I didn’t win tickets in this year’s UConn basketball lottery.
I didn’t win last year either.
And I didn’t win the year before that.
I was upset the first two times I didn’t win, but neither of those disappointments compares to what I feel now. I imagine the feeling is the same among my fellow seniors and above (I have a total of 118 credits, either completed or in progress). The first two experiences were annoying, but this time it goes far beyond that – I don’t even have a word to describe it.
When first implemented, the number of times our PeopleSoft numbers were entered into the lottery was based on earned credits – freshman got their number in once, sophomores twice, juniors three times, and seniors four. Well now my fellow three-time losers (and there are LOTS of us) and I get to shine as examples of the students who have been shunned by the system because our number never came up.
I’ve tried to imagine some eloquent way to describe the flaws in the lottery system, but none come to mind, so all I can do is speak the truth: this is a terrible system. Over the past few months, UConn Athletics has claimed to work to increase school spirit with its new programs (e.g. the Spirit Squad, and we know how well THAT was received), but the reality is that Athletics seems more inclined to put convenience ahead of school spirit. They don’t care who gets the tickets, all they seem to care about is that the tickets get sold. After that it doesn’t appear to be their problem.
I went to check out the Facebook group, “Buy or Sell UConn Tickets,” after the lottery winners were announced, and I was less than surprised by what I saw. Within minutes of receiving their congratulatory emails, there were literally hundreds, HUNDREDS of students, offering to sell their ticket packages to the highest bidder. And the asking prices were absurd:
$90 for Women’s games at the XL Center…(which cost $2 per ticket face value)
$150 for Men’s games at the XL Center…
$250 for Men’s games at Gampel Pavilion…etc…etc…
One guy was offering $300 for Men’s Gampel and XL games, and posted “my loss is your gain, men’s Gampel and XL for only $300!” Thanks UConn for turning our student body into the next generation of Slick Rick used car salesmen. Students who won the lottery paid $108 total for both sets. Slick Rick here will generously sell us his tickets for around three times that amount. I feel so blessed by his charity.
There was a time, a time before online lotteries, before colored wristbands, when basketball tickets were based on a first-come, first-served basis. There was a day when the tickets would go on sale, and students camped out and lined up accordingly. It was a perfect system. It weeded out the true fans from the people who want to make a quick buck. True fans will walk through the gates of hell to get UConn basketball season tickets. These price gougers just wait for a little bit of luck.
My friend, Marcus Lynam, an anchor/producer with UCTV Sports, posted a blog about the lottery system shortly after the emails were sent out. In his post, he reminded us that the Gampel student section holds 2,600 people, which is just around 16% of the student body. Luckily, for us sports fans, not every UConn student cares about going to a UConn basketball game, or any sporting event for that matter. In the old system, would they have ever shown up to wait in line? But now, thanks to the lottery, they too can sign up for tickets they don’t even want. And when they win? PROFIT!
By the way, Marcus is a junior. His number went into the lottery three times. He didn’t win either.
UConn Athletics claims to want to increase school spirit, and yet they take away our signs, limit our camp out times, and create a lottery system that reduces our best fans to unfortunate saps who have to enter bidding wars, and turn other students into heartless profiteers who bank on the misery and devotion of the die-hard fans who simply weren’t lucky enough.
This has been a tough year for America, and the student body at UConn has not been spared the effects of a down economy. We have faced budget cuts, lost programs, and paid higher tuition, to say nothing of how the downturn has affected our students at home. Why does our school’s athletic department seem so content on making it that much harder for our biggest fans to get basketball tickets? Haven’t they suffered enough?
And I’m not buying the notion that Athletics isn’t aware of the problem, because I’m sure plenty of people have been complaining. The only conclusion I can draw is that they simply don’t care about the student fans.
UConn men’s and women’s basketball games, especially at Gampel, are a sight to see. The students who attend the games are devoted. They’re loud. They’re the sixth man for home teams that usually don’t need the extra help, but it’s certainly a nice addition. When Big Red stands up from his seat, charges up the student section, and leads the U! C! O! N! N! chant, I will forever maintain that this is one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. There’s nothing quite like it. These games allow us the chance to escape the outside world, if only for a few hours. Inside the arena, we don’t need to worry about the molecular biology exam the next day, or the 10-page history midterm paper we haven’t started yet. As top tier UConn fans, our only job during the game is to show up and cheer loudly. Is Athletics really going to make us jump through hoops to get that experience?
In Marcus’ blog, he also wrote about a system being utilized by major schools like Florida, UCLA, Maryland and Texas where students “garner points by attending athletic events other than the big time sports” like football and basketball. When it comes time to buy tickets for the big sports, preference is given to the students with the most points. Athletics wants school spirit? There it is. It draws fans to the sporting events that usually don’t get many fans, and rewards the most devoted students when basketball season rolls around. How hard could it be to implement that system at UConn? It’s the perfect system for any school with a reputation for top-notch athletic programs.
i think the problem is that the prices are too low. people should be paying those high amounts for both teams because its worth that sort of money
ReplyDeletedon't fall into the trap of paying for all the tickets now. You can get them for face value the week of the game if you look for even just a little bit. Most likely you won't be going to all the games anyways, because of breaks.
ReplyDeleteI think that the lottery does work. Yes there are some bad apples that sell their tickets, but the same thing happened when their was a campout. It always happens and I don't think the crowds at gampel have suffered for it. Just because you didn't tickets or no uppercalssmen that you know got them doesn't make the freshman that won any less deserving. They pay the same tuition and
Camping out for season tickets isn't the answer, it was a mess and there was no way to control cutting or even reselling with the campout. It was a madhouse that turned into a bumrush for the door once people thought they heard that tickets sales had started. It works at other schools yes but other schools also have much larger student sections than UConn. I like the idea of rewarding students that go to more campus events and games. Even better, I think games should be sold on a game by game or week by week basis for the student section.
The lottery is the most fair and balanced way to do it considering the circumstances. All systems are flaws in one way or another, and with that, all systems have people who benefit and people who do not. If we were still camping out for tickets, you can count on it that people who did not get tickets would be in an uproar about the system, claiming those who were huge fans but couldn't give up the time in their schedules to camp out for a day or so were at a disadvantage. Statistically, however, with a large university this is the most balanced way to do it.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that I did not get tickets in the lottery while I was at UConn, but in a couple of weeks the unclaimed tickets will go on sale again. I got student season tickets very easily this way even though I did not win in the lottery. So don't get mad yet.