Emotions flying high on new season ticket prices
Tech raises football ticket prices
DON WILLIAMS l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Robert Anderson remembers a time this decade when he had season tickets to Texas Tech football, Tech men’s basketball and Tech women’s basketball and paid $99 apiece for each packet.
Anderson, a 41-year-old Lubbock resident, dropped his men’s basketball season tickets first, then in another round of belt tightening dropped his Lady Raiders tickets a couple of years ago.
On Thursday, Tech athletics dropped a hefty price increase on his football season tickets. Anderson is one of the fans who’s been sitting in Section 120 of Jones AT&T Stadium, a prime viewing spot between the 30- and 45-yard lines, at a seemingly bargain price — $220 last year for seven home games.
To keep the same seats next year, Anderson will have to pay $330 for the season tickets, plus fork up a contribution to the Red Raider Club. A $100 contribution will cover four seats, but Anderson had been buying five.
“I knew that that section was too good not to be donor-based, so I knew this day was coming,’’ he said. “But I’m a little blown away by the $110 increase in the ticket. It had been incrementally going up, but $110? … I knew this day was coming. I’d been trying to picture what is the point at which I can’t do it anymore. I’m not sure that I’m there yet, but I’m getting close. Having a coach (Mike Leach) that thinks $2.(4) million a year isn’t enough kind of makes this hard to swallow; I’ll tell you that.’’
Tech fans offered mixed opinions to the new football season-ticket price structure announced Thursday. Most will see their base ticket price go up 10 percent, but the real cost for many will be substantially more since Tech has made a $100 or $150 Red Raider Club contribution mandatory to get season tickets in about three-fourths of stadium.
Plenty of Tech fans weren’t in a great mood to begin with. There’s the difficult economy, the way a memorable season ended with a Cotton Bowl loss, the inability of Tech and Leach to reach agreement on a contract extension and discussions about moving a conference game to a neutral site that’s seemed unpopular with fans.
“I know Tech’s tickets are still among the lowest price in the conference. I know that,’’ Anderson said. “But taking it all in, it’s still upsetting how they go about things sometimes.’’
Joe Arledge’s seats in Section 122, above the rowdy student crowd, remain outside the donor-based umbrella, but his tickets are going up from $190 to $225. He wondered how Tech can justify the 18 percent increase.
“In all seriousness, I think it’s vital to our community that Texas Tech stay competitive,’’ Arledge said. “But with the downturn in our current economic situation, it seems a little excessive.’’
The price increase, if an irritant, won’t keep him from renewing.
“I’m not going to drop my tickets,’’ he said. “If we somehow manage to lose our excellent coach because of our athletic director, yes, that would cause it.’’
Tech senior associate athletic director Steve Uryasz said the price increases have nothing to do with Leach’s contract situation. He cited an extra $3 million needed to cover athletic scholarships.
One of the new donor-based seating locations is Section 2, where Lubbock resident David Coker now has to digest the $100 contribution for the first time as well as his ticket increase from $300 to $330.
Coker views the increase in donor-based sections — from 10 out of 28 last year to 22 out of 28 next season — as “a substantial jump’’ but said he still sees Tech football as “a pretty good bargain.’’
“Since I’ve become a season-ticket holder for about the past five years, I’ve seen the level of play improve,’’ Coker said. “And if we’re going to continue to compete in the Big 12 you’re going to see an increase in ticket prices, but you’re also going to see the stadium improvements, because they’ve done it so far — the west side (stadium building, opened in 2002), and now it’s looking like the east side is going to get under way pretty soon.
“Although I don’t like (paying) more, — especially if we’re going to have to look at going to Dallas to see one of our home games, which I don’t like — you’re still getting a good product, I think, for your money compared to the rest of the conference.’’
Perhaps fans who have the prime seats on the west side of the stadium will feel less of a jolt. Donor-based seating — and for that matter, a personal-seat license charge —— is nothing new to them.
John Billing, a Tech faculty member in the department of landscape architecture, has had season tickets since he came to campus in 1989. Before that, he spent eight years at Ohio State.
Coming from that perspective, Billing said he can understand both sides.
“I think probably the biggest problem with raising ticket prices in Lubbock is we’re not Dallas where salaries and income are comparable,’’ he said. “I know they’re trying to keep competitive with other Big 12 schools. Certainly at Nebraska, and I would assume at Texas … it’s substantially more than what I pay (for tickets) right now.’’
Randy Hendrix, who has sat overlooking the Red Raiders bench for about 20 years, said he sympathizes with those feeling the hit for the first time.
“I’m sorry to see that happen,’’ said Hendrix, a Section 4 season ticket holder. “I think in a lot of ways they’ve disregarded the fans, and I just wouldn’t like to see them raise the prices.’’
Anderson said feeding the football monster leads to other Tech sports falling by the wayside in terms of fan support.
Hence, the reason he gave up season tickets to both Tech basketball teams in recent years.
“I’m sure basketball attendance has been hurt by football (price) increases,’’ he said, “and I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s cut back. People are wondering what happened to the basketball attendance. Well, there you go. I’m an example.’’
To comment on this story:
don.williams@lubbockonline.com l 766-8734
jeff.walker@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735
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I’m a bit curious about this statement:
“Tech senior associate athletic director Steve Uryasz said the price increases have nothing to do with Leach’s contract situation. He cited an extra $3 million needed to cover athletic scholarships.”
Where is this EXTRA 3 million dollars in need coming from? Is that due to tuition hikes? I had heard that athletic scholarships cost right around 6.5 million dollars and the RRC has been covering 3 or so. Is he simply referring to that difference that he’d like to see the RRC make up more of?
Personally, I think the “donation” is a silly idea. Roll it all into the cost of the ticket and don’t call it a donation; it isn’t one. Bumping ticket prices in addition to expanding the “donation” radius is even sillier. I feel for those who are going to be feeling a monetary sting.
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Any talk on upgrading the pathetic OOC schedule to reflect these increases?
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I guess this is what it takes to keep Leach paid and get his assistants the perks he was going to bat for.
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Just fire Gerald. It would be cheaper.
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basketball attendance has been hurt by poor coaching by junior. It’s like watching a highschool team.
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1st post-Graduate 2001. Big changes I’ve noticed since I left Lubbock. One-McDougal owns half the city (mayor makes policy changes and then quits-family subsequently gets even wealthier at expense of the little guy) Two-Tech has taken all of the student’s athletic fees with promise of a bigger/better stadium and what they got in return was an absurdly gigantic wall filled with posh boxes that only the elite can afford/allowed to visit/sit in. Meanwhile the students are still forced to arrive 2 and 3 hours early with the hope of securing a spot in the limited student section. Why didn’t we expand the stadium for the students and the working citizens? A 50,000 plus seat stadium is embarrasing considering the excitement, success that we have had. As a student I thought the fees were going towards a 70-80 thousand seat stadium to compare to Texas, Oklahoma, and A&M. Instead, as I glare into the sunlight- I am only able to make out the McDougals as they clink there crystal glasses of single malt scotch in the castle of box seats above the rest of us in this 2nd tier, 50K plus stadium. As a little guy, thank you for the ticket price increase.
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Hum, cannibalize one sport to pay for others? What’s happening to all the merchandizing money? Can’t that pay for the other sports?
Hey Leach, don’t want to live in Lubbock? You don’t need multi millions to live high on the hog in Lubbock! Either take the money offered or leave. Your fan base is dwindling!
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It’s not just the increase this year…in the past 5 years my 4 tix will have gone from $680 total to now $1950…and that doesn’t include the required RRC donation. Yikes!
West Texas will not let this die…you’re now seeing the public suicide of Gerald Myers and many at the RRC…combine this with the Cotton Bowl debacle, OU national TV bomb, Leach whining over contract, adios Crabtree and Williams, scheduling a Big 12 game in Dallas X The Economy = 34,000 at the season opener versus the Mighty North Dakota Fightin’ Souix (D-IAA…oh, I’m sorry FCS-BS).
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Mens basketball is ranked last in defense…. that’s why no one goes. Remember when Bobby first came to Tech??? He worked them out so hard that several players left the team. Maybe “junior ” needs to kick a few players off the team that don’t show any heart.
At least our first four games in football include 2 teams that went to a bowl last year and only ONE division II team.
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Just don’t schedule us any more SEC conference games – they’re way too much defense for us.
We likes those 56-38 score games were we’re the 56.
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Tech fan 86 ……”Just fire Gerald. It would be cheaper”
Yeah, let’s fire the man who brought Leach to Tech. Afterall, isn’t Leach more committed to Tech than Myers is? And then we can make Leach the AD. And then when Hance retires we can make him Chancellor too. He should also have a power position on the Board of Regents. We need to give Leach enough power where he can negotiate his own contract every year and no one will be in a position to contest it. He won’t even need to hire a lawyer to blame for contract negotiations not going forward. This will all make him happy and prevent him from looking elsewhere……don’t you think? And for those who like the other sports…..get a life…..we don’t really need those sports anyway.
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It is the economy … No way I’m gonna pay those prices when I can watch the important games on TV.
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Well said, Wiz.
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Others have said on here that basically college ball’s purpose is to give a seasoning and platform for athletes to jump to the pros.
Nobody cares that they slap us in the face after 1 or 2 years of college ball. So why would the coaches be any different?
Let the NFL start farm teams with players right outta junior high.
They wouldn’t have to pretend to be students or like the schools. Coaches and everything would be NFL deal & get the colleges out of it altogether, except for renting their stadiums out.
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Someone on RP told another member to just shut up and pony up the money. I thought that was hysterical. I can bet you dollars to donuts that person doesn’t contribute one penny outside of his football tickets to TTU. There is another part of TTU besides football.
The same people complaining about “jr” in basketball are the ones who never came in the first place. As the man in the article said sometimes things have to change. This price increase will make us rethink all of our season tickets to TTU. BTW we sit in section 2 and there’s no way that area should be donor based. The TV cameras block your view – you’re past the goal line. Doesn’t make sense.
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GOTeam you got shade, that’ll cost you here in West Texas. ;-)
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I understand an increase in ticket price from year to year. This has occurred throughout the years and is to be expected. I also understand an increase in donation to the Red Raider Club. However, this year my tickets will increase in price AND there will be a seat option PLUS the Red Raider Club increase. So, my per ticket price will increase from $300 to $385 plus $100 for the seat option. So, I will pay about 60% more per ticket plus the additional $50 to the RRC. That is a drastic increase, not the 10% that keeps floating around. I think the athletic dept should be more sensitive to the fans that have continually supported these programs.
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Should be a reward after 10 years you pay price you paid 10 years ago! There is no reward and looks like no end to sight. Why not increase the 40-40 tickets to $10,000 each. We want to be big boys then let’s go! Y’all can afford them right? Leach needs to be the most paid $20 million coach right? I thought we were conservative here on the South Plains. I personally think GM should retire and his salary be used to pay the costs for the other sports.
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IF you don’t want to pay don’t…there will plenty of other people in line to take your seats.
I think we shoud be more like Neb and require all seats to have to make at least a small donation to the RRC.
I remember the Spike days and never want to go back to that again…and to be able to play w/the big programs we need more $$$!
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Goteam you want your tickets to stay the same and all of the others to increase. Wow ! Gerald did bring Leach here because he was cheap at the time. Myers got Coach Knight because no one else wanted him. He has Junior becuse he is inexperienced and as a favor to Coach Knight. Red Raider fans are going to have to support the teams and they are going to have to pay more. Time are just getting tough and it is hard for rveryone right now.
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I think someone said it best. If you are going to go up on ticket prices, you bettter upgrade that horrible non-conference schedule. If you are going to charge that, then there better not be any non-Division I schools on the schedule. I understand the increase but at the same time, be sure you give the fans their money’s worth.
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I dont think the athletic department is thinking this through all the way. If they are expecting the same amount of people to buy season tickets as last year they are in for a suprise. If this is the case, and they dont sell the amount of season tickets they have projected to make up this $3 million shortfall are we going to have to absorb that difference in our ticket prices for the 2010 season?
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It’s still cheaper than UT or A&M. Can you imagine how Aggies feel paying more for less. Tech needs to raise more money for the program so as a season ticket holder of 4 seats I don’t like it but I do understand it. Like somebody stated earlier, plenty of people will buy up your seats if you let them go. I suggest keeping them while you have the luxury of actually owning season tickets. Somes schools like Texas have long waiting lists just to purchase. Personally, mine are going to my children some day. Hopefully they can afford them at that time.
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I am pretty well connected in a few dallas circles and I know of about 37 season tix that wont be bought by dallas families! and yes Administration…. our families will lose some of the experience to take our kids to games and see tech. that is not helping in recruiting players or the general student body… way to go… so much for having 3rd and 4th generation tech grads… that is how you become UT and A&M… kepp it in the family so it means something… not rape your current alums that already travel 350 miles to come to the games in the first place and already get screwed just to tailgate in the construction that is all around the stadium(none of which is going to help with gameday atmospheres). everyone and everything is so spread out!!! wake up tech alum and administration!!! grow a voice!!!! what ever happened to the guns @ the games??? you can’t even hear them anymore!!!! get your pea shooters up!!!! yippie!!!!
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My two seats for the Huskers cost $1200. That’s pretty good considering the $500 “donation” just to get bumped up on the season ticket list.
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RedJohn Spike did play the big boys not the wenies that Leach and GM schedule.
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Well, for KU, season tickets cost $300 for the 2009-2010 season (I think that includes the $50 discount right now).
The Family Zone tickets cost $450.
So… yeah.
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Yea Tech!
WALLETS UP !!!!
Gots to keep the riff-raff socialists commies OUT !
Come on conservatives! This is YOUR school!
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I SAID, “Cum on Tech Fan 86. You know what secret sauce is. It’s that stuff you swallow right before you get your $20. Or is it $10? I bet you are rich.” Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Haha. Ha.
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Ha.
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have another beer TechFan 86!
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You and Me Gerald! That’s right – w’ell be doin it right when we’re upside down so everybody can kiss our pearly whites!
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Any problems with a 50K plus seat stadium and a wall of skyboxes? How about we build a 80-90K seat stadium for the people rather than for the elite.
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except for 1 or 2 games 30,000 would be quite enough seats.
and they might move those to some neutral site in the near future.
we may have over-built already. especially for a coach with the roving eye. pirates loot & leave.
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Do you believe ESPN’s “Game Day” would cover Tech’s annual game against Baylor?
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PRICE OF THIS GAME!
http://www.ioffer.com/i/81614346
PRICELESS!!!
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For all those cheap SOB’s….the Stadium Club/Suites will RAISE SO MUCH MONEY FOR THE PROGRAM than your $30-40 a seat will…thats why they build them! Which in turn benefits you by being able to keep your ticket prices reasonable…..reasonable for big time college football…not some rinky dink HS program or what Spike threw out there. How do you expect the adminstration to schmooze potential big donors in the bleachers….face it…rich folks like nice stuff…blows that not everyone can be like that…but thats how it is…wouldn’t you like more rich alumni giving big bucks to the school? Just this past fall we had the former AT&T CEO give a mountain of cash to the engineering school.
Bottom line….PAY OR SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!
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Hum. RedraiderJohn, seems like Obama raise more with less (smaller donors) than McCain with his rich fat cats.
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If you are a true raider fan, you want the best for the university and, the football team. You should want Tech to move forward and, it takes money in order to do that. I don’t like paying more money either but, I am willing to do it to help the football program move ahead. If you don’t have the money stay home. It’s like if you don’t have the money to buy a new car, you don’t buy it. Love Tech and want the best for it. I do. I guess if you don’t want the best for the football program you are a pink raider.
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Dog….you need to stay on your porch and keep politics out of this….this is football!
And to make the analogy between the crusty old fossil and what has he done….is weak!
So if your saying that we need to set up online donation for the whole country to give….get on it and back up your claims……
face it we are not in UT/OU league when it comes to $$$ and we have to take steps.
PAY UP OR SHUT UP.
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I wouldnt pay the price you paid 2 years ago to watch a game in your crappy stadium. Before TT goes Boone Pickens on people they might want to look around & see how well it has worked out for OSU to escalate their tix 200X. Not so much, TT will just have a bunch of empty seats, since it is significant travel for even the most die hard fan who doesnt livein Lubbock.
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What I’d really like to know is who are or where are the bulk of the season ticket holders. Are they really all in Lubbock? Or mostly in Lubbock? I mean, yes, the cost of living in Lubbock is much cheaper and salaries aren’t the same as in metro areas, but for people in Lubbock, they also DON’T have to pay any travel costs: any hotel expenses, gas, logistics of travel, etc.
So you get burned either way. But let’s face it – even with a hike, it’s still cheaper than at least 9 or 10 of the other Big 12 programs, and most marquee programs or even mid-level require donor-based fees for the rights to tickets. We’ve been getting a good bargain for sometime, and yes, we do need to upgrade scheduling either way!
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I would say the majority of season ticket holders are from DFW area such as myself. it’s a drive but always worth it when we get there.
Support you school by keeping your seats. You may not be able to get them back some day.
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