Do the greeks sit in that section in the upper south endzone that was empty tonight?

[Harmost]

Re: Empty Student Section

Also, BDS needs to hand out caffeinated beverages periodically throughout the game to the whole crowd.

 

[bamablog]

Re: Empty Student Section

Totally off base. All sections lose people when games are in hand. Half the students can't even get tickets. They should be getting more if anything.

 

[uafootball92]

Re: Empty Student Section

I thought when they first released the new student sections last year that it would be a disaster and I think it was. I understand that they don't want to expand the student section into higher paying tickets (hundreds more per ticket), but students go for the game and the atmosphere. You go to be with your friends to watch the game, since there are no assigned seats. Most of your friends are going to be in the lower bowl, so you don't want to sit up there.

I personally don't like sitting in the upper deck, because the view is greater in the lower bowl, so I have done everything I can to make sure that I am not relegated to the upper deck.

I think the empty upper deck student section is half students (because there are unused tickets), but also the other half is on the university. You can't separate one section, move it to the upper deck, trying to coax students to sitting there (giving out food, shirts, etc), and expect everyone to jump on it.

I definitely hope they review this at year's end and change it.

Or, even better, push the greeks into the upper deck and the real student fans get to sit in the lower bowl.

 

[CrimsonPride]

It will probably be worse for the Ga St game. After hearing the Miss St mini band yesterday in the upper deck, imagine how awesome the MDB would sound if the were positioned higher in BDS.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[disneybama]

Re: Empty Student Section

Totally off base. All sections lose people when games are in hand. Half the students can't even get tickets. They should be getting more if anything.

Agreed - this is not a professional sport yet.

 

[rhYno]

Re: Empty Student Section

I get mad anytime I see people leave an Alabama game early, win or lose. If you're only going to stay for one half, then give your ticket to someone who'll appreciate it and stay for the entire game.

 

[uafootball92]

I'm no longer a student, but I have to disagree with you guys on the attitude of the students. The empty decks up top are not students not wanting to go. It's the fact that everybody wants to sit with their friends, since there are no assigned seating. Where are your friends going to be? In the lower bowl.

The university knew that the upper deck would be a hard sell before the season. That's why they are giving away stuff (food, shirts, etc) to get people up there.

I will most certainly agree that a lot of the student section will be empty this week (Thursday night, GA State, etc), but so will the rest of the stadium.

I completely agree that if student seats aren't taken up by the end of the 1st quarter, give them to someone else.

But I completely disagree that the students don't have passion. You will not hear more yelling from any other section in the stadium and you will not see anyone get to the game any sooner than the student section. Next time you think there is no passion in the students, walk by the student gates about three and a half hours before the game. You will already see students in line. And after that, see if any of those are greeks. That will be a no. Change up block seating and I think we will see a change in student passion.

 

[uafootball92]

I guess the threads were merged, so you can merge my complaints/discussions.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

I confess to 'Half-way' reading the thread title.
I read it as 'Do the Geeks' sit in...
(Thought for a second they had 'Organized')

Just think about all the folks outside who really would have liked to sit in those seats.

 

[bamablog]

Can't believe this many people do not like the students that make up the university we support. We have the best in the nation. This is truly sad.

 

[Harmost]

Can't believe this many people do not like the students that make up the university we support. We have the best in the nation. This is truly sad.

The "college" part of "college football" is hard for some to grasp. It seems to mean "amateur" to many...

 

[WylieTexasTider]

Maybe UA should look at what other schools do regarding student tickets. I know @ TX A&M the students line up and pull tickets the week of the game. Seniors first, then juniors, sophomores, & freshman. You pull assigned seats and according to my Aggie wife any "unpulled" tickets go on sale Thursday afternoon for a Saturday game. Wife also said if you pulled seats and they were not used, you could not pull for the next game.

I am willing to bet UA could easily sell any remaining seats on Friday.

 

[CHATTBRIT]

I've only been able to go to a few games. Believe me, there is nothing short of an stadium ordered evacuation that would get me to leave before the final whistle. It is a four hour drive, the cost of eats and drinks, and the tickets, so I'm not leaving until I the end of the game so I get as much for my money as possible.

 

[Drake]

Re: Empty Student Section

Also, BDS needs to hand out caffeinated beverages periodically throughout the game to the whole crowd.

I agree!! We decided to take all of our kids to the game last night. Because there are so many of us we could only afford the upper deck - north endzone; well this was the section where we found enough seats together for our budget. The atmosphere was WAY SHORT of exciting and this was a GREAT game for our family to attend!! Often, we were the only people cheering within a couple of rows in either direction... maybe one or two others here or there. I thought "did everyone stay up late and party last night and today they are all tired and sleeping?" While there were some State fans scattered here n there, it was by in large BAMA fans. But YES we did experience a few Cow Bells - Also, At the end of the 3rd Qtr, LOADS of people started bailing out!! What is up with that? They weren't all State fans leaving. Yes, it was very windy and cold, but this was a night game in November people! What did you expect? Wanted to miss the traffic? Really? We just take the traffic as part of the whole experience! But maybe that's just us.

We usually make it to 3-4 home games during the season and last year couldn't get to any. This year our kids wanted to "yard sale" and give up things in order to get the money to go. LET ME SAY WE VERY MUCH ENJOYED IT IN SPITE OF THE LACK OF CROWD PARTICIPATION! We didn't mind sitting in the uppers.. just being able to go is a thrill!! :biggrin:

While we very much enjoyed the day on campus and the game, it was disappointing to look across and see that mostly empty South Endzone section and then have fud-dud's sitting all around you. There were times when there was more noise on the quad when the Barns and Dawgs were playing than there was around our section during our own game! I was glad to hear the lower section - they were into it!!

Well, I hestitated to speak about this as we love the TIDE and FANS and truly don't want to offend! But once I got started, it just came out!! Sorry for the length! - LOVED the GAME!!

ROLL TIDE!!! :BigA:

 

[tru2thaduce]

I was watching this game from home 750 miles away and thinking''wow there were tickets available for this one?I should have made the drive''.And I would have.I bet there will be plenty of those seats for Thursdays game.

 

[SavannahDare]

Can't believe this many people do not like the students that make up the university we support. We have the best in the nation. This is truly sad.

No one here is saying they "do not like the students." The consensus seems to be that the student body, as a whole, does not appreciate the opportunity the university is affording them (i.e. cheap tickets and an opportunity to cheer on the team). This whole "we want to sit with our friends" stuff is ridiculous. Want to sit with your friends? Get there early and wait in line with your friends so you can score seats in the lower bowl.

The students who do just that, are obviously passionate about the team and I salute them. I was one of them when I was there (I ALWAYS showed up early and always used my tickets, and slept outside of Coleman Coliseum on more than one occasion in order to be in line for some away game tickets). But to either not go to the game, or leave the game early, just because you are relegated to the upper deck seating area is the definition of entitlement and self-absorption.

Guess what. I have season tickets. My seats, for which I pay a LOT of hard-earned money, are in the east uppers. And I'm thankful for them. Would I prefer to be in the west stands or in the lowers? Of course, but by God I am so thankful to have those two seats, I can barely even explain it to you.

So, I say again: Any students who are not as supportive of the team as the passionate students who get there early and stay late, shouldn't be complaining when Tide Pride takes those seats back (which they undoubtedly will if the attendance doesn't improve). You're being given an opportunity to show your support and you're blowing it. Big time.

 

[BamaDude06]

I would be willing to bet for most games the students in the lower bowl cram in more than there are actually seats for, therefore the student section in the upper deck will seem a little thin, but obviously that was not the only reason for the emptiness last night. (For the record, LSU had a similar empty spot in their student section during the Bama game in 2006, so it is not just a problem at Alabama).

 

[RT3413]

Last night was not the first time the upper deck student section was not full. It wasn't full for SJSU, Penn State or Ole Miss.

I spoke with a senior person in the athletic department about this at the Ole Miss game and expressed my frustration. She told me that the administration was aware of it and wanted to do something but Dr Witt mandated that they allocate more tickets to students and the SGA refused to stop the block seating OR institute any per-game ticket pulling (as was suggested).

So you have a combination problem... the student population has grown so they wanted to give more tickets to the students. But the SGA steadfastly refuses to change the ticket allocation policies so that those that don't go to the games lose their tickets so those that WANT to go to the game can.

IMO, the problem lies with the SGA - places like TxA&M, Tennessee, USCe and others have programs in place that track who comes and who doesn't and rewards those that do and penalizes those that don't. But part of that is removing automatic access to tickets to greeks and removing the concept of block seating - which won't happen unless the University forces it.

BTW - if you think this problem is new, do a search... there was an article in the CW that in 2008 approximately 4% of IRON BOWL tickets went unused. To remind you, we were undefeated, ranked #1 and about to beat Auburn for the first time - EVER - in Tuscaloosa and nearly 900 students had tickets but couldn't make it from within 5 miles of campus to the stadium.

It's an absolute disgrace.

 

[BamaDude06]

Last night was not the first time the upper deck student section was not full. It wasn't full for SJSU, Penn State or Ole Miss.

I spoke with a senior person in the athletic department about this at the Ole Miss game and expressed my frustration. She told me that the administration was aware of it and wanted to do something but Dr Witt mandated that they allocate more tickets to students and the SGA refused to stop the block seating OR institute any per-game ticket pulling (as was suggested).

So you have a combination problem... the student population has grown so they wanted to give more tickets to the students. But the SGA steadfastly refuses to change the ticket allocation policies so that those that don't go to the games lose their tickets so those that WANT to go to the game can.

IMO, the problem lies with the SGA - places like TxA&M, Tennessee, USCe and others have programs in place that track who comes and who doesn't and rewards those that do and penalizes those that don't. But part of that is removing automatic access to tickets to greeks and removing the concept of block seating - which won't happen unless the University forces it.

BTW - if you think this problem is new, do a search... there was an article in the CW that in 2008 approximately 4% of IRON BOWL tickets went unused. To remind you, we were undefeated, ranked #1 and about to beat Auburn for the first time - EVER - in Tuscaloosa and nearly 900 students had tickets but couldn't make it from within 5 miles of campus to the stadium.

It's an absolute disgrace.

That was also the first Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa that was the weekend of Thanksgiving, and as much as you may disagree it was also the closest either team is going to have to KNOWING they were going to win for quite sometime.


Plus don't act like there weren't empty Tide Pride seats. They are just more spread out and blend in easier.

 

[2003TIDE]

The consensus seems to be that the student body, as a whole, does not appreciate the opportunity the university is affording them

Yet the thread title manages to single out one group in particular.............