I personally do not like football, but I do like going to the games. I enjoy witnessing the thousands of people coming together for a common cause: to scream "Go Vols!" But I think it is outrageous to make the students pay for tickets to the football games.
On April 10, in a Daily Beacon article, Athletics Director Mike Hamilton announced that students will be required to pay $15 for a single ticket or $90 for a season pass. I think this it ridiculous.
The athletic department's argument is that UT, along with Vanderbilt and University of South Carolina , were the only schools still giving free football tickets away to students within the Southeastern Conference.
Maybe if the athletic department wouldn't pay for the entire team's family, including the dog and grandmother, to come see sporting events, then there would be more money.One, they are not "free." We pay for them in tuition and student activities fees whether we go to a game or not. Two, what is with this "trying to be like others" mantra UT has suddenly adopted.
First it was the grading scale, which is just to get another accolade, and now this. What happened to being different and being a leader? You know, the stuff they are teaching us in class.
Why should the students have to suffer because the athletic department over spent its own budget. That is not my problem. Hamilton said that the student fee is subject to financial increase in various areas including coaching, salaries, athletic scholarships and travel fees.
Maybe if the athletic department wouldn't pay for the entire team's family, including the dog and grandmother, to come see sporting events, then there would be more money. If they stop building new stadiums and fields for sports that have embarrassingly low attendance they would have money.
I have nothing against softball, volleyball or soccer, but there are not enough fans that go to those games to spend millions of dollars on renovating a patch of green grass. Although we have some of the best players in the country, I doubt they care if the stadium seating is state-of the-art or if the lights that shine on them from the sky are taller or shine brighter than the sun.
The athletic department stated that the student activities fee will not go up, but they did look at that option - Yeah right! Just like tuition; we all know how that goes. It might not go up directly, but it will be tacked on there somewhere.
We the students do not know the actual costs to provide this. So if you think just because the section that says "student activities" on your VOLXpress Statement will not increase, you're wrong and probably should not be in college.
Comments
Hunter commented, on April 14, 2008 at 12:59 p.m.:
First off, the tickets were never free. The money from the student activities fee goes to the women's athletic department, not the men.
Also, the athletic facilities being built are entirely supported by private donations, and are not included in the athletic department's budget. So the student ticket fee will not go to the Neyland renovations or any other athletic facility renovations.
Justin commented, on April 14, 2008 at 5 p.m.:
Here's an idea. If it bothers you that much, don't go.
Or save up a whopping 90 bucks and buy your tickets.
There are numerous fact errors in this "opinion" piece as well.
Cliff Chartrand, TNJN Sports Editor commented, on April 14, 2008 at 9:07 p.m.:
A lot of the assertions in this are wrong.
First of all, athletes' entire families are not provided with accommodations to games. Players get up to 4 tickets apiece for guests for football. They do not get hotel reservations or anything else. Anything more than that would qualify as an NCAA violation and get the violating team put on probation.
Also, as has already been said, students are not paying for renovations. Those are paid for by private donors and the number of seats in the stands and height/brightness of the lights are not the biggest costs associated.
There is much more in all of those stadiums (locker rooms, places for studying, etc.) than you could ever imagine, and it's because of that kind of stuff that the elite players want to play at Tennessee.
If you don't want to pay to go to the games then don't. I'm sure the higher-ups will have no problem cutting some of the empty student seating in the future and giving those seats to alumni and fans who will pay over twice as much as the students are being asked to pay.
With that said, I don't think the season ticket is worth it this season. Florida and Alabama are the only two games that will be significantly better to see in person than on the television, so I'll be saving the money and just going to select games.
Jessica commented, on April 14, 2008 at 10:32 p.m.:
While I think it's inconvenient to require that we pay for season tickets, my main issue is the University's claim that we paid for them through our Activities Fee. I haven't been on a tour since 2004, but in every tour and at Orientation I've been to here, we were all were told that we didn't have to pay for football tickets because they were covered in these fees. If they weren't, the University should never have said that they were. I'd honestly feel better about paying for football tickets if I'd known all along that I had never paid for them through this Activities Fee.
However, as long as we can do whatever we want with these tickets (i.e., sell or transfer them), I won't object to paying for them.
MasterChief commented, on April 15, 2008 at 1:01 a.m.:
I love how stories like this get published on TNJN... the first line "personally don't like football" wow don't complain about the tickets then... publish something more worth while
I'msmarterthanthisguy commented, on April 15, 2008 at 1:22 a.m.:
Everything that needed to be said has already been said. I just want you to know that you are a dumb ass. I might also suggest you should take a 3rd grade grammar class. Save everyone the trouble of commenting on your articles and quit writing because you suck at it.
He has a point commented, on April 15, 2008 at 1:38 a.m.:
I believe the point of the article is still justified. Schools (and athletic programs) have become so money driven that students feel more like a number than a person. It isn't impossible to have a 20K+ school feel personable. Yes, the games may still be sold out as games are pretty inelastic. However, little things like that show how little the school cares about the student as a person and that student will most likely not become a private donor in the future if the school doesn't treat him/her like "family."
EricAinge commented, on April 15, 2008 at 10:36 a.m.:
I would pay to go to a UT game if we could win an SEC championship... or at least beat florida
Ashley commented, on April 15, 2008 at 2:31 p.m.:
The men's football team doesn't receive any portion of our tuition or fee money.
I understand you are angry about the ticket fee because I am upset as well, but using false statements to bolster your argument isn't going to help our cause.
just thought you'd want to know commented, on April 16, 2008 at 10:08 a.m.:
The "new stadiums and fields for sports that have embarrassingly low attendance" is because of Title IX federal laws that mandate 'equality' for mens/womens sports. (Research the details for yourself.) I think this article must be in the opinion section instead of the sports section for a reason. Is that right Cliff?
Katie commented, on April 16, 2008 at 10:10 a.m.:
Every student at UT has a right to an opinion on this. Just because the author isn't a football fan doesn't mean he can't express his opinion.
Jason commented, on April 16, 2008 at 10:16 a.m.:
I think that student fees will continue to go up. They will not stay the same or go down because of this move. This is just another increase. The biggest fan base is the students and they often don't have the cash on hand for a game. It looks to me like they hosed their biggest supporters/fans.
Casey commented, on April 16, 2008 at 10:19 a.m.:
This just goes to show that even in an opinion piece you still have to check your facts. If you put it in print or online and you are lucky enough for people to read it then they will always call you on it if you make a mistake. If you do a good job you probably won't hear from anyone though. It's a rough business.
Justin commented, on April 16, 2008 at 6:45 p.m.:
If the AD was smart, he'd just tack 90 bucks on to everybody's tuition and nobody would notice.
Instead you have a choice and you want to complain?
Seems odd to me.
Quit Complaining commented, on April 17, 2008 at 11:16 a.m.:
Man, this sucks! We actually have to pay to go to a football game! Sure, we can stand SGA not doing anything, the apathy on campus to important issues, bad food, bad hangovers, no money, misplaced priorities and women, but paying for football tickets? That just goes to far!
Volsfan commented, on April 17, 2008 at 11:30 a.m.:
That really sucks that we have to pay now for football tickets! But I'll just go to two games: Florida and Alabama...
you bet wrong commented, on April 17, 2008 at 11:16 p.m.:
If you think that the women atheletes don't also want state of the art facilities because they have lower attendance rates than football, then you are sorely mistaken. These women are not being priveleged to play at a university in the SEC, they've worked their asses off to be here. Yes, they do care that they have equal opportunities to display their talents.
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