The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/opinion/2004/09/03/staffeditorialathleticsbayoubuckettickets

September 3, 2004 > Opinion > Rice-UH ticketing discourages attendance

Rice-UH ticketing discourages attendance

By The Rice Thresher Editorial Staff | Thresher Editorial Staff

The Athletic Department tried to prevent a repeat of last year’s Reliant Stadium ticket fiasco — when students were forced to wait outside the ticket office for upper-deck seats after the student section sold out — for Sunday’s game against the University of Houston, but its “solution” has only made matters worse.

Requiring students to buy tickets by this afternoon, 47 hours before kickoff, does not make sense for this particular game. City rivalry notwithstanding, the Rice-UH game is not likely to fill Reliant Stadium the way the University of Texas game did last year. The student section itself is also not likely to sell out, rendering pre-planned tickets pointless.

There is not enough interest in the game among the Rice student body to begin with, and requiring students to plan their Sunday afternoon at least two days in advance is not a realistic approach to encouraging student support. In fact, the way the Athletic Department handled the situation has only served to decrease the likelihood that students will attend the game.

We appreciate the Athletic Department’s attempt to make students aware of the policy by placing an ad in the Thresher, but the department did not contact college sports representatives or campus sports organizations specifically, and clubs like the Rowdy Owls acted on their own to spread the word. Athletics administrators consistently ask for more student support, and they have received it in some sports, like men’s basketball. But the decision to end student ticket distribution two days before the game shows a real and worrisome disconnect between the Athletic Department and the undergraduate student body.

We believe students appreciate the Athletic Department’s decision to provide free shuttles to avoid high parking fees at Reliant, but tickets should also be available on the day of the game to encourage all students to come to the game, not just those dedicated enough to plan ahead.

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