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Good morning, San Diego ☀️
Here’s what we have for you today:
- SDSU football plays its first game of the season against Portland State at Snapdragon Stadium.
Andrew Keatts
General manager and editor
Top story
Prices are rising, but not for Aztec football. San Diego State lowers ticket prices in fight to fill Snapdragon
Not everything has gone the Aztecs way since they opened Snapdragon Stadium four years ago.
The team won fewer games than the season before each of their first three years in the new, 35,000 seat stadium built specifically for a program of their stature. In their first year under head coach Sean Lewis in 2024, they won fewer games than any year since 2008. EMS treated nearly 200 attendees for heat-related issues in the first game at the stadium. Field conditions became a major source of controversy in 2024 for SDFC and The Wave, who often feel like the building’s most high-profile tenants.
But things could be looking up.
SDSU returned to a bowl game after winning nine games last season. And as the team opens its inaugural season in the reconstituted PAC-12 tonight, it’ll do so with new, lower ticket prices aimed at finally filling the state-of-the-art stadium built just for them.
Seats are as much as 35% cheaper this year, with the cheapest seats for single games landing between $23 and $30. They’ve rolled out a “family four pack” for $76, including parking.
Those lower prices appear to acknowledge a clear problem: the Aztecs’ new stadium didn’t do much to make the Aztecs a bigger draw in the region. Last year, the team’s reported average attendance crossed 26,000 per game, about 82nd in Division 1. But the team’s “turnstile attendance — the number of recorded people who pass through the entrance — has hovered around 17,000 in the last three years, less than half of Snapdragons’ capacity.
Mark Nero lays it out in a new story on the Aztecs bid to pack Snapdragon now that they’re part of the PAC-12.
But as you gear up for the team’s first game of the season, also check out our on-the-field preview. As Nero writes, the Aztecs and Lewis are hoping to win their new conference in year one, with the help of returning stars at quarterback, running back and receiver.
Times of San Diego thanks our corporate sponsors. Find out more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities here.
Stories you should know about
📜 State Bar has begun mandatory review of select law firms’ handling of clients’ money: The initial reviews showed that attorneys at firms of all sizes are generally not complying with record-keeping requirements that would prevent negligent errors.
🛸 Did you know San Diego County had a flying saucer repair shop?: Coyote’s Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repairs was a staple roadside attraction near Jacumba. Now it’s largely abandoned with only remnants remaining.
🌇 Opinion – San Diego must reject the demonization of Jews in politics: Describing Jewish political participation as foreign, corrupt, or subversive is a clear attempt to normalize prejudice and hatred.
What else we’re reading
✋ San Diego County is facing another lawsuit regarding the health of inmates in jails overseen by the county sheriff’s office. This time a former inmate blames deputies for his thumb being severed. (Courthouse News Service)
📝 Catch up with the doings in Sacramento, where the legislative session has wrapped (bills that passed are awaiting Gov. Newsom’s signature). Here’s what local lawmakers accomplished in the last session. (Voice of San Diego)
Times of San Diego thanks our corporate sponsors. Find out more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities here.
What to do this weekend
Need weekend plans? We’ve got you. ⭐ = free
🎨 Verbatim Books presents Crafted by Hand (Today, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.) ⭐️
🚒 San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb (Today, 7 a.m.–2 p.m.)
✈️ Passport to Diplomacy, International Cottages (Sunday, 1 p.m.–5 p.m.) ⭐️