Yeah, it didn't make me happy to share that information, but the reporter was a friend of a friend, and I just didn't want to be made out to be some fair weather fan. And I really would rather just give tickets away to those crummy games to good Gator fans than sell them at a loss to some stranger. And I've never sold tickets to make money. But having to eat tickets to several games a year and having trouble even giving them away on occasion make me head down the path of just getting less and just scrambling to find an extra ticket or two every once in a while when the whole extended family wants to attend.
From: gatortalk@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatortalk@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Randy Lyons Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 10:48 AM To: gatortalk@googlegroups.com Subject: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] Orlando Sentinel - Some Gators fans turn in season tickets Woohoo! Our own Tracy Gill was mentioned in the article! Tracy! You can always give any unused tickets to me, bro! J Randy From: gatorn...@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatorn...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Woody Bass Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 10:33 AM To: WXIA Subject: [gatornews] Orlando Sentinel - Some Gators fans turn in season tickets http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-75336461/ Some Gators fans turn in season tickets <http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/columnist/2011-12/66468002-02104432.j pg> Beth Kassab Local News Columnist Recent Columns April 11, 2013 I was raised in the Gator faith. So it pains me to say that I can't blame longtime season ticket holders who are giving up the seats they've had for decades. Some Gator fans are making the decision because they feel underappreciated. Pushed out. Forsaken. This isn't a sports column. It's a fan column. Because as the deadline to renew season tickets passed this week, fans were having tough conversations around local dinner tables. "Going to games with my son was a lot of fun," said Ken Clarke, who surrendered the four seats he's had in Section 2, Row 12, of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for 28 years. "I will miss that ... Going to games was a way to spend 12 hours with a friend talking about football, talking about life." Clarke didn't make the choice lightly. He even wrote a letter to Athletic Director Jeremy Foley to explain his reasons. "I have been dismayed at how the Gators have been removed further and further from the average fan like me," wrote Clarke, a former Sentinel employee. "... Have Gator athletics and Gator football become so successful that you no longer feel the need to appeal to fans in the least?" Tough words. Especially for a program that is accustomed to adoration from its fan base. Foley must have thought so, too. He called Clarke after reading the letter. Classy move by Foley, and perhaps a sign that the program recognizes that some average fans are rethinking their devotion - at least in terms of how much money they're willing to spend. Longtime season ticket holders I've talked with are peeved for several reasons. And we're not talking fair-weather fans who won't settle for anything less than a national title. These are fans who were thrilled with last season's surprise 11-2 run, despite a hard-to-watch (and half empty) Sugar Bowl. The biggest complaint is the increase in booster fees during the worst economy of our lifetimes. For many ticket holders, the booster fee has about doubled since 2007. Clarke's per seat fee increased from $125 to $250. Some seats that carried a $400 fee six years ago are now $1,000. The fee in the Touchdown Terrace, a section in the north end zone that comes with a pre-game buffet, was $1,200. Now it's $2,200. Tracy Gill, who has been attending Gator games with his dad since the early '70s, decided to give up two of his family's six tickets this year. "It's just too much money if we're eating quite a few tickets a year," said Gill, an engineer at Kennedy Space Center who lives in east Orlando. Which brings us to another grumble. The Gators' home schedule is typically six games. Two, sometimes three games end up being against the North Dakota Scuba Academy or an equally unaccomplished team. Gill can't give away tickets to some of the match-ups. And the demands of his job and a family with two young kids mean he can't make it to all the games. "It's just that burden of trying to feel like we were using all the tickets was just too much," he said. Add to that closed practices and boosters who pledge undying loyalty only to discover their kid wasn't admitted and you have a stew of discontent. And that's not even counting the thing all universities must contend with: Fans who opt to skip the trek to campus and watch the game in HD from the comfort of their couch. No seat-back or sunscreen required. Gator football spokesman Steve McClain said the final numbers aren't in, but ticket sales overall are slightly ahead of last year's pace as of the Tuesday deadline. He said the jump in booster fees is largely the result of tuition increases, which have driven the cost of athletic scholarships up by $3 million since 2008, and other costs. OK. But Foley may have to accept that the Gator faith is still strong even if attendance at games isn't. bkas...@tribune.com Woody (via iPhone) -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorNews" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gatornews+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gatortalk+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gatortalk+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
