
• Guaranteed first access to playoff tickets
• Other standard season ticket perks like meet and greets, special signings, etc

More fans will become season ticket holders and come to games under this model.

4. Open More Sections Only as Demand Increases

Start by selling a smaller portion of the lower bowl. As those seats fill, open additional sections. If demand eventually becomes strong enough, prices can rise gradually in a way that keeps games affordable while maximizing revenue. Dynamic pricing should only be reintroduced when the entire stadium lower bowl is in demand and tickets are incredibly hard to come by.

5. Offer a Family Gameday Package

Every team should have a family-friendly deal like this:

• 4 tickets
• 1 parking pass
• 4 hot dogs
• 4 bags of chips
• 4 sodas

All for $99.

That makes attending a game an easy decision for families that takes care of all basic needs at the game for less than $100.

6. Make the Gameday Experience Unforgettable

Affordable tickets get people in the building. The atmosphere gets them to come back.
Teams should focus on creating fun, city-specific traditions that increase the experience, such as:

• Drumlines before and during the game
• Unique team entrances
• Team celebrations

Halftime shows and experiences like:

• Youth football scrimmages
• Mascot races
• Local performances

After the game:

• Players sign autographs
• Kids can run on the field
• Fans can toss a football around

These experiences create memories, especially for kids.

That is how you build lifelong fans.

The UFL cannot rely on television alone. It needs packed stadiums, energetic crowds, and families who feel like attending a game is both affordable and worth their time.

Lower the prices. Fill the stadiums. Make the games fun.
Everything else gets easier from there.

Friendly reminder for anyone putting out political or business signs:

Signs placed in the public right-of-way (ROW) are prohibited by city code and may be removed by the city. Violations can also carry fines of up to $1,000.

The ROW includes the area up to 3 feet from the road even if it appears to be part of the yard in front of your home. And yes, despite you owning and having to take care of the 3 feet of grass leading up to the road, that is ROW where utility lines have access and the city can do as they please.

To avoid having your signs taken down or facing a fine, make sure all signs are placed fully on private property and outside the ROW.

I’ve noticed a lot of political signs popping up in these areas recently and I wanted to share this so people are aware of the ordinance before they unintentionally run into problems. The city does have a paid team of code enforcers that respond to and drive around the main roads daily to remove these signs. I've never heard of someone or a campaign getting fined (outside of profanity being used on a sign) but they will junk the sign which is a waste of $1-$4 for the campaign.

Just be mindful of where you place your signs when campaigning for your candidates/causes.

Following the strong turnout on our previous community poll about issues and leadership priorities, this next poll is focused on where voters currently stand in the upcoming city elections on exactly who they plan or have voted for.

The goal is not to endorse any campaign or candidate. We just felt it was important to get a clearer snapshot of where the community is at right now with who they plan to vote for.

The poll is set up by district, so you’ll only see the races that apply to where you live, along with the citywide elections.

Not sure what district you are in?
You can get a quick snapshot by going to the Columbus Government's Interactive Map page or you can go to the GA Secretary of State MyVoterPage and enter in the requested info (First Initial, Last Name, County of Residence, and DOB). On MyVoterPage, you can view everything like your active voter status, polling location, your districts and elected officials, as well as take a look at the sample ballot for reference.
Not sure where the candidates stand or what the ballot questions mean? You can head to branch.vote, create an account, and see that information for yourself.

A few notes about the poll:

• Responses are limited to 1 per email address to reduce duplicate submissions
• Google sign-in is required for that reason only
• Email addresses are not collected or saved
• Undecided options are included for every race
• Results will be shared publicly after the poll closes

Poll Link: https://forms.gle/rqN6Hsn4WhxVQBD17

Note: We have turned on response editing for this poll in case you change your mind closer to election day.

First off, thanks again to everyone who participated in the community poll. The goal was to get a gauge of what matters to our community and we had quite a few responses to help. We were really trying to find out 3 things:

1. What issues are driving votes
2. How people feel about the direction of Columbus
3. What qualities residents want in city leadership

Here’s what the responses showed:

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#Top Issues Influencing Votes

(Weighted from respondents’ top 3 answers)

• Jobs & Economic Development — 23%
• Government Transparency & Accountability — 13%
• Public Safety / Crime — 13%
• Affordable Housing & Rent Costs — 10%
• Property Taxes & Cost of Living — 10%
• Growth & Development Planning — 10%
• Roads, Traffic & Infrastructure — 8%
• Parks, Recreation & Quality of Life — 6%
• Education & Youth Opportunities — 2%
• Public Transportation — 2%
• Blight, Code Enforcement & Cleanliness — 2%
• Water, Sewer & Utilities — 0%
• Support for Veterans & Military Families — 0%

###Takeaway:

Economic concerns clearly dominate the conversation right now. Jobs, affordability, taxes, and development collectively make up the majority of voter concerns. Transparency/accountability and crime also remain major issues.

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#Is Columbus Moving in the Right Direction?

• Strongly Wrong — 19%
• Somewhat Wrong — 19%
• Neutral / Unsure — 25%
• Somewhat Right — 31%
• Strongly Right — 6%

###Takeaway:

The results suggest Columbus is in a somewhat divided but slightly positive position overall.

• 37% believe the city is moving in the right direction
• 38% believe it is moving in the wrong direction
• 25% remain undecided or unsure

What stands out most is that very few respondents feel strongly positive about the city’s direction. Most responses landed in the middle, suggesting many residents may feel cautiously optimistic at best.

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#What Quality Matters Most in a City Leader?

• Community-focused — 25%
• Action-oriented — 19%
• Business-minded — 13%
• Problem Solver — 13%
• Unifier — 13%
• Strong leadership — 6%
• Tough on Crime — 6%
• Honest/Transparent — 6%
• Shares my Identity — 0%

###Takeaway:

Residents appear to prioritize practical and collaborative leadership over ideology or identity politics.

The strongest preference was for leaders who are:

• Focused on the community
• Able to take action
• Capable of solving problems
• Able to bring people together

Interestingly, “shares my identity” received no support at all in this poll, while business-minded leadership and problem solving scored much higher.

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Overall Themes Emerging

Across the poll, a few broad trends stand out:

###Economic anxiety is the dominant issue

People appear highly focused on jobs, affordability, taxes, and long-term economic growth. This aligns with some of the economic moves of the last decade where locally headquartered businesses like TSYS and Synovus have been bought out/merged resulting in layoffs or large industries have continued to shutter business. Meanwhile, growth has been seemingly non-existent until recently.

###Trust and accountability matter

Transparency and accountability continue to rank near the top of voter concerns. This seems to stem from recent controversy regarding the city manager's office and city council affairs.

###Residents want functional leadership

While not totally surprising, it still feel rare as the poll suggests many voters are less interested in political branding and more interested in leaders who can effectively manage growth, solve problems, and improve day-to-day life in Columbus.

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Thanks again to everyone who participated. These polls aren’t scientific, but they do provide an interesting snapshot of where at least part of the community currently stands heading into election season. We will be following this up with a more specific "exit poll" style vote in the coming days so be on the lookout.