Reselling Student Tickets

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

I'm poking around Craigslist this morning seeing what the asking price for Georgetown tickets is, and I came across this posting.

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/tix/1009967560.html

Now, I'm not posting this to pass judgement on the practice, but I just find it very curious in certain respects.  Particularly, I'm more wondering what the current students on the board think about this.  Not like selling to a friend or another student for $5 or $7, but seeking prices like this from the general public. 

[superfan1387]

i noticed on facebook someone was putting up there syracuse ticket for $40, seems a bit odd to me

[🏀]

Last couple years tickets were going for $30-40 on the Facebook, so not surprised.

[Muhoops85]

Rumor has it the Athletic Dept is exploring the option to put the student tickets on the student's ID.  The women's tickets are cards this year instead of paper tickets.  It would be similar to "stored value" the students use to access their meal plans, mu cash, and printing/copier services.  In order to use the student ticket, the student would have to give the person their MU ID.  Not sure if students would part with their ID's for a total stranger.

This new technology would make sales to Non-students difficult.

[LON]

Does anyone really think non-students of opposing teams would wait outside (for however long it takes now) to get into a seat that isn't at least halfway up the upper bowl?

[bs4173]

I'm a student, and I'm a bit against that. the whole point of a student ticket is that its "guaranteed" to be a marquette fan. i'm okay with it if it goes to another MU student, friend of an MU student who will wear gold (and not a badgers jersey) or a young alum. no offense old alums, but you're no fun when you're in the student section  

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

I'm against it too, in so far as the University is taking a massive financial loss in providing those seats to the students (particularly the lower bowl ones).  Individual students selling their tickets amongst their friends or another student at a reasonable price, I don't have an issue with. 

But the post like I shared, where someone obviously went out of their way to gather up student tickets to sell them at this price, frankly, I hope they have no luck doing so.  These tickets are meant for the students to support their team and their university.  If you want to bring a family member, like a parent or a sibling in there for a game, that's cool too.  Since they're being subsidized by the university, I don't think students should be given the same resale rights that regular season ticket holders and the general public have, as they are paying full price for their seats, plus donations to the university in many cases.

However, I do not believe, that MU should adopt an ND-like policy and outright confiscate tickets from students that resell them, but should look at certain situations on a case-by-case basis.  In the situation with this posting, I would not be opposed in the slighest if MU were to identify the student reselling these and taking their right to purchase student tix away from them.

[🏀]

Rumor has it the Athletic Dept is exploring the option to put the student tickets on the student's ID.  The women's tickets are cards this year instead of paper tickets.  It would be similar to "stored value" the students use to access their meal plans, mu cash, and printing/copier services.  In order to use the student ticket, the student would have to give the person their MU ID.  Not sure if students would part with their ID's for a total stranger.

This new technology would make sales to Non-students difficult.

They've been trying to do this since 2004. IT Services needs to get their crap together to make it work.

[sgurgs]

i understand the logic behind not being able to resell the tickets at exorbitant prices, but there would be a number of problems if we limited tickets to the individual students or other students.

1. winter break - there would be even fewer people in the stands for the games when students are gone.  (perhaps mu could make these tickets and optional part of the student package.)

2.  any method used to limit the reselling of tickets at high prices would likely have an adverse effect on "harmless" reselling/giving away that most of us probably don't have a problem with or have directly benefited from.  families wouldn't be able to use their kid's tickets if the kid wasn't there, etc.

3. from one perspective, yeah, the tickets are subsidized.  from another perspective, these kids (and their families) are paying over 30k a year to go to mu.  it's not as though they're walking off the street into $5 tickets.

perhaps the most effect deterrent would be a clause in next year's student ticket purchase that anyone caught reselling tickets for XXX% mark-up will have his tickets revoked and will not be able to purchase them in the future. this might at least deter blatant reselling without costing too much in enforcement or adversely affecting friends or families of students who pack the seats when said student can't make the game anyway.

[🏀]

i understand the logic behind not being able to resell the tickets at exorbitant prices, but there would be a number of problems if we limited tickets to the individual students or other students.

1. winter break - there would be even fewer people in the stands for the games when students are gone.  (perhaps mu could make these tickets and optional part of the student package.)

2.  any method used to limit the reselling of tickets at high prices would likely have an adverse effect on "harmless" reselling/giving away that most of us probably don't have a problem with or have directly benefited from.  families wouldn't be able to use their kid's tickets if the kid wasn't there, etc.

3. from one perspective, yeah, the tickets are subsidized.  from another perspective, these kids (and their families) are paying over 30k a year to go to mu.  it's not as though they're walking off the street into $5 tickets.

perhaps the most effect deterrent would be a clause in next year's student ticket purchase that anyone caught reselling tickets for XXX% mark-up will have his tickets revoked and will not be able to purchase them in the future. this might at least deter blatant reselling without costing too much in enforcement or adversely affecting friends or families of students who pack the seats when said student can't make the game anyway.

To answer all your questions generally, it's the student section. Not friends of a student, not sister of a student, Student Section.

Winter Break games might as well not have a Student Section larger than two section anyway. The AD used to make students go to the AL to pick up tickets for those games if they wanted them, so that would solve your problem.

It doesn't matter how much it costs to go to MU, two entirely different entities.

[sgurgs]

i think it's a good idea to have kids go pick up their tickets for winter break games. that's what i was hinting at.

your black and white view of "student section" sounds fine, but isn't the reality.  in reality it's students and friends, students and family, students who didn't buy season tickets and many more. 

i think there's a reason mu doesn't enforce that rule anymore: policing ticket sales before and during gameday isn't worth it after the cost-benefit analysis.  it would be an administrative nightmare to try and set up a system that would allow mu to resell unused student tickets before the game (except for during winter break). and what's the point of policing the student section at the game if you're not going to make any money and you're just going to end up with empty seats, less crowd noise, and a worse atmosphere?

finally, while mu basketball and the university may be funded via different means, they are in no way "entirely different entities."  if that were the case, why give students subsidized tickets at all?  why give basketball players scholarships to study?  the team wouldn't exist without the school.

[jaybilaswho?]

What is everyone upset about, that kids are selling their tickets or that they are potentially giving their tickets to a none MU person?

What if a student sells his ticket to another student? is that wrong?

I do not have a problem with kids doing what they want with their tickets. If they sell it to a georgetown fan for $60, that person is more than likely giong to be sitting in the upper level, surrounded by MU students. who cares? are you worried that the camera is going to pick up on the lone Gtown fan in the students section?

Yeah it sucks that these are seats that could be used by the ticket office for more revenue, but lets face it, there are not that many kids selling their tickets to be afraid of the student section being taken over.

Besides these kids could be entrepenaeurial (sp?) students, just using their education

[foreverwarriors]

The AD used to make students go to the AL to pick up tickets for those games if they wanted them, so that would solve your problem.

That didn't work real well either as:

a. all these seats were assigned
b. lots of students who ended up not going to the games picked up tickets
c. there were tons of empty seats for these games and as usual, the BC staff was unforgiving in enforcement of assigned seats

I needed to get people to sneak me down into 106 halfway through every game to get to my normal seat.

[GoldenWarrior]

It's a tough call.  I'm a young alum and currently have season student tickets because one of my friends doesn't go to enough games to really want to buy them, so I bought the whole season using their student account.  I don't think there's anything wrong with my situation as I just graduated not long ago, am a hardcore MU fan, and paid the normal price for them.  I also wouldn't have a problem with students giving the tickets to family members or friends who don't have fanatics tix either, so I think it'd be awesome if they could look at it on a case by case basis, but that's just not realistic with the amount of people going into games and stuff now.  I'm not sure what the solution is, or even if there is one, but I do think it's wrong to just gather up bunches of tix and try reselling for major profits, that defeats sports and sportsmanship in my mind.  Go enjoy the games and our team!

WE ARE MARQUETTE!!!

[Avenue Commons]

I'm a student, and I'm a bit against that. the whole point of a student ticket is that its "guaranteed" to be a marquette fan. i'm okay with it if it goes to another MU student, friend of an MU student who will wear gold (and not a badgers jersey) or a young alum. no offense old alums, but you're no fun when you're in the student section  

Screw you. I guarantee that AC is 156.8% more fun than the average student-aged fan. I know hoops very well, I know Marquette in general, and I usually have a BAC around .10 by tip off. Plus, I'm financially capable of floating several rounds of Miller products for everyone around me. I think I would be a lot of fun to have in the stands.

[San Diego Warrior]

This happens at every other school for every sport.  Students buy season tickets to Wisconsin football, and then resell half of the games.  I don't understand why anyone here really cares other then some poor college students are making a few bucks.  Most likely, they don't make anymore money off ressell to even cover the cost of the season.

[Hey DeDe]

Rumor has it the Athletic Dept is exploring the option to put the student tickets on the student's ID.  The women's tickets are cards this year instead of paper tickets.  It would be similar to "stored value" the students use to access their meal plans, mu cash, and printing/copier services.  In order to use the student ticket, the student would have to give the person their MU ID.  Not sure if students would part with their ID's for a total stranger.

This new technology would make sales to Non-students difficult.

This would be a terrible idea. We're college students and sometimes we have other priorities (ie. work, club sports, etc.) that prevent us from going to games. Also, the student section tickets sold out the past two years. (Maybe more.) The tickets usually never go to waste because there is always someone else that doesn't have tickets and wants to go.

More than half the time, students who aren't using their tickets don't sell them. They give them to friends or acquaintances free of charge. That type of exchange happens more than you would think. I can't even tell you how many e-mails/Facebook messages I get before every game from friends looking for tickets. Preventing students from being able to do that would only decrease the fan section.

Plus, I live about two hours away and made it to a couple of games over winter break. My friends who couldn't go forwarded their tickets. It was nice to be able to bring my family and show them what Marquette basketball is all about.

[MUfan12]

I still think MU should cap the student section at 2000-2500 seats. Less empty seats, more to sell for 90% of the home games. Take away a bunch of upper deck seating that goes empty for all but 3 games. Create more demand for tickets, so the people who want to go to games will still be able to, and the 2-3 game per season bandwagon crowd can watch on TV.

[Hards Alumni]

off topic, but do they still stamp your hand with the section you started the game in?

also, fix student seating.  give the students the first 3 rows around the bowl.

I realize the alumni pay for the team (essentially)... but this is supposed to be a college experience.

sorry for opening that can of worms.

[🏀]

The Bradley Center is not equipped for a 'ring of students'. The sheer amount of revenue lost for those three rows would be astronomical.

[MU gimp ONE]

off topic, but do they still stamp your hand with the section you started the game in?

also, fix student seating.  give the students the first 3 rows around the bowl.

I realize the alumni pay for the team (essentially)... but this is supposed to be a college experience.

sorry for opening that can of worms.

there is no can to open... it's a terrible idea that will never happen at the bradley center.  keep the students where they are.  if they want better seats, make them get there earlier.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

off topic, but do they still stamp your hand with the section you started the game in?

Nope.  BC security comes out about an hour and a half before doors open for the big games and hands out wristbands for the lower bowl seats.  So if you want to sit in the lower bowl, and have no preference as to where in there you sit, you in theory can get your wristband and head over to Turners' or Goolsby's for a few drinks before the game if you're legal age, and show up 10 minutes before tip and sit in the lower bowl. 

Also, I think for some games, they also require student ID now too.  So the non-students who buy those student tix might be SOL.

[MilWarrior]

I don't see the problem with reselling. Most tickets that students don't use aren't resold to randoms. From my experience they're given to friends w/o season tickets or to friends who are bringing an extra MU fan along. Usually this is done free of charge. Bring as big of a crowd as you can. And I love alums in the student section exactly for the reasons stated by Avenue Commons. That's why I like sitting in the top row of the lower bowl. Easy access to friendly alums in the luxury boxes. Friendly alums with lots of beer.

[DJO's Pump Fake]

also, fix student seating.  give the students the first 3 rows around the bowl.

That is a terrible idea.

Students stand during the game....so in theory giving away those 3 rows would cause back up of the alumni who sit during the game and would be unable to see over the students.

It works at a place like Duke because the students are actually below the arena on the floor.  The alumni and everyone else are elevated above them.  

(sidenote: I hate Duke)

[Muhoops85]

I believe the idea to link it to your student ID is to keep the tickets with other students.  The administration thinks you would let your roommate or friend take your ID.  Not sure if that really would happen as then you could not use your meal plan or other things linked to your card.

I would like to see the student tickets go to other students, and/or their friends. Filling up the BC is a priority and I know there are issues with the current system, or any system the powers that be might use in the future.