Anybody going to the reseat discussion Dec. 11?

[diamond_tom]

The thing that bums me the most is the separate football / basketball donations.

Looks like I will have to decide now. I can't afford both.

Will I have to give up my boulevard spot, if I am going to designate my donations for basketball? Bummer.

Maybe I'll just stick with football, hoping HCCM brings us back. Watch basketball on TV.

Or should I stick with basketball, which is much more fun right now and come back to football later. But I know my boulevard spot will be gone forever?

[Pony ^]

Moody Magic will soon be Moody Morgue. Coming to a stadium near you, next year.

[Pony ^]

They are really screwing football over in this process also. Forcing people to choose between each sport.

[CoxMustangFan]

I wanted to receive info directly from SMU before responding, too much. Had a couple calls with SMU this morning and as of right now here's what I understand to be the case:

- An e-mail and website will be published this next week to provide details for all.
- Ticket prices will be largely unchanged (can't remember if he said no change or little change).
- Donations will go up and be per seat.
- If you had tickets since the 2011-2012 season, you'll get first right of refusal for your seats.
- New seating will take place based on your DONATION THIS YEAR (this is the part that really pisses me off). The secondary level for determining seat selection will be priority points.
- The general feeling is that if you have seats now, you'll have seats and you'll likely have seats comparable to what you have now. What I wasn't able to clarify (since it didn't apply to me) is what happens if you don't currently have seats, but make a big donation. Will you jump ahead of everyone below you on the current year donation list or will all current season tickets get seats first??

As I told the SMU ticket guys, if they killed the current year donation sorting I would actually be okay with everything. While I have a pretty good priority point number, I'm just floored by the idea that a Johnny Come Lately can jump over me or some long time SMU supporter because he/she wants to cut a check for $1 more.

A lot of it will come down to results. If I end up with comparable seats, I'll not be too worried. I just know some will be unable or unwilling to make a big donation THIS YEAR, so they are going to get screwed unless SMU makes a change. I really don't mind getting priced out fairly, but I should get some shred of respect for supporting this program since I graduated.

Good luck everyone.

[Pony_Law]

I still don't get the point. Big money donors will have tons of priority points. Increased costs will cause people to reduce, downgrade, or drop tickets, opening up more seats for big donors. What is the necessity of 'reseating'? Just to PO everyone?

The only thing that makes logical sense is that with reseating they are encouraging people to up their direct donations to the Mustang club so that they have the priority to repurchase their current season tickets. For instance let's say you are a new season ticket holder with no long term history of donating to SMU, with seats in 202. SMU sets the level saying you need to have donated at least 5k to the Mustang club to be able to purchase tickets in 202 for next year. that person has until May 31st to donate enough to the mustang club to hit the threshold and now is eligible to buy tickets in 202. Thus, SMU gets two cash grabs. 1) they encourage people to donate more money to the MC this year to maintain the priority and 2) they get the increased revenue from increased MC donations and sea prices for the tickets.

[StallionsModelT]

Listen, I know everyone here doesn't want to hear this but we are faced with the reality that our financial stability in the athletics department is on incredibly shaky ground. SMU basketball has shown itself to a fun, exciting, and engaging product. Until we get football to the point where we are putting 23K-27K in the stands consistently, basketball is gonna have to be the breadwinner program. If the extra money bothers you then don't whine when SMU football shuts down like UAB b/c the athletic department and the university will no longer foot the bill for a program that is losing money hand over fist.

IMO, the value of SMU basketball is still incredibly cheap for the product on the floor and the venue. If that is a problem then fine. There will be someone else to take your place. Oh, and I'm a 31 year old alum so I'm not one of the blue hairs with a trust fund. I just understand what the athletic department is faced with financially and that the time to try and strike is now. Everybody ropes, everybody rides. That includes the fans.

[SMU Section F]

There will be someone else to take your place.

I'm with you on almost everything else you said, except this one. And it's a big one. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Also, I know I'm way in the minority on this one, but if Chad Morris doesn't work out and our football program doesn't make any progress I'd be OK with downgrading or eliminating football. I don't think it will happen though.

[CoxMustangFan]

Listen, I know everyone here doesn't want to hear this but we are faced with the reality that our financial stability in the athletics department is on incredibly shaky ground. SMU basketball has shown itself to a fun, exciting, and engaging product. Until we get football to the point where we are putting 23K-27K in the stands consistently, basketball is gonna have to be the breadwinner program. If the extra money bothers you then don't whine when SMU football shuts down like UAB b/c the athletic department and the university will no longer foot the bill for a program that is losing money hand over fist.

IMO, the value of SMU basketball is still incredibly cheap for the product on the floor and the venue. If that is a problem then fine. There will be someone else to take your place. Oh, and I'm a 31 year old alum so I'm not one of the blue hairs with a trust fund. I just understand what the athletic department is faced with financially and that the time to try and strike is now. Everybody ropes, everybody rides. That includes the fans.

Some real truth to this, and I agree for the most part. Again, the one area that bugs me is that they're essentially throwing out the priority point system. I guess I'll force RGV into a seizure and say "it is what it is...".

[StallionsModelT]

There will be someone else to take your place.

I'm with you on almost everything else you said, except this one. And it's a big one. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Me and three buddies have season tickets and I get multiple calls for every home game by old classmates/friends that never even knew Moody existed that want to attend games. Last year I sold my Louisville ticket for $220 b/c I was out of town on business.

Yes. Someone will be there to take your place.

[SMU Section F]

There will be someone else to take your place.

I'm with you on almost everything else you said, except this one. And it's a big one. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Me and three buddies have season tickets and I get multiple calls for every home game by old classmates/friends that never even knew Moody existed that want to attend games. Last year I sold my Louisville ticket for $220 b/c I was out of town on business.

Yes. Someone will be there to take your place.

Please let them know UIC tickets are ~$8 on StubHub. USF tickets are ~$20. Memphis tickets are ~$50 and will more than likely decrease significantly a week before the game. They're welcome to attend games anytime.

[Prideful Pony]

But are those guys going to show up against UCSB or UIC? You can't price a program on the basis of a couple of marquee games. Those tickets are supposed to be the value you get for buying into the not-so-marquee games.

From what I can tell, most season tickets holders aren't upset that the price is going up -- they're upset that they're not getting first option on their existing tickets at the new price.

Now I don't have season tickets myself, although I've been keeping close tabs because I'd like to. If anything, this news might give me a chance if I'm willing to throw cash at it. But I can understand their frustration -- there's something inherently sleazy about telling folks that their tickets are up for auction and that they don't even have first option. Where's even a modicum of returned loyalty when you're asking for donations on the basis of loyalty?

[Sacco]

Yeah, that was last year that you could sell tickets for $200+ a game. I'm back to not being able to give away my tickets this year if I can't make a game.... That's one of the problems, here. They're trying to strike while the iron's hot, and the iron's not all that hot right now.

Again, as a young alum attorney (with an engineer wife), it's puzzling that they seem not to care about the perception to future potential big-time donors.

[SMU Section F]

From what I can tell, most season tickets holders aren't upset that the price is going up -- they're upset that they're not getting first option on their existing tickets at the new price.

This. I'm one of the lucky ones. I'll get to keep my seats. And it actually doesn't sound like they're gonna gouge anyone with higher prices.

The problem is kicking season ticket holders out of their seats and requiring them to "bid" for high enough priority to get them back. A lot of younger alumni are getting screwed and are pissed. I don't think this is the way you rehabilitate an aging fan base.

[StallionsModelT]

This time of attitude is why SMU athletics (probably football first) will fail. Our alumni and fans are either too apathetic to adapt or too stubborn to accept change. Like I said in an earlier post, the athletic department knows what its up against financially. The only product they currently have that is of value to the consumer is basketball. You want SMU to be a D1A football program? You want us to continue to build new facilities like an IPF and renovate our existing locker rooms and coaches offices? You want increased budgets for recruiting? You want increased salaries for assistant coaches?

There are always going to reasons to talk yourself out of a purchase. The stark reality here is that without squeezing every dime out of our breadwinner basketball program we aren't going to be able to keep up the fight on the football front. Next year, in all likelihood, we will return Nic Moore, Keith Frazier, Ben Moore, Markus Kennedy (maybe...), and add Sedrick Barefield and Shake Milton. That team might be able to contend for something special. As long as LB is here we will be an exciting and engaging product. Either you get with it or you get gone.

[CoxMustangFan]

From what I can tell, most season tickets holders aren't upset that the price is going up -- they're upset that they're not getting first option on their existing tickets at the new price.

This. I'm one of the lucky ones. I'll get to keep my seats. And it actually doesn't sound like they're gonna gouge anyone with higher prices.

The problem is kicking season ticket holders out of their seats and requiring them to "bid" for high enough priority to get them back. A lot of younger alumni are getting screwed and are [deleted]. I don't think this is the way you rehabilitate an aging fan base.

That's it. They're throwing everyone's seats (not here 2011-2012 or prior) on eBay and making you buy back in. Essentially, fans limited on $$ (regardless of priority point level) will be downgraded or dropped.