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White Helmet wrote:

smumustang11 wrote:

Charleston Pony wrote:I understand the loyalty comments and feel bad for those who sat through the down years possibly getting screwed in a new plan, but SMU people are pretty spoiled when it comes to ticket prices and availability. Big time college sports these days are big time costly and we have beetched for years about wanting to join the elite, so if it happens, be prepared to "pony up" for good seats...or any seat at all in our small venues

That may just be the issue that many posters have. "Big time" doesn't equal the NIT championship. "Big Time" = Kentucky. Ticket prices for Kentucky per their website:

For the 2014-2015 season, lower level tickets are $945 each, and upper level tickets are $840 each

These are prices for the best team in the country with a legit chance to win a NCAA title every single year. Call me crazy, and maybe I'm missing some donations requirements somewhere, but our ticket prices now aren't that far off. For 1 NIT appearance and a 4-3 record as of today. I agree with you that when we hit "Big Time" prices should reflect it, but the University is risking losing their most dedicated fanbase due to pricing slightly less or equally to Kentucky when we haven't been to the NCAA tourney since 1993.

What is the required donation to purchase those seats?

Doesn't look like there is one, but there is a lottery for non-renewed upper deck seats each year.

smusic 00 wrote:

White Helmet wrote:

smumustang11 wrote:
That may just be the issue that many posters have. "Big time" doesn't equal the NIT championship. "Big Time" = Kentucky. Ticket prices for Kentucky per their website:

For the 2014-2015 season, lower level tickets are $945 each, and upper level tickets are $840 each

These are prices for the best team in the country with a legit chance to win a NCAA title every single year. Call me crazy, and maybe I'm missing some donations requirements somewhere, but our ticket prices now aren't that far off. For 1 NIT appearance and a 4-3 record as of today. I agree with you that when we hit "Big Time" prices should reflect it, but the University is risking losing their most dedicated fanbase due to pricing slightly less or equally to Kentucky when we haven't been to the NCAA tourney since 1993.

What is the required donation to purchase those seats?

Doesn't look like there is one, but there is a lottery for non-renewed upper deck seats each year.

I don't think there is one for the upper level, but mid-level is a $1k donation per seat I think. (And obviously gets higher the closer you are...)

White Helmet wrote:

smumustang11 wrote:

Charleston Pony wrote:I understand the loyalty comments and feel bad for those who sat through the down years possibly getting screwed in a new plan, but SMU people are pretty spoiled when it comes to ticket prices and availability. Big time college sports these days are big time costly and we have beetched for years about wanting to join the elite, so if it happens, be prepared to "pony up" for good seats...or any seat at all in our small venues

That may just be the issue that many posters have. "Big time" doesn't equal the NIT championship. "Big Time" = Kentucky. Ticket prices for Kentucky per their website:

For the 2014-2015 season, lower level tickets are $945 each, and upper level tickets are $840 each

These are prices for the best team in the country with a legit chance to win a NCAA title every single year. Call me crazy, and maybe I'm missing some donations requirements somewhere, but our ticket prices now aren't that far off. For 1 NIT appearance and a 4-3 record as of today. I agree with you that when we hit "Big Time" prices should reflect it, but the University is risking losing their most dedicated fanbase due to pricing slightly less or equally to Kentucky when we haven't been to the NCAA tourney since 1993.

What is the required donation to purchase those seats?

this is big time and about as big as it gets. Duke would be more difficult due to size obviously and generations of family tickets.

At the end of the day I'm sure this is all being driven by large money donor's who can't get decent seats in the new moody because others beat them to it. I'm sure these large money donors are complaining like crazyto SMU, so SMU has to find a solution. The solution they came up with is they will raise prices to the level the big money donors are willing to pay and if previous season ticket holders want to keep their great seats (like center court) they got to step up and pay the market price.

I don't think this is about squeezing current ticket holders as much as aligning the price with what other substantial friends of SMU are willing to pay.

Pony_Law wrote:I don't think this is about squeezing current ticket holders as much as aligning the price with what other substantial friends of SMU are willing to pay.

I hope/think this is the case. I don't think they'll get me squeezed out this time, but if they ever do I'll be able to sit happily on my couch knowing I'm watching a team with a ton of support. And I'm sure I'll still be able to grab tickets to a few games a year.

On the other hand, if I'm sitting at home watching an almost empty arena I'm gonna get pissed.

"SMU Section F" I'll be able to sit happily on my coach knowing I'm watching a team with a ton of support.

Is your coach comfortable?

Pony_Law wrote:At the end of the day I'm sure this is all being driven by large money donor's who can't get decent seats in the new moody because others beat them to it. I'm sure these large money donors are complaining like crazyto SMU, so SMU has to find a solution. The solution they came up with is they will raise prices to the level the big money donors are willing to pay and if previous season ticket holders want to keep their great seats (like center court) they got to step up and pay the market price.

I don't think this is about squeezing current ticket holders as much as aligning the price with what other substantial friends of SMU are willing to pay.

This is not being driven by big donors complaining. That's just outright foolish. This is not in response to last season either. That is just [deleted] poor speculation.

We are doing this now because the plan was to do it as a last phase of New Moody. Last season, we absolutely couldn't do it because the coliseum was not complete until halfway through the season. This past offseason saw new floor seats (row 2) on both east and west baselines and building the hall of fame club into the east baseline stands. We now have a complete coliseum; this is the most appropriate/early time to do it; otherwise, we would have to do it every year (like Kansas).

I am saying this as I know it to be fact. I left the Board of Trustees Athletic Committee Meeting ("Athletics Trustee Standing Committee") where we celebrated with Coach Morris for his birthday barely an hour ago and am President Elect of the Mustang Club Board. I have been intimate with the details of this plan since they were first presented to anyone outside of the department, and there are dozens of posters on this site that can verify that.

And for all of the people that think our tickets are more expensive that Kentucky’s. It isn’t even in the same hemisphere.

http://www.kfundonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/RUPP-ARENA-Diagram-KFUND-2014.jpg

25 rows up in the baseline is still $1,000 per seat donation plus tickets. So, $4,000 for top row flat baseline. Ours are $1,000 and twice as close to the floor.

A pair in our midcourt sections next year will run $1,800. A pair in their midcourt, which goes up 25 rows compared to our 11, would be just less than $6,890.

Our entire arena fits in their lower bowl.

Please just be patient.

It's not about ticket prices for me and frankly this is a red herring. It's about not being given the opportunity to purchase my seats at whatever ticket price they set. I have said, as well as others here, that I am willing to pay the ticket price or see what it is and consider it, but the reseating is NOT about that. It's about donors who were slow to recognize a potential good product are now pissed that they have to sit behind the riff raff and they don't like it. This whole thing stinks with elitism.

This plan was in motion long before that. Is the athletic department thrilled that New Moody coincided with Larry, NIT, and all of this energy? Of course.

This plan has been the plan since New Moody was on paper. They didn't get to do it when Moody reopened because of timing (midseason home opener) and only partial completion. They just finished construction this last offseason. Now, they're trying to be respectful of the fan base and give everyone an opportunity to understand the plan LONG in advance of it actually happening.

If you say this is because donors complained or they see a money grab, you're purely speculating, and there is absolutely no truth to it. None.

And the "my tickets" comment is ludicrous. How long have they been "your tickets?" If they were yours under Dougherty, you'll have right of first refusal. If they've only been "your tickets" under Brown, I feel no pain for you. You didn't exactly get here before anyone else.

#Iam1of197

Whatever.

2nd, thank you for your extra service advancing SMU, but you may want to consider deferring to the meeting. Despite what I'm sure are your very best intentions, I'm not sure you're sticking the landing on your efforts. Just my two cents.

CoxMustangFan wrote:2nd, thank you for your extra service advancing SMU, but you may want to consider deferring to the meeting. Despite what I'm sure are your very best intentions, I'm not sure you're sticking the landing on your efforts. Just my two cents.

I agree. Swimming upstream. Heading back to the other boards.

CoxMustangFan wrote:2nd, thank you for your extra service advancing SMU, but you may want to consider deferring to the meeting. Despite what I'm sure are your very best intentions, I'm not sure you're sticking the landing on your efforts. Just my two cents.

Germany 3.9 - Russia 2.4 - Mexico 3.9 - Sweden 2.9 - OTP 10.0

Mestengo wrote:

CoxMustangFan wrote:2nd, thank you for your extra service advancing SMU, but you may want to consider deferring to the meeting. Despite what I'm sure are your very best intentions, I'm not sure you're sticking the landing on your efforts. Just my two cents.

Germany 3.9 - Russia 2.4 - Mexico 3.9 - Sweden 2.9 - OTP 10.0

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