Michigan basketball student tickets questions

Submitted by bluebots on

I got student tickets for the first time this year. Does anyone know when we're supposed to get them?

Additionally, can we validate basketball student tickets for non-students to use? I can't find anything about validating basketball tickets on mgoblue.com

jcgold

October 21st, 2009 at 12:22 AM ^

I also got student tickets. I called the box office a few weeks ago and was told pickup starts next week at the ticket office.

Before this year, student basketball tickets were the same as any other ticket, and did not require validation. This year, however, an active mcard is required, so no validation is allowed. You could try passing off an Mcard, but I'm unsure how swiping will work. We'll have to wait and see.

Stewart52

October 21st, 2009 at 12:55 AM ^

You didn't hear this from me, but last year I had student section tickets and my friends would get in for free (with the whole free tickets if you sit in the shitty sections thing they did last year to promote attendance) and I would literally just go into the middle of one of the sections and ask ppl if I could borrow their ticket to get my friends into the student section and no one has ever refused to give it to me if I promised to give it back. If you can get him into the game you can get him into the student section pretty easy.

TomW09

October 21st, 2009 at 1:10 AM ^

Please don't do this.

With the season tickets being completely sold, it is very annoying for those who actually, you know, bought the tickets and arrived early to have to squeeze in or stand between people because others have snuck in.

I personally will refuse to share my ticket and I will also alert the ushers to anyone I see doing it.

Not trying to be an ass, but last year at the Duke game maybe 10% of people around me actually had a ticket and it resulted in people literally standing on the seat in front of me while I was standing behind it, like normal.

The athletic department is well aware of this as well and has told student ticket holders, myself included, that ushers will be much more stricter this year, especially since there are so many student ticket holders.

TomW09

October 21st, 2009 at 12:38 AM ^

jcgold, where did you hear that an MCard will be required? This has never been so in years past. This year the new student ticket priority will be based on attendance. Last year, attendance was tracked (for the purpose of issuing prizes to those who attended X games) simply by scanning the ticket.

I've talked with people in the AD about bball season tickets a few times and there's never been any mention of MCard scanning for this upcoming year.

bluebots

October 21st, 2009 at 12:52 AM ^

GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING: Except for Conneticut and Michigan State, you will be issued a ticket voucher for general admission seating for those games in the season ticket package. You must present this voucher and your Mcard on game day at Crisler Arena Gate E to receive a reserved seat on a first-come, first served basis in the following seating priority 1) bleachers, 2) section 16 adjacent to the pep band, 3) section 19 behind the pep band and 4) upper level gold in sections 8, 11, 12, 15, 14, 17 or 18. You must enter Crisler Arena after receiving your ticket. Therefore, those students who arrive the earliest (doors open 60 minutes prior to tip-off) for each game will earn the right to sit in the bleachers.

TomW09

October 21st, 2009 at 12:55 AM ^

Hmmm.....

Thought I had read that differently before.

So, how are they tracking tickets usage for the UConn and MSU games?

Is it by scanning the ticket or is it by scanning the MCard?

If it is the former, then any MCard will do, just as a football game.

PurpleStuff

October 21st, 2009 at 12:23 AM ^

I don't have any helpful advice, but the fact that somebody else might want to use your ticket and that there might be a limited supply of student seats at UM basketball games thrills me to no end. I remember having student tickets my junior year (2002-03) and just being recognized and waived in by the ushers after the first few games (right about the time Chris Kaman repeatedly pulled down the rim while the lone CMU fan in attendance screamed "Fire Up Chips" in my ear about 7,000 times). Coming from where we've been the last decade or so, I don't think any Michigan sports moment has been more personally satisfying than last year's tourney appearance and mini-run.

Here's to a very bright b-ball future with Beilein at the helm.

Good luck with your tickets and Go Blue!

genericmichiganfan

October 21st, 2009 at 12:49 AM ^

We won't actually get tickets, but a voucher for when we go to Crisler. Then I'm guessing we get a ticket for where to sit (bleachers, behind the band, section next to band, or upper deck) when we go to the game. I'm pretty sure an M-Card will be required, but my understanding is that your ticket use (for tracking priority) is based on the voucher and not necessarily the M-Card. I"m not positive, but I would like this to be cleared up because I'm not going to be able to go to the first real game of the season on November 14. I want to maintain my priority, so someone else will have to use my ticket, and I don't know if they will have to be a student or not.

Bando Calrissian

October 21st, 2009 at 2:10 AM ^

I'm totally and completely confused about how this is going to work. If they're swiping MCards, this is really going to be an unmitigated disaster. Based on problems they've had with similar things over the last couple years, and how many people had issues last year with getting the free stuff they promised ticketholders for going to X amount of games, I don't know how they could possibly police tickets only being used by people with valid MCards. And you know there are going to be more than a few games where scanners will stop working, not to mention the insane lines that will pool as they try to work this whole voucher thing.

They really should have done this like they have in the past: Reward repeat ticket holders with bleacher seats, after all we're the ones who have stuck with the program through some really, really awful basketball (I was in the top of the upper bowl during the worst of Amaker). Put newer ticketholders in the less desirable seats. Only this time, put wristbands on kids with bleacher seats when they enter the arena, and actually police who goes in and out. The ushers NEVER policed who was going in and out, and for the bigger games it was an utter disaster.

I've read these new rules and regulations a million times, and I just don't get a lot of it, and see where the rest of it will create a lot of problems based on what I've seen at Crisler over the years.

VictorsValiant09

October 21st, 2009 at 5:16 AM ^

I was actually involved with Marketing last year, and really tried to tease all of this out with the higher-ups.

Basically, they said they were "still toying with some ideas," but this is last year, so I'd hope it's figured out by now. I'm still admittedly confused as well, but I was extremely vocal in my opposition to the idea of general admission seating.

As was noted by you guys above, it doesn't give priority to the students who have been witness to some god-awful basketball, and they should be rewarded for their suffering.

I don't know how it will turn out, but none of this hardly seems fair. As much as I've praised the AD for trying to create dialogue with students, this doesn't seem to be the case here. If I was still a student who had held basketball tickets in the past, I would be pissed.

TomW09

October 21st, 2009 at 10:34 AM ^

I also was able to talk to marketing about this.

I remember we threw around several ideas - one of which was tickets on a game-by-game basis.

My big suggestion was wristbands for students who get bleacher seats, which would immediately stop overcrowding. They didn't do it.

Another idea could have been to allow the season ticket holders from last year (451) to automatically get bleacher seats. Assuming some don't buy tickets again, you'd have 400ish of 600 bleacher seats full. Then you allow the rest of the students who are just now jumping on board to fill the remaining 200 seats on a first come first serve basis.

But, completely unsurprisingly, they went with the most economic decision: don't make any drastic changes that would delay the decision, allowing them to get basketball tickets on the application together with your football tickets. BOOM 2500 season tickets sold, and no one the wiser.

genericmichiganfan

October 21st, 2009 at 2:46 PM ^

I think we were in the same focus group, or whatever you want to call it. I wanted the idea of using a system like this but giving priority to previous season-ticket holders. I think the new one is modeled after Pitt or something. I'm still holding out hope that when you turn in your voucher you do get a wristband or something to show that you are in the right section. I can see people without priority for the big games or ones that just show up late trying to sneak down to the bleachers.

TomW09

October 21st, 2009 at 4:58 PM ^

Yeah, sounds like we were in the same group. It's definitely unfortunate that previous season ticket holders won't get any priority. I remember that being my (and most's) biggest concern with this.

In fact I think I even remember, when discussing a point system to determine priority for big games, that previous season ticket holders would get a head start on the priority.

In this system it would be like allowing the previous ticket holders to miss a game, possibly two, without penalty. But, looks like they balked on that. Disappointing.

Ellerbe is Yoda

October 21st, 2009 at 8:20 AM ^

I am a recent grad who has an M Card that "expires" in 2011. I had a friend who is still a student get me student tickets, does this mean I am going to be screwed? If they scan my M Card I assume it will show that I'm not a student anymore. However, I remember in the past those scanners used to show "inactive students" like that even when it wasn't true. Does anyone know how accurate those scanners are? Also, once fall semester ends, couldn't I just say that I graduated in the fall and that's why my M Card is inactive? Does anyone know the details of this?

TomW09

October 21st, 2009 at 10:38 AM ^

Nobody knows the details. I'm assuming they'll track by scanning tickets, which is what they did last year. I'm hoping that's the case because I'm out of town two weekends early this season and will unfortunately miss the exhibition game against Wayne State and the game against Houston. Last year they said you just needed to get anyone to use your ticket to get credit for it; hoping that's the same.

I would go with your idea of saying you just graduated in fall and that's why your card doesn't work.

genericmichiganfan

October 21st, 2009 at 2:48 PM ^

I talked to Marty Bodnar because I will be out of town for the Northern Michigan game (actual season-opener), and based on what he said, I think it's all tracked through your ticket. I asked because I wanted to make sure whoever gets my ticket will be able to keep my priority, and I think that's how it will work. Now I just have to find someone that I know will for sure use the ticket. Lol

OMG Shirtless

October 21st, 2009 at 2:08 PM ^

I'm sure this could have its own thread, but I'll let someone else do that if they want to. This topic is close enough anyways. And hell it could have already been mentioned, I haven't read all the basketball threads.

The Michigan men’s basketball team will open its practice to the public from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, prior to the football team’s game against Penn State at 3:30 p.m. at Michigan Stadium.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091021/SPORTS06/91021…

(Link is Freep Printer Page link for the boycotters)

Bando Calrissian

October 21st, 2009 at 5:03 PM ^

Here's the problem I've had with the Ticket Office and student tickets for basketball. I've held student tickets for 5 seasons, this season will be my 6th (though we'll see what they do with swiping MCards--I may be sore out of luck).

They simply don't get it.

The Athletic Department shows ZERO loyalty to repeat ticket holders. It was like that last year when they all of the sudden decided to make tickets to most games free AFTER they sold tickets to those of us poor saps who decided we wanted in for another year, and duly paid (too much) for it. If you happened to be unable to make a game, and wanted to at least get -something- for your ticket instead of having to eat the cost, you couldn't do it. Why would anybody pay for your ticket when they could just go for free and waltz right into the bleachers without the ushers saying a word about it? Yes, they threw us some free MDen gift cards and a sweatshirt that was not nearly as nice as they promised it would be, but that doesn't make up for the Rick Leach-esque "big middle finger" they threw our way.

And now they decide to make everything general seating, with a confusing and meticulous policy to scan MCards and determine seating priority based on attendance. I guess that attendance only matters for games AFTER the team makes the Tournament and they decide for once to make tickets affordable and desirable, not for those of us who suffered through some, frankly, atrocious basketball.

I mean, I've been going to games at Crisler since the late 1980's. My family had season tickets. I was there for the Fab Five, and I was there for the Ellerbe/Amaker disaster, too. I went to Michigan Basketball Camp for two years and got to listen to Brian Ellerbe wax poetic about winning the right way and doing well in school and all of that, while at the same time his thug players were taking money and getting kicked out of school. I stuck with this program for the worst of the worst, and continued on as a student ticket holder. And put in for this year, too. The Athletic Department seems to not give a crap about that.

Pardon my bitterness, but this whole process makes me pretty mad.

bluebots

October 30th, 2009 at 4:41 PM ^

" * NON-STUDENT USE: A student voucher may be used by a non-student if it is validated. Once validated, anyone may use the ticket for admission. The price of a validation sticker is $10 per game, except $20 for Connecticut. THERE WILL BE NO VALIDATIONS ALLOWED FOR THE MICHIGAN STATE GAME. Any student may validate by presenting their student ID, paying the validation price and having an “unrestricted use” sticker(s) affixed to the ticket(s). This must be accomplished at the Athletic Ticket Office during normal business hours. No validations will occur at Crisler Arena."