Penn State Football: AD Joyner May Tweak STEP Program for 2013

CHICAGO — Penn State’s tiered ticket pricing system could be getting a makeover in 2013 and beyond.

Acting Athletic Director Dave Joyner said Friday here that the current financial state of the athletic department in the wake of heavy NCAA sanctions has led to more serious consideration about tweaking the STEP program.

“I don’t know what we’ll do, if anything, but we’re gonna re-look at it,” Joyner said.

Almost anything is on the table, including the possibility of suspending the program, which requires Penn State season ticket holders to give a certain donation level based on seat location — on top of the price of tickets.

One solution may be offering more pricing zones in Beaver Stadium. Another may be reducing the required donation based on seat location; for instance, lowering the price if you have a higher seat on the 50-yard line versus someone whose seat is on the 50 at field level.

Included in Penn State coach Bill O’Brien’s pitch to players and prospective recruits is the opportunity to play in front of 108,000 fans seven times a year. But attendance has dipped in recent years, with the STEP program playing a decisive role in many ticket holders’ choosing to renew their seats.

Joyner did not seem worried the weight of the NCAA sanctions would immediately impact attendance.

“I’m getting a lot of emails from people saying we’re gonna really stimulate, we’re gonna buy a lot of tickets to come to these games,” Joyner said. “It’s like we’re waking up a sleeping fan base.”