We Out: A student view of the new ticket policies
I know that the new tickets policies for football and basketball have been discussed at length here, but this article has been getting a lot publicity today by many Michigan students, especially among basketball season ticket holders. It more eloquently gives the argument as to why the author and many other students (including myself) have sold back our student basketball tickets and how this athletic department continues to erode their image in the eyes of students and future alumni. It's decently long, but worth the read, especially by some of the fan base that are easy to dismiss the students as apathetic.
September 24th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
Are you serious? Crisler has been empty since the fab five and was empty before that too. The alumni spent a decade and a half not showing up and the AD never set up a policy that did not gaurantee them the tickets they pay for. Why didn't the AD institute general admission for those seats that are always empty at tip across the court from the student section, because that was at least half the basketball games last year.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:04 PM ^
I haven't forgotten at all what it was like to be a student. I had season tickets to both football and basketball all four years, and never missed a game. And we had fucking Brian Ellerbe as our coach during most of my time. If I could make it to see us get killed in half our games, you can find a way to see John Beilein's top 10 team in action. And yes, you can do that and still have fun, and still graduate.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:00 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:01 PM ^
Both sides have serious work to do.
Stop playing this moronic blame game, get movers and shakers from both parties together, and figure this shit out, instead of embarrassing the rest of us.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:03 PM ^
drive from all over the state of Michigan and further to attend games, and yet students who live on campus can't get their ass out there for a game. Think about that for a minute.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:12 PM ^
Ah yes the "there are starving kids overseas so eat the rest of your leftovers" argument.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:37 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:14 PM ^
All you adults did a great job of driving across the state of MI to attend bball games before we were a top ten team. All like, 100 of you that ever cared to come.
This post will anger you because of the tone. Thus now you know why much of what is posted here angers students -- simply tone. Though many have been frustrated by attendance figures for awhile, so I understand THEIR exasperation.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:04 PM ^
"I am being provided with an inferior product half the season. Now due to television, money and other factors, the scheduling in college football has gone to crap. In the Bo Schembechler days, Michigan played titans of college football like UCLA, Washington, Miami and Notre Dame in non-conference games. "
Maybe this changes some with the expansion to a nine-game conference shedule, and by that, I mean that perhaps they get more selective about who the OOC opponents will be in time. The general downward trend in overall quality was probably magnified by this past Saturday's slate of games, but I would think that it might take a lot to disincentivize these.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:04 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^
I'm clearly more on your side, OP, but are you actually a student?
"apethetic" I know it's one letter off, but it just looks so obviously wrong - apathetic
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:10 PM ^
Yeah, I'm with the students on this one. Not everyone is a die-hard fan who is going to go watch South Carolina Central on a Tuesday night, so those attendance numbers are skewed. I sure as hell never went to those games, in fact I'm not sure I went to a non-conference game the whole time I was in college.
All of these changes are great if you're the super fan whose life revolves around the sport. But the average fan is still a fan, right?
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:17 PM ^
Agreed. A lot of the bashing of the students is equivalent to the stalker girl with the crazy eyes making the "just love me because I need you to love me" argument. If you want to attract people you actually have to attract them. You can't just compel or guilt them.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:58 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:15 PM ^
But you don't get to go to all the good games. You don't get to go to MSU and possibly other games where more than 3000 students want to go.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:13 PM ^
Recent grad here so I tend so side more with the students. I agree that the athletic department is not treating the students very well. I don't think they're treating them unfairly but they're definitely not treating them well when they should be the first class citizens in the realm of Michigan athletics.
That said, this blog post is so awfully written that it really detracts from the point being made. As unfair as it may be, when you don't write like a Michigan student no one is going to take you seriously as one. I would hope the student body could come up with a little more well-written response than this.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:11 PM ^
This. I'm an "old alum" that actually happens to be on the students' side for the most part, but this blog post actually decreases my sympathy. The worst part was complaining about the FREE donuts that Hoke PERSONALLY DELIVERED. Entitled much?
September 23rd, 2013 at 11:33 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:23 PM ^
Even if I was willing to consider the guy's argument, he lost me with the whining about the free donuts.
But seriously, complete lack of sympathy to the current students on all of their petulant whining. I attended every game as a student, was there early, and stayed until it was over. And found a bunch of friends who felt exactly the same way I did.
And when one of our friends left one game early in 4 years as a student, it was later commemorated for all eternity with a "gift" of a stadium brick listing the date, opponent and the inscription noting that he left the game early.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:34 PM ^
You know what I don't like? The "I went to every single solitary game so everyone else should too" argument. Not every can go, or wants to go to every basketball game. And that's OK. Football is one thing - they are all on the same day of the week (which is a weekend), there are only 6-8 of them all year and they all matter a lot.
Students have stuff going on during the week. I remember having basketball tickets only to find out about a lab I had to make up that evening so I didn't go. It wasn't a big game, but it wouldn't have mattered. I remember other games that I skipped because I just had too much studying to do. I usually had the game on in the background, but just the time I saved by not walking to Crisler and back allowed me to get my work done.
And you just can't expect Michigan students to be as passionate about basketball as they are about football. It's just different. I love MIchigan basketball. But it's not football.
My point is that not every student is the "I went to all the games every year from start to finish" kid, and if you only want those kids to come to the games - you'll have a lot of crowds like we had in 2004 or whatever.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:35 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:43 PM ^
Well I live in Los Angeles so I won't be going to any of them. But it seems silly that if you want to go to the best games, you have to go to all of them. If I was still a student, I would have said, "Fine, then I won't go to any of them." Which is not what the AD wants, I would imagine.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:04 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:16 PM ^
The problem is some kids will pay for season tickets and no be allowed in for MSU. That's a pretty big problem.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:35 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:21 PM ^
so you're just completely fine with the the athletic department stealing?
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:48 PM ^
I have no idea when people are talking about "stealing". How could it be "stealing" when you could get a FULL REFUND if you are not happy with the deal? How could it be "stealing" when you could turn around and get a regular season ticket that guarantees you a seat no matter what?
If you do not like the deal, then get the full season tickets at the regular price.
If you want the HEAVILY discounted student tickets, then you are going to have to go along with it.
September 24th, 2013 at 7:26 AM ^
"I am going to rob your bank. If you catch me at it, I will give a FULL REFUND, so don't call what I do 'stealing.'" Gotcha.
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:27 PM ^
1500 students is 1/3 of the number of people who bought tickets. That's not a small number. And why in the world should they have to buy regular tickets for a game for which they have already purchased a ticket?
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:50 PM ^
Compared to over 50% of the kids who don't show up on most games, 1500 is a smaller number.
They are purchasing HEAVILY discounted tickets that come with certain restrictions. If you do not like the restrictions, you can buy guaranteed season tickets at the regular price.
You have a choice. Which one you choose is completely up to you.
September 23rd, 2013 at 9:37 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 6:47 AM ^
The problem is some kids will pay for season tickets and no be allowed in for MSU. That's a pretty big problem.
I don't see that as a problem. Way fewer than 3,000 students will show up for many of the other games, and the ones that do will be the ones who get to see MSU. The ones who aren't allowed in for MSU are the ones who didn't go to any other games and bought season tickets just so they could see the glamor games.
If all you (generic "you") want to see is MSU, and you buy season tickets just for that game, and get locked out because you didn't go to the others, just buy a regular ticket for that game, it'll be cheaper.
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:18 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 11:28 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 9:24 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:59 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:24 PM ^
tix. Students who had been season ticket holders for 4 years had full season. Those of us who had applied within the past two years split the season with another student. It was perfect- except back then students were jammed in the upper bowl. Students today would die if they had to sit where we did. No students in lower bowl at all!!!
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:29 PM ^
You know what else you had in 1993? A basketball team worth watching.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:29 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:39 PM ^
Right, because the students purchasing tickets these past few years clearly should have predicted a national title appearance last year.
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:42 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:53 PM ^
I get that you want to reference very recent results, but I'm talking about a general, longstanding trend of disinterest that can't be immediately fixed by one good season. You're missing my point.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:13 PM ^
You didn't make it very well.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:15 PM ^
How so? I provided numerous facts that I believe support my point, and if you think I am wrong, I would love to hear why. Your five-word response really doesn't add anything to the discussion.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:32 PM ^
as an outside bystander for this little slap fight, I am waiting for you to post a fact and not thinly veiled subjective opinions
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:33 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:35 PM ^
Of course we aren't counting only those seasons. In fact, we aren't counting those seasons at all since the listed attendance numbers occured before the title game appearance.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:52 PM ^
That's actually not true...in this particular thread, you haven't given very many facts at all. You've simply reiterated your opinion (about fifteen different ways) that the team has been bad, thus the students are right not to show up. You would have gone miles farther in my mind had you not called last year's product unworthy of watching (which you were guilty of by not specifying that you were referring to teams five years ago). Besides all the preseason accolades, that team was simply damn fun to watch. In fact, national pundits raved about the quality of basketball on the floor in the national championship game, and that was the same team we saw on the court all season save for a short stretch at the end of the season. You are going to come back and say "but students couldn't have predicted that" but that's not the point.....we're talking about students with season tickets in hand last year that didn't show up, not those that chose not to buy them. Those students saw the most entertaining team in the country and still decided not to show up.
Now all that said....I happen to be on the side of students in general. What would make me livid if I were a student is that the rules changed AFTER most had bought their tickets (in a similar vein, I think they should have staged in GA for football over four years so that nobody had to forfeit any seniority they earned under prior rules). Going forward, the system is what it is and students should have the ability to choose to buy or not buy....but the AD has done them wrong for the way in which they're going about this, and it's going to come home to roost with a "lost generation" of alums if they're not careful.
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:20 PM ^
At no point did I call last year's team unworthy of watching. As your entire premise is wrong, it would be pointless to respond to the rest of your post.
My point is that people who grew up watching awful teams in a terrible arena and then witnessed the worst sanctions ever may not have much interest in basketball when they grow up. You can't turn that around with a half of a season. I'd rather not repeat this 15 times, but I keep having to because people like you just don't get this basic point.
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:32 PM ^
What you said was
You know what else you had in 1993? A basketball team worth watching.
And what I said was, by not specifying, you were lumping all the teams together. I think the vast response to your message is proof that you did not make your point well, which is how I entered this discussion.