News Article: Fairness of face-value Tide tickets questioned

[4Q Basket Case]

This has been going on for decades.. My first Alabama tickets, all through the 60s, 70s, and 80s, came from a friend of the family who was a State Represetative who pulled for Auburn. He received order blanks for both and gave us the Alabama tickets.

I not saying it was right, but it has been part of college football since the beginning...

Thanks for the reminder, LC. I should have mentioned earlier that the current system is a lot more transparent than the one pre-Tide Pride. Before, it was about who you knew, and how close that person was to Coach (or to people who were close to coach -- think degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon) than it was about anything else.

Believe it or not, it's actually easier for the unconnected fan to get tickets now than it was then. You just write a check. Yes, it's a big one, and no it's not a lot of fun, and yes it's out of the reach of a lot of people who profess to be bigger fans than others who actually have tickets. But you have a choice....pay the money and get the tickets, or don't write the check and scramble and #*()$& and moan about not having them.

Make no mistake...I'm not saying that Tide Pride is entirely without its politics. No way you have a distribution system for 50,000 - 70,000 tickets when demand is twice that, and not have some. I'm just saying it's a lot less than it was in the 1970s, and it's a lot easier for an unconnected fan to see a game live, whether in person or on TV, than it was then -- when Denny Stadium had a capacity of 63,000, Legion Field was 78,000 -- and we were lucky to have 2-3 games a year on TV.

The fact that the legislature pays now actually represents progress.

 

[TideJunkie]

TideJunkie might not see anything wrong with it, but most of us do.

When purchasing seasons tickets everyone has the option to buy or not to buy. Is it just the fact that the politicians got a break on the tickets or the fact that you have to join Tide Pride to get them? Years ago I gave up my seasons tickets for the Buccaneers because a.) I refused to pay the seat deposit and b.) because of the seat deposit the tickets were priced out of my budget. And Tide Pride is basically the same as the seat deposit. Someone has to pay for the the additions and upkeep of Bryant-Denny and with Alabama being a state funded college I'm sure that some strings were pulled and deals made for the betterment of the school. It's business and thats just the way things are. So no I don't have a problem with it. It's not like they were using my money or illegally gotten gains.

 

[Lady Crimson]

After reading all the comments I think what is being overlooked is that UA is not the culprit here, it is the event and/or venue organizers.

Alabama's ticket office is allotted a set amount of tickets by the event and/or venue and distributes those tickets according to their Tide Pride rules.

The real problem is that the schools involved are not being alotted enough tickets by the event organizers (BCS, Georgia Dome, Suger Bowl, Cowboy Stadium) to satisfy the demand of their fan base.

It appears the event/venue is selling almost 1/3 of the total tickets to the highest bidder who are the ticket brokers. Others are going to local businesses (hotels, travel agencies, so on)

That is why many of the "fans" are getting shafted!

Just wait and watch, the ticket brokers and travel agencies will start listing tickets and travel packages by the thousands once the schools have distributed their inadequate allotment of tickets.

In fact they already are:
http://goldensports.com/Michigan_Vs__Alabama_Travel_Packages_Details.aspx

 

[Giant Squid]

It's business and thats just the way things are. So no I don't have a problem with it. It's not like they were using my money or illegally gotten gains.

So you have no problem with state legislators getting tickets for face value without paying the Tide Pride fees that everyone else in the state would have to pay, and you also have no problem with elected officials receiving "perks" from the same government funded institutions whose budgets they determine?

 

[Black Warrior]

Why is it I feel the same folks that voted for these self indulgent clowns are the one screaming the loudest about them getting perks? What's wrong with this picture?

 

[TideJunkie]

So you have no problem with state legislators getting tickets for face value without paying the Tide Pride fees that everyone else in the state would have to pay, and you also have no problem with elected officials receiving "perks" from the same government funded institutions whose budgets they determine?

Not particularly. I personally couldn't care less if they got their tickets above, below or at face value. It has no bearing on my day to day life. As long as they do the jobs that they were elected to do and do them well I really don't care one way or the other. If they don't do the jobs they were elected to do then on election day I cast my vote for someone who will.

 

[Titans&Tide]

Not particularly. I personally couldn't care less if they got their tickets above, below or at face value. It has no bearing on my day to day life. As long as they do the jobs that they were elected to do and do them well I really don't care one way or the other. If they don't do the jobs they were elected to do then on election day I cast my vote for someone who will.

Bingo! Thank you very much!

 

[Lady Crimson]

Politicians...

 

[BamaInMo1]

The politicians are paying face value without having to fork over big bucks to join Tide Pride. That is the problem. I'm pretty sure they can buy tickets to API games without having to join their version of Tide Pride.

I got tickets at face value this past season and I didn't fork out Big Money to Tide Pride either. Am I crooked? or just a little smarter?

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I got tickets at face value this past season and I didn't fork out Big Money to Tide Pride either. Am I crooked? or just a little smarter?

Well, you've established your ethics and/or IQ are no worse than on par with members of the Alabama state legislature. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[BamaGoose]

When purchasing seasons tickets everyone has the option to buy or not to buy. Is it just the fact that the politicians got a break on the tickets or the fact that you have to join Tide Pride to get them? Years ago I gave up my seasons tickets for the Buccaneers because a.) I refused to pay the seat deposit and b.) because of the seat deposit the tickets were priced out of my budget. And Tide Pride is basically the same as the seat deposit. Someone has to pay for the the additions and upkeep of Bryant-Denny and with Alabama being a state funded college I'm sure that some strings were pulled and deals made for the betterment of the school. It's business and thats just the way things are. So no I don't have a problem with it. It's not like they were using my money or illegally gotten gains.

While not illegal, it is unethical when regular Joe has to fork out more than face value to get season tickets..

 

[Bamabuzzard]

While not illegal, it is unethical when regular Joe has to fork out more than face value to get season tickets..

I'm not sure all the "perks" that one is paying for regarding being a member of TP. I'm just going what I can gather on here. But just going by what I've gathered on this board I can somewhat understand why some would be upset. What's the benefit in forking out extra money to ensure you get a shot at tickets when tickets are going to be given out at face value to other people, and politicians of all people, without having to go through the same process?

I guess it would be like when people go to these amusement parks and spend the extra cash to get a "Fast Pass" that is suppose to get you to the front of the line quicker and ensure a ride without having to wait over an hour. Only to have the park begin allowing a lot of other people to go in front of you who only paid the price for a regular ticket. I'd be ticked as well. But that's just me.

 

[BamaInMo1]

Well, you've established your ethics and/or IQ are no worse than on par with members of the Alabama state legislature. Take that for what it's worth.

#1 you have no clue about my ethics because in this little excercise you jumped strait to conclusions and judgement (much as I thought some probably would ). I was offered the ticket at face value from one of your fellow Tide Pride members. What is that the Bible says? Oh yeah, Judge not lest ye also be judged.

You also have no clue as to what my IQ is. We could get into all that but it really wouldn't be worth arguing about.

 

[Crimson1967]

If a Tide Pride member chooses to sell you a ticket at face value, that's a whole different matter than an elected official getting to buy it by virtue of their office.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

#1 you have no clue about my ethics because in this little excercise you jumped strait to conclusions and judgement (much as I thought some probably would ). I was offered the ticket at face value from one of your fellow Tide Pride members. What is that the Bible says? Oh yeah, Judge not lest ye also be judged.

You also have no clue as to what my IQ is. We could get into all that but it really wouldn't be worth arguing about.

You brought your ethics into it when you asked the hypothetical question of whether your actions were crooked. You brought your IQ into it when you asked a second hypothetical question of whether you were "just smarter" (your words) than those who went about getting tickets in another manner. Then you got sensitive when I pointed out that the Alabama state legislature isn't exactly a sterling standard, saying that I have no idea what your IQ is. That's true. I don't. I know only what you compared it to, and that's what I commented on.

Strikes me that you were neither crooked nor smart. You were a boat floating on a tide over which you had no control, dumb stumbling lucky that a Tide Pride member chose to sell you tickets at below market. And face value for a season package is below market.

 

[GP for Bama]

So much for those folks being public servants.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

#1 you have no clue about my ethics because in this little excercise you jumped strait to conclusions and judgement (much as I thought some probably would ). I was offered the ticket at face value from one of your fellow Tide Pride members. What is that the Bible says? Oh yeah, Judge not lest ye also be judged.

You also have no clue as to what my IQ is. We could get into all that but it really wouldn't be worth arguing about.

Man you kind of brought it upon yourself. LOL! Don't ever put your name in the same sentence as politicians.

 

[BamaInMo1]

You brought your ethics into it when you asked the hypothetical question of whether your actions were crooked. You brought your IQ into it when you asked a second hypothetical question of whether you were "just smarter" (your words) than those who went about getting tickets in another manner. Then you got sensitive when I pointed out that the Alabama state legislature isn't exactly a sterling standard, saying that I have no idea what your IQ is. That's true. I don't. I know only what you compared it to, and that's what I commented on.

Strikes me that you were neither crooked nor smart. You were a boat floating on a tide over which you had no control, dumb stumbling lucky that a Tide Pride member chose to sell you tickets at below market. And face value for a season package is below market.

I'll assure you I didn't bumble or stumble into anything. I'll also assure you that I'm not sensitive about your comments. I just get tired of those who think they're better than anyone else and have a monopoly on things because they may happen to donate more money than someone else and because someone else got a better deal then they are either wrong or just crooked/deceitful. So some people got a good deal. So what. Those politicians (not really trying to defend them even though it will sound like it) bring alot of money to the University of Alabama in alot of other ways. And besides that, unless any of us are personal friends none of us really know which ones my be Tide Pride members or not. My whole point is that people are really too quick to judge others and just because they may have to donate or whatever and someone else doesn't it really isn't gonna change much by crying over it.

As far as my IQ goes, I'll remind you that Albert Einstein (sp?) failed math more than once. How'd that work out for him?

 

[BamaInMo1]

Man you kind of brought it upon yourself. LOL! Don't ever put your name in the same sentence as politicians.

I knew I would on that end, but people just need to quit crying over every little thing. I'm not a fan of politicians and don't really think any of them are looking out for those they are supposed to serve, but anyone on here who would come on here and say they wouldn't take someone up on a deal like that just would not be totaly honest.

 

[kyallie]

That's not the point. Fans who pay big bucks for Tide Pride, look around and see people (politicians) who get the same tickets at face value, who may not be even Bama fans, even *barn fans, it's just not right. If the U of A has extra tickets, they should be used for U of A only. It goes on for the other schools, and should be handled the same way, IMHO.