New Student Basketball Ticket Policy
Looks like they VASTLY oversold basketball season tickets, and thus they need a new policy since they sold 4500 student tickets and only have seats for 3000. Information found in http://michigandaily.com/sports/athletic-department-announces-new-baske…
"Students will have a 72-hour period to select individual tickets to an upcoming group of games. If a student fails to use claimed tickets to two or more games, he or she will not be eligible to claim tickets for upcoming games."
"Though he does not anticipate that students who purchased season tickets will miss out on games they want to attend, they will review an individual’s attendance to determine who will receive entry to the Wolverines’ marquee fixture against Michigan State."
I thought someone had mentioned a policy like this for football tickets that they wanted to see in the sad picture thread.
I imagine ticket holders are pretty upset by this. The ticket office is essentially selling 4500 tickets, and taking the money, but only providing 3000 tickets. One question that is unanswered is what happens if more tickets are claimed than there are seats? Is it first come first serve? Also, it's real risky to sell your unused tickets because if the buyer ends up not using it, you get punished, severely.
Seems like the ticket office didn't plan ahead well, they should've just cut off sales when they hit 3000 and moved everyone else to a wait list. But in the email they sent on April 23, they said "The deadline is May 3 at 5:00pm. Student basketball ticket policies are available at www.mgoblue.com/ticketoffice under Students. To be guaranteed a seat you should order now." Guess they couldn't do that after saying that.
Take your anger to them at @DaveBrandonAD and @HunterLochmann, or more conventional email methods.
September 18th, 2013 at 10:39 AM ^
What the president of CSG (Central Student Government) wrote about the policy: basically, he's in favor, as he sees it as a reasonable option given the issues and alternatives I happen to agree with him completely.
To everyone who is complaining, what is your solution to 4500 tickets being sold for only 3000 spots?
The only thing that really sucks about the whole thing is the way they sprung it on everyone, in the middle of September, only about a month before the season starts. It should have been communicated ahead of time, and it probably will be going forward. Then, they didn't know there was going to be any issue in April (five years ago they were selling 450 student season tickets, not 4500).
September 18th, 2013 at 10:45 AM ^
My solution - don't sell tickets that you don't have.
In addition - give all of the student's 1/3 of their money back. On average - it would be fair. Sitting on the money while saying "oops" is saying "sorry we screwed up but take it".
Don't misconstrue that by being fair it doesn't still suck.
September 18th, 2013 at 12:07 PM ^
September 18th, 2013 at 12:36 PM ^
I think that collecting money for things that can't happen is wrong. I would be arrested for the same thing.
If the point is try to encourage student attendance and enthusiasm, listen to the students the next time Dave Brandon is introduced.
September 18th, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^
September 18th, 2013 at 2:07 PM ^
"So you think that turning away 1500 potential customers (now and in the future) from all games is better than turning away a far smaller number from a selected few games? Let's be real, I bet there will only be over 3,000 tickets claimed and used for a handful of the total number on the schedule. I'm honestly curious if you think that's better."
I will try to answer.
If only 3000 students had tickets and their was a demand for 4800 tickets, these tickets would be used if they could be easily transfered. Student tickets are not easily transferred.
There are no restrictions for non-student ticket transfers so they are easy to get rid of.
The solution should be to allow free flow of the tickets. The answer that was chosen maximizes revenue.
September 18th, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
September 18th, 2013 at 7:34 PM ^
September 18th, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
September 18th, 2013 at 1:51 PM ^
So - you hate students - I got it.
Down in Front!!!!
Become a Piston's fan if you don't want student interference!
September 18th, 2013 at 10:58 AM ^
I can understand people being upset about the timing; they probably should have made this clear last spring. However, they are offering refunds to students who are unhappy.
Let's give this a shot before we condemn it. Basketball honestly had even worse problems with student attendance than football did last year.
September 18th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^
Offering refunds to unhappy students does not help the student who is unhappy but wants to go to all the games that he bought tickets for.
The policy should be condemned because the Athletic Department is sitting on money selling things that they have no intention of providing.
September 18th, 2013 at 12:45 PM ^
"but the Athletic Department’s policy assures that every student will be able to attend the games they want, as long as they purchased the season ticket package."
September 18th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
I'm torn. On the one hand student attendance was awful for basketball and keeping fans who want the tickets out. Not just awful games, but good games like Arkansas on a Saturday afternoon that had the whole student upper deck sections empty. Then the ticket office has to say they can't sell more seats for the games because they're claimed.
But I don't know if this is the right way to go about it. At the very least I'd flip flop it around that if you show up for those December baby seal games you get first priority for the MSU's of the world, and not keeping you from getting a ticket if you don't attend. Make sure the student who goes to every game gets in the good games first and for sure. And frankly in the age of computers it shouldn't be that hard to track and issue those people better seats You show up for East Hampton's School for the Blind (and the rest)? You're in the front row against Indiana.(And if you haven't shown up for a game before the Big Ten season? Good luck getting to see OSU this year; you'll need it.)
September 18th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
This should maybe be in a different place so it gets noticed...
Students (well, some, maybe) kinda knew something like this was coming. 4ish years ago I was in a meeting with various exec-types and Brian Townsend. Beilein stopped by to say thanks to us for our attendance and hard work in creating a great atmosphere. I was invited not just because I was a part of the Maize Rage but also because I attended many other non-profit sports. Many of the bigger Maize Rage people at the time were also invited.
They were talking about a claim system then. They knew this was giong to come up at some point and were studying how many other schools handled it. They've done their research. They were very specific in that they did not want any kind of tent-city Beilein-ville.
Now, I don't know how much I like this. I know it wouldn't have affected me since I was at every game. However, it should have been rolled out better. A slight change in tone changes everything
When you buy season tickets, you're buying for everything except MSU, IU. Then, 3000 tickets to those games will be distributed to the students who had the best attendance. If there are more than 3000 students that attend every game (ha), then single-game tickets are not sold and the students get them. Single game tickets can be hold and sold the first few days before anyway.
Bam, same policy, basically, just worded differently and given to the students with fair warning. That's the real problem here; the lack of transparency, not the policy itself.
September 18th, 2013 at 10:09 PM ^
I've waded through all of these posts and this is the most sensible, fair thing I have read so far. Too bad the actual policy is not this clear.
September 18th, 2013 at 12:51 PM ^
The subjective value of each ticket is not equal. Getting boxed out of the MSU game and getting a 1/17th refund is not an equal transaction to being unable to attend a non-con game because the value of that MSU ticket is much greater.
I'm an alum, but if I were a current student and I only got an equal fraction of the money I paid for my ticket package back for the game that makes up 1/4 of the reason I bought the package, I'm would not be happy.
Am I missing something that makes this argument fall apart? If so I'm interested in hearing it. But I think this is a major problem with the new policy.
September 18th, 2013 at 1:29 PM ^
This practice has been used by SEC schools for football for a long time. You only get marquee games if you've gotten tickets previous years and been to the games. I think it is a great way to make sure the students are there for more of the games. However, I think they should also give them the ability to get tickets in an upper bowl section if they end up with too many by the time the big games come around.
September 18th, 2013 at 7:56 PM ^
I just don't get why we need to find more and more ways to take student athletics away from the students while simultaniously insulting them for being lazy, or selfish, or whatever. College athletics should not be about treating the actual college people like garbage. Other schools that treat their students poorly in no way justifies treating our students poorly.
This is a University that claims to hold itself to a higher standard claiming to be "the leaders and best." Well, leaders and best don't race to the bottom just because others put together a couple nickels by setting up shop there.
This expediency for currency isn't just an attack on the students, it's an assault on all of us as alumni, because it tarnishes what the University is supposed to stand for. Our athletic department may not be hiding the type of bodies you'd expect to dig up in the SEC, but more and more they're dirtying their hands. We can't high five this behaviou and expect to keep clean ourselves.
September 18th, 2013 at 3:19 PM ^
Someone should develop an app that logs you in as soon as the 72 hour window opens and makes your selections. I could see my forgetful ass failing to log in quickly and be number 3,001.