University of Washington Husky football fans -- season ticket renewal

[Missy Vixen]

Ohhhhh, my head is about to explode. We just got our Husky season ticket renewal today.

SEVEN HUNDRED FREAKING DOLLARS for two tickets. This is a team that won ONE GAME last year. Last year's tickets were also about $580. It's amazing to me.

We knew it was coming, due to the smarmy buzzword filled letter we received day before yesterday from the new athletic director, but the arrogance of a program that would jack ticket prices up $75 per seat after a one-win season leaves me completely gobsmacked.

Anyone else here current or former Husky fans?

Julie
grrrrrrrrrrr

[flamingyouth]

1. *waving hand meekly*

Haven't been to a game in ages, but sheesh, I can't believe the prices of those tickets! :wow:

[Name removed]

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[SOteric]

3. That would be my alma mater, yes...

but I refuse to fork over the loot for a ticket to the games. I work weekends anyway so it's not like I'll really get to see them.

That's pretty unreasonable, though. Especially given the ills and trials of the UW athletics programs lately.

[Mojambo]

4. That's simply outrageous.

Maybe they're worried that Neuheisel is going to win a big settlement in court? LOL.

[flamingyouth]

6. ROFL

Yes, of course, he's going for the "Hedges didn't read the whole email at first" defense. :D

[Mojambo]

8. Riveting legal drama, in Kent! n/t

[SmileyBoy]

5. Hooooo, damn. NDSU tickets aren't nearly that expensive.

I think it's like $120 for a season with a Team Makers (boosters) membership.

[jmowreader]

7. Is that before or after the Husky Club membership?

If you want UNC season football tickets, you must first join the UNC Rams Club (minimum membership fee $100 per year), and how terrible your seats are is determined by your Membership Points.

You want UNC season basketball tickets? Hope you're rich; to earn the privilege of buying season tickets to the Dean Dome, you gotta endow an athletic scholarship at $100,000 or more.

[Missy Vixen]

9. Okay, here's how it goes in Husky Stadium

flamingyouth, feel free to correct me if I am inaccurate here...

DH and I are garden variety season ticket holders. We've had our tickets for thirteen years now. In other words, we supposedly do not pay a surcharge for our tickets, and should be charged face value for them. Unfortunately for us, the greedy Barbara Hedges started the "surcharge" for each season ticket over five years ago. The minute she was fired --- ooooooops, resigned --- the surcharge was removed. Interestingly enough, not only is the surcharge back this year, it was bounced up another $25 per seat. We're paying $150 for the privilege of buying two season tickets.

Tyee members have it way worse than we do. If the information I have is correct, the minimum donation to the university for one of those season tickets is $5,000. It gets pretty spendy if you want to sit in the extra-special section of the stadium according to those we've known who actually held Tyee tickets.

Again, let's recap: This team won ONE game last year. The chances are extremely good that we will not have a winning season for at least the next three years -- the program was decimated during the Rick Neuheisel debacle. It's actually been in decline for about the past seven years. As a result, we will be paying $700 per year for six games to watch a losing team. We weren't able to go to one game last year due to our work schedules. Imagine our shock when we couldn't even GIVE our tickets away.

To say that we're irritated is an understatement. I'll be writing to the new Husky AD in the morning and asking for a meeting. I'd like him to explain to me why we should continue to throw good money after bad.

Julie

[flamingyouth]

10. Back when I was at the Daily, someone wanted to write an expose

On how the Tyee Club members were rich people. :eyes:

Uh yeah, they're giving $5,000 plus (with emphasis on PLUS...) to get football seats. I think their wealth is implied. :D

[jmowreader]

11. What does "Tyee" break out to?

The entire Carolina season ticket deal:

You first have to join the UNC Rams Club, to even be considered for season tickets to Kenan Stadium. The place only holds 60,000 people, so obviously they're short on seats. That runs between $200 (you can buy four tickets at that level) to "$5000 and up" (you can buy--and MAINTAIN YOUR ASSIGNED LOCATION!--12 tickets) per year.

If you want to endow a scholarship, it's now $150,000--but once you've paid it off, you don't have to send them any more money unless you really, really want to. This gives you the right to protect the location of four football or four basketball seats. (Which is kinda weird, seeing as how endowment gives you "Super Ram" privileges, among which is the right to protect eight football seats. Then again...the reason most of these people give the Big Bucks is to keep the IRS at bay.)

Once you have done this, you need to send more money for season football tickets, and the 2005 season price hasn't been published yet so I don't know what it is, sorry.

Then they get into seat assignments. This is done on the "points system." You get points for two things: longevity and contributions. Makes sense--the longer you're a member and the more money you give, the better the seat you should have. If you're protecting a seat, you can request an upgrade and, within reason, you'll usually get it.

Now here's the slick part of the deal: The UNC Ticket Exchange Program. If you can't go to a game, you can call the Rams Club office and ask to donate your tickets. If it's a good game they expect to be able to resell your tickets for, they'll accept them. Doing this gives you contribution credit--points that can be applied toward getting you better seats next year. (Apparently they call around when the Duke-UNC game is going to be played in Kenan Stadium; this is the high point of the season for Carolina because it's a game they win even when the team's shitty. You see, when the chancellor of Duke University decided to make the football team adhere to the same academic standards as the rest of the university, the quality of the football team went straight to hell--the logic was, if I'm smart enough to get into Duke and play ball well enough to attract the attention of a Division I coach, I can play ball for a team that doesn't have a vacuum cleaner for a mascot. How bad is Duke's team? Let's put it this way: The prize for winning the Duke-Carolina game is the Liberty Bell. Every year before the game is played, the Carolina coach gives his troops a little pep talk, and the title of the talk is invariably "Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Liberty Bell is NOT the property of the UNC Athletic Department!")

[Rockerdem]

12. My brother gets cheap tickets at Husky stadium - even free

He has been doing this for years, especially lately. He waits until the last 15 minutes or so, and scores tickets between the 35s for $5 (last few years - before that, face value). On occasion, Tyee members gives him free spots around midfield. He makes sure that he dresses smartly so that they feel comfortable sitting next to him and his party. One time, he ended up in the president's box with Maria Cantwell and Babs, with a free buffet and drinks. Just by chatting up a lifetime Tyee-er.

According to him, anyone who pays over $10 these days is a sap.

BTW, even if you get marginal seats, on most days tons of the oldtimers stay home. Just relocate between the 40s and no one bothers you. Theyre happy just to have warm bodies.