Future basketball season tickets

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Another thing that isn’t being discussed is the relationships with the premium seat owners that are not faculty/staff or license holders. Technically they might have been required to make donations, but many (probably most) of those were doing it voluntarily anyway. If somebody made a $50,000 donation in the past it is doubtful that they were being threatened with seat forfeiture if they don’t pony up each following year. Donations might not be required, but if not made no doubt they’d be getting calls encouraging them to donate. It is also a favorable tax treatment for donations to decouple them as requirements to obtain tickets. Voluntary donations would be 100% deductible. Donations that are required to purchase seats aren’t necessarily fully deductible.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The information about less overall cost being fed to the common fans is very different than the one-on-one information that is being shared with the big donors. The relationships are entirely different. The 5 and 6 figure donations aren’t actually going away by removing them as requirements for seat retention in most cases. They’ve been tipped off before the information was released to the general public and it has been explained to them how even though a required donation has been eliminated, they really need the donations to continue. There will be a lot of pressure and shaming of those insiders that choose to stop donating. Again, the “forced” donations really apply the the small quantity of buyers bidding for the small supply of seats being freed up each year.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Kick all the blue hairs out and make it all fair game, problem solved and they’ll sell a record number of basketball season tickets.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Also, even if donations won’t be required… making one will land you close to the 50 yard line while not making a “voluntary” donation will put you at the 15 yard line. Same ticket price for the blocked off area, but not identical viewing perspectives.

Anybody calling the ticket office to buy a pair on the 50 without a donation will be laughed at or hung up on.

I’m also interested if there are any guarantees that the same seats can be kept tear-to-year. I’d reckon that there are none. Future surcharges for the better seats probably will be added before long as well. The left side of section 107 won’t be priced the same as the right side of section 106 very long (if ever).

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Kick all the blue hairs out and make it all fair game, problem solved and they’ll sell a record number of basketball season tickets.

The point is that it is not fair. Existing arrangements are being torn up. The whole concept is to confiscate seats from long time common fans and to sell them for more. They are stealing.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

They are confiscating thousands of seats. The supply to offer to new buyers is suddenly many multiples higher. Obviously they can no longer charge $10k for a pair in row 35 of section 103 when there are thousands more available after cancelling seat licenses.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

 

[JacketVol]

Kick all the blue hairs out and make it all fair game, problem solved and they’ll sell a record number of basketball season tickets.

Sure, kick out the Big Jim and his family, Alan, Brenda, and Charlie along with all the old boosters. Because we are going to fill the stadium with face value purchasers who only buy tickets and do nothing else. Great plan. I’ll just spend the same and have great seats for the Braves and the one or two games worth actually paying for per season at Neyland. Should make you the AD.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It has not affect me personally one bit. I’d buy floor seats if being seen was important to me. I find it ridiculous that long time fans are being completely discounted by the transient administrators. The TBA couldn’t have been financed and built without the purchasers of the seat licenses. Danny White isn’t going to be a long term employee. It’s a money grab. Long term loyalty is being kicked to the ditch. It’s a bad look for the institution, but that’s been happening for a long time. Maybe since even before Lamar Alexander used UT for his personal gain.

 

[Fullfillmer]

The big savings go to those competing for the small quantity of seats that turnover every year. The majority in the TBA will pay far more since maybe 10,000 lifetime seat licenses are being cancelled. The analysis that the UTAD created and that you are repeating is using the small quantity of NEW ticket buyers’ cost with the initial new pricing chart. What is being left off of their argument is the sunk costs to donors. People that perhaps made one time gifts of $25-$50,000 that were not required to make annual gifts. Donors that made those large donors in the past and have had seats in “U” or “T” haven’t been required to pay an annual ransom to keep their seats. But if they gave those seats up the cost to the next guy would be 5 figures. Most of the one time $50k donors probably kick in annual gifts of a few thousand voluntarily anyway.

Comparing the cost of the (maybe) 5% churn with the tens of thousands of legacy seats being taken away isn’t a valid comparison. It makes for a good PR narrative to justify their cancelling grandfathered deals. The seat license holders and the families of faculty/staff don’t have much power to push back. The UTAD is stealing from long time fans.

This is correct - and how is a lifetime seat license not a license for a lifetime? Seems a little bait and switchy to me.

 

[cardvolfan]

This is correct - and how is a lifetime seat license not a license for a lifetime? Seems a little bait and switchy to me.

It’s wrong no matter the circumstances. The interesting part will be when one of these lifetime license holders sues the university for breach of contract. That could open up a whole new can of worms. Will lawsuits happen? Maybe, maybe not.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It’s wrong no matter the circumstances. The interesting part will be when one of these lifetime license holders sues the university for breach of contract. That could open up a whole new can of worms. Will lawsuits happen? Maybe, maybe not.

No doubt the UTAD has spent a fortune on lawyers to examine everything and come up with tactics to address the pushback. They’re planning that any individual putting up $1,000/seat 35 years ago won’t be hiring good lawyers of their own to fight. If anybody does decide to spend thousands to fight for their seat license, UT probably just says “okay, you can keep your seats” and then waits out the lifetimes of those specific cases. BUT those seats now costs $1,750 each instead of $500.

Class action lawsuits would be interesting.

 

[cardvolfan]

No doubt the UTAD has spent a fortune on lawyers to examine everything and come up with tactics to address the pushback. They’re planning that any individual putting up $1,000/seat 35 years ago won’t be hiring good lawyers of their own to fight. If anybody does decide to spend thousands to fight for their seat license, UT probably just says “okay, you can keep your seats” and then waits out the lifetimes of those specific cases. BUT those seats now costs $1,750 each instead of $500.

Class action lawsuits would be interesting.

Yes, I thought the university would just appease any individuals who ruffled their feathers. The class action lawsuits would be a whole other animal.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Yes, I thought the university would just appease any individuals who ruffled their feathers. The class action lawsuits would be a whole other animal.

The seat licenses kind of work themselves out with the jacked up cost of the tickets. Got a seat license? Want to keep your sideline seats? No problem. That will be $3,500 please.