Gtown Voice: student tix

[millerj9]

"Georgetown University’s Athletic Department and Hoya Blue, the official student spirit organization, have temporarily stopped selling 2006-2007 men’s basketball season tickets to students. The demand for guaranteed seats greatly exceeds that of recent years, meaning that many loyal fans have been left without golden tickets. This was understandably unanticipated, but rather than throw up its hands in despair, the Athletic Department ought to expand the student section."

"The Athletic Department and Hoya Blue have stated that students will still have the opportunity to buy tickets, though it seems not all can buy season-long ones."

www.georgetownvoice.com/2006-09-07/editorial/hoyas-sell-out-to-the-fresh-man

[casualhoya]

based on what i had been hearing, this is not surprising.

however, a bigger student section will only make Verizon more of a beast.

[FairfaxHoya]

This is unbelievable. Because demand exceeded expectations, the students got locked out?!?!? They better expand the student section, that's all I can say.

[Deleted]

doogie said:

This is unbelievable. Because demand exceeded expectations, the students got locked out?!?!? They better expand the student section, that's all I can say.

Agreed. It would be one thing if G'Town played its home games in some kind of Cameron-like band box and you had to limit seating in order to accomodate donors, visiting fans, etc. (screw the general public, student fans should ALWAYS take precedence).

However, this is the cavernous, never-been-sold-out MCI canyon we're talking about. This year students should be allowed to purchase upper deck seats at a discount, and starting next season students should be given lower bowl seats currently reserved for the general public.

More than any other group, a college team belongs to its STUDENTS. That they're pushed aside to accomodate random dopes off the street is inexcusable. If student, YA and regular alumni demand is great enough to fill the entire lower bowl, SO BE IT. Kick the general public to the rafters, this ain't their team.

[hoyaLS05]

The HOYA broke a similar, if slightly more lucid, version of this story last Friday...

[YB]

It would be prudent, if sold out, to expand the student section somehow. I'll take 5000 screaming Hoyas anyday over 4000 Huskies, 'eers or any other BE fans who have shamed us at our own home court over the past 10 years.

[hilltopper2000]

There is absolutely no reason why the students can't fill the lower bowl THIS YEAR. It is not as if all of those West Virginia fans are not going to buy tickets because their seats aren't as good. The demand from opposing fans is relatively inelastic. Thus, it makes all the sense in the world to relegate them to crappy seats, while giving the students better seats. No regular tickets have been sold. This is still a change that can be made.

[Jack]

hilltopper2000 said:

There is absolutely no reason why the students can't fill the lower bowl THIS YEAR. It is not as if all of those West Virginia fans are not going to buy tickets because their seats aren't as good. The demand from opposing fans is relatively inelastic. Thus, it makes all the sense in the world to relegate them to crappy seats, while giving the students better seats. No regular tickets have been sold. This is still a change that can be made.

Lord knows every other school with a strong fan base relegates visiting fans to the rafters. My seats at Villanova last year were barely in the gym and I was extremely fortunate to get them.

[hoya4ever20]

I think people have forgotten that this is a great problem to have. They have sold more student season ticket this year then they have in over 15 years! I have spoken to the athletic department and they ARE expanding the student section, but they have also increased their non-student season ticket sales INCLUDING young alumni. I think we are going to find that the lower bowln (when everyone shows up) will be Georgetown fans, except for the couple hundred that the Verizon center get because of the contract. Those should be the ONLY non-georgetown fans unless our fans are giving their tickets away!
We need to stop complaining and be excited that we have a great team that will generate excitiement and demand.
I can remember just a couple of years ago when we couldn't get 300 students to the games, now it looks like there will have over 2000 student SEASON Ticket holders. This is not a bad problem this is a great one and instead of talking negative about it, I think people should start trying to find a way to get ticket a ticket no matter where it is in the arena. I also heard that if they do sell out of student season tickets sections, there will be tickets on a game by game basis (the best available at the time)
This is AWESOME!!!!

[lichoya68]

hoya blue is amazing steve alleva is amazing lets fill the booth go hoyas its gonna be great fun just hope somebody steps up to hit some threes go hoyas go hoya blue WE ARE GEORGETOWN and wereeeeeeeeeeeeee backkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[hilltopper2000]

Please don't misunderstand the sentiment. I can only speak for myself, but I am very happy. However, I think we also need to take a longview. This is a big year for building up the fan base -- both alumni and student support. As we have such an opportunity, we also must recongnize the attendant opportunity cost of screwing this whole thing up. I trust that with people like Director Muir and Steve Alleva on the case that won't happen, but we, as stakeholders in the program, must remain vigilant.

[SFHoya99]

If there are a lot of people being left out, they simply need to expand the section. Chances like this to expand student interest in the program do not come along often. Some way, somehow, Hoya Blue has managed to create an atmosphere where not only sports fans are going to the games but people are going simply because that's what other people are doing.

I don't think that has ever happened at Georgetown, at least in Thompson era. The students that went were sports fans, more or less. It seems now that either Georgetown has been infested by sports fans, or more likely, Georgetown Basketball has become the "cool" thing to do on campus.

The University has put millions into an unprofitable football program because they believe it can build campus unity and school spirit. Basketball is doing that NOW -- and the University needs to realize a small investment here will pay off big.

(I will say you do want some people shut out of season tickets. Nothing like a little scarcity to increase demand).

[Deleted]

Is everyone missing out on the word "temporarily" in the article?

My guess is that they're working in McDonough to try to figure out where to put more students, and that they'll re-open ticket sales as soon as they get it done.

[doublehoya]

How many will be enough? That is what HB and the AD need to determine.

Maybe HB should think about putting a reserve list together -- put your name and a $20.00 (refundable only if no tickets are available) deposit down, and you will get tickets as they become available -- this would give the AD an idea of how much more demand there is.

Student tickets rightfully should be the higest priority, but I bet the AD doesn't want to have TOO big a student section (ie empty seats in it) because they can presumably make more $$ selling those to the general public. I know this sounds greedy, but they need the money.

I AM NOT suggesting shutting any students out so we can sell the tickets to UConn/Syracuse/WVU fans, I am just saying that the AD wants to make sure that every student ticket will be sold before they agree to "buy" these seats from the VZ center (which is how I assume the process goes, as they are being sold for below face value).

How hard would it be to put such a list together?

Finally, I'd love to see the AD make an investment in its fans and put 5-10 students behind the visiting team's bench. Then give those tickets out to the Student fan(s) of the game -- but have the winner get 5 (or better, 10) free tickets to the next game, not just 2. HB could even come up with some silly name for these seats (not the "Dog Pound", please, but something like that).

I'd love to see 5 of the most rabid student fans right behind the visitor's bench! I know this may be a pipe dream, but do the super-high end seats sell out? I know Georgetown has donated tickets to a charity I work with in the past, and they have been courtside, so maybe some of those seats are available.

[FairfaxHoya]

cam said:

Is everyone missing out on the word "temporarily" in the article?

My guess is that they're working in McDonough to try to figure out where to put more students, and that they'll re-open ticket sales as soon as they get it done.

I guess I just don't understand how they can call this so "unexpected". They raised ticket prices for a reason -- clearly they believed the number of ticket buyers was on the rise. And anyone could tell the team would be highly ranked this year.

I almost always buy into the "long view," but it would really bother me if they hold prime seats open to the public at $100 a seat while sticking extra students into the nose-bleed seats. Frankly, the students are more likely to actually show up.

[Nevada Hoya]

Absolutely. The students should be the main priority, especially those who have been going to the games, when it was not such a cool thing to do.

[Deleted]

Does anyone know how many seats G'Town has no control over in the lower bowl?

Because outside of those seats, if you've ever paid a freakin' dime in tuition to the school, you should have priority over every other human being on the planet to lower bowl seats. If hilltopper is correct and no general public sales have been made yet, there's no reason currently empty seats can't go to students after this temporary halt to sales.

As far as scarcity goes, I agree up to a certain point. Ideally, there would be X thousand student seasons tix on sale, concurrent with YA sales and donor/alumni sales. Once all these sales are maxed out, any remaining lower bowl seats should be kicked back to student seasons tix sales. Then the general public can start moving in as close as is available. Either way, EVERY SINGLE G'Town affiliation should be satisfied before outsiders are given a crack.

[TBird41]

doogie said:

cam said:

Is everyone missing out on the word "temporarily" in the article?

My guess is that they're working in McDonough to try to figure out where to put more students, and that they'll re-open ticket sales as soon as they get it done.

I guess I just don't understand how they can call this so "unexpected". They raised ticket prices for a reason -- clearly they believed the number of ticket buyers was on the rise. And anyone could tell the team would be highly ranked this year.

I almost always buy into the "long view," but it would really bother me if they hold prime seats open to the public at $100 a seat while sticking extra students into the nose-bleed seats. Frankly, the students are more likely to actually show up.

I bet they expected it to sell out. I think what was unexpected was that it would sell out by first week in September.

[RBHoya]

There are a bevy of reasons why I shouldn't and am not supposed to say a thing in this sort of thread, but I do grow tired of one specific thing being said, and feel the need to point it out.... "Expand the student section! Make it happen! Do it AD!" etc.

Student season tickets cost $90. If there are 13 home games, that means that a student is paying less than $7 per game.

How much you think Tony Husky, Stevie Wildcat, and Billy Ray Mountaineer would be willing to pay for that same seat? $25? $30? $35? This is talking about those seats that touch the student section/tunnel, controlled by Washington Sports and Entertainment. You think they want 6.90 a game from an undergrad or 5 times that from an opposing fan? Those guys only care about green, not blue and gray.

The article is correct in that the people in the Athletic Department are going to do everything they can to accommodate as many students as possible. I'm confident that when all is said and done everything will work out well. In the meantime I think all fans should try to put themselves in the shoes of the AD before passing judgment. It isn't like somebody snaps their fingers and all of a sudden we can fit thousands more students. Give the AD the benefit of the doubt here until everything is finalized.

doublehoya said:

Finally, I'd love to see the AD make an investment in its fans and put 5-10 students behind the visiting team's bench. Then give those tickets out to the Student fan(s) of the game -- but have the winner get 5 (or better, 10) free tickets to the next game, not just 2. HB could even come up with some silly name for these seats (not the "Dog Pound", please, but something like that).

I'd love to see 5 of the most rabid student fans right behind the visitor's bench! I know this may be a pipe dream, but do the super-high end seats sell out? I know Georgetown has donated tickets to a charity I work with in the past, and they have been courtside, so maybe some of those seats are available.

I'm fairly certain that this is not allowed. The seats directly behind the opponents bench are given to the opposing team to give to family members of players and whatnot. I believe this is an NCAA rule, and not just a Big East rule. It's too easy for stuff to get out of control with a situation like that, which is why the NCAA put the rule in place.

[hilltopper2000]

RB -- As I said above, I don't see why individual ticket prices can't be raised to somewhat compensate for this. Demand for individual tickets, particularly from opposing fans, is relatively inelastic. Granted we don't want to double ticket prices elsewhere, but I can't believe it would be that hard to make up much of the difference. Also, I have to say I'm at little shocked student tickets are so cheap. For some reason I remember them being $8 per game when I was a student. A $1 or $2 increase in student ticket prices could probably offset revenue lost from moving 'Neers out of the lower bowl. (Obviously that option is out of the question this season but could be reasonable in the future.)