As the Badger football program faces a difficult path forward to regain the fans' confidence, Wisconsin basketball is already feeling the love a month ahead of the season. One program is losing fans, and the other is gaining them in droves.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, student season tickets sold out in less than ten minutes despite a small price increase. Along with student ticket success, season tickets as a whole are up, including having 93% of them already renewed for the 2025-26 season.
After finishing fourth in the Big Ten and earning a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, Badger basketball is in a great spot to achieve similar, if not better, results in 2025. The fan base is obviously invested, and it's a far cry from the current state of the football program.
Do Wisconsin football ticket sales indicate a troubling trend?
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As cries for head coach Luke Fickell to be fired continue to pour in, the fanbase may soon turn their anger into apathy. Attendance for home games this season have been the lowest in 30 years, and another poor season won't do much to help reverse course. Despite the support of Wisconsin leadership, fans have continued to lament the poor product that this team has put out on the field the last two years.
While basketball, and even Badger volleyball, which enjoyed a 12,000 fan sellout against Florida, look healthier than ever, football is in dire straits. Without more success on the field, it's hard to see how the program can continue in this direction without some significant changes. Basketball, hockey, volleyball, and other programs that are winning are showing that if you want to have fan support, the most important thing you can do is win.