A Plea to Husky Nation

[bobbyinaz]

I agree with giving the tickets away to high school coaches and players. The high school games haven't started yet and I would give them away to fill the stands. There should be an outreach to those coaches today. They would be more akin to marketing giveaways, building goodwill with the high schools. Pep rally is tonight on Campus. Hopefully a few more students will get motivated, but I would not want this game to show a lot of empty seats. We can deal later with any outcry from folks who yip about having to pay when others got in free. Fill the Rent Friday night.
And in that light, no one on this board should be straggling in after kickoff. The TV audience needs to see a filled and raucous stadium when the game comes on air. Be in your seats by 6:45. At the very least lets not have any hypocrites from the Boneyard dawdling at their tailgates after 7. Deal?

Unless every ticket in the building is free giving a high school athlete a free ticket is deemed to be a benefit by the NCAA

If it's not an NCAA violation, it will be as soon as it's found out that UCONN is doing it. And, we'll be harshly punished, ex-post-facto.

It is

 

[temery]

Please don't cut and paste articles, even ones from within this site. Post a bit, and a link.

EXCELLENT article from Matt today. Please please please read and spread the word.

A Plea to Husky Nation, Fill the Rent Tomorrow
August 28, 2014 Football
@MattSchonvisky

The field is ready, the players are ready, but are the fans? Photo credit: @UConnVideo

It’s hard to believe that there are still tickets available for the kickoff of a new era of UCONN football, tomorrow night, against BYU at Rentschler Field. Per school officials, who confirmed yesterday evening, there have only been 31,000 tickets sold for the game that kicks off at 7PM, which highlights the start of college football, this Labor Day weekend.

Per the source, that number is ‘total tickets sold for BYU.’ For the die-hard fans that have been asking, this would indeed indicate that that number does include student tickets, as well as the allotment that was given to BYU, who returned 2,000 tickets to UCONN.

There is only one reaction to this and it is urgent, an ask of ALL fans of UCONN ahtletics and anyone that supports a sport that this wonderful school plays, including men’s and women’s basketball.

With the landscape of college athletics changing, there is no more important and pressing issue than the success of the UCONN football program, both real and perceived, this season. A non-sellout, on national television, against one of the top programs in the nation, who have been to nine consecutive bowl games and tout a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, will be a black eye for this school in the minds of administrators of conferences and their member schools, who will be looking to expand, once again, in the not-so-distant future.

A sellout and rocking Rentschler Field tomorrow night, is a must. It will not only indicate to the nation that you, the fans, care about this program and this school, but it will give the players the 12th man that they need tomorrow night. An atmosphere that we all saw for Michigan last season, will go a long way in the perception of where this school stands in the grand scheme of college athletics on ESPN, the showcased game on Friday night, on opening weekend of college football.

If you are a fan of any UCONN sport, do not hold a ticket for tomorrow’s game and are not satisfied with the current conference that UCONN is in and no longer want to be a part of the problem, here is what you can do.

1. PURCHASE A TICKET

UCONN has released discounted tickets on uconnhuskies.com with the promo code: filltherent

Tickets with that code are only $20. Bring additional friends, family members and spend a nice night out tomorrow evening, rooting for the school that you all love. Bringing someone new will help expose more people to the program and build the base of Husky Nation. A positive and energetic stadium will undoubtedly make these first timers want to come back again and again.

For those that have left and not come back over the years, come see what the new coaching staff has in store. They are an energetic, fun and motivating group that has captured the hearts and minds of every single player and member of the staff. An entire buy-in has occurred and they are ready to build on the nation’s 10th longest active winning streak among the top six conference schools and independents, tomorrow night.

2. SPREAD THE WORD

You can do this in any number of ways. Copy and paste this link into an email or text message and send to all of your friends, family members and co-workers that either live in and around Connecticut, or have at any time supported UCONN athletics, including during last year’s National Championship run for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

Two-hundred thousand people showed up for a parade a few months ago in Hartford to celebrate dual national championships in basketball, only 20% of you need to come to the game for it to be sold out.

Copy and paste this onto your Facebook feed. All of your friends and connections will see this. Some will pull the trigger, others will do the same, as you help spread the word to more.

3. IF YOU ARE ON THE FENCE

If you are unsure and hesitant to go, have never been to Rentschler Field before or think that last season’s 0-9 start indicates that this season will begin the same way, all that the coaches, players and fans of the program ask, is that you give them a chance.

QB Casey Cochran is coming off of a record-setting performance of 461 yards and 4 TD’s. He set the school record for most passing yards in a game that day, breaking the previous record of Dan Orlovsky.

New head coach Bob Diaco is the most energetic and innovative coach in today’s game. Come see what he and his staff are all about.

An ultimatum has clearly been given to UCONN by fellow conferences and rival schools that the UCONN athletic department has tried to extend to fans. The success of this football season and the fan support that they get is priority one in terms of future expansion for the ACC and Big Ten.

Ask yourself this question if you have never been to a game at Rentschler Field, but enjoy men’s basketball. Would you rather see Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Indiana coming to Gampel and the XL Center in the coming years for conference games, or do you want to watch 5,000 people show up for a conference game against Tulane in a non-energetic XL?

The future of this school, both athletically and academically, at some level, rests on the success of the UCONN football program. While fellow schools like Rutgers, Michigan, Maryland and others collect pay check after pay check from the lucrative television contracts with ESPN and the Big Ten Network, UCONN will be stuck making pennies on the dollar, in comparison. Funding will dwindle and with it the reputation of the school and athletic programs, across America.

That is a doomsday scenario, but one that could become a reality.

With no professional sports residing in this state, UCONN is the closest thing you have. If you have read this and have any connection to UCONN, follow the instructions above and do everything you can to help make tomorrow night’s game a sellout, otherwise no longer complain about the current conference situation we are in because you will then just be a part of the problem.

For a reminder of where this program has been and where Bob Diaco, his staff and the players are bringing it back to:

 

[Greenback]

Just added 3 to my 12 and the ticket office is jamming today, the lady i spoke with said the phones have not stopped ringing.

 

[Dooley]

Please don't cut and paste articles, even ones from within this site. Post a bit, and a link.

Sorry. Will keep that in mind for the future.

 

[TheDoggPound]

You're either a UConn fan, or you're not. Being a fan of only a certain sport is so incredibly lame. With that said I did all I could, bought ST's recently and recruited 3 to the game Friday. I guess I can find a 4th?

 

[tcf15]

Matt Schonvisky ‏@MattSchonvisky 36m
Per UCONN on tickets for BYU: "Ticket office said the phones have not stopped ringing." #FILLTHERENT #UCONN #HuskyUp #RiseUp

 

[sportsart]

You're either a UConn fan, or you're not. Being a fan of only a certain sport is so incredibly lame. With that said I did all I could, bought ST's recently and recruited 3 to the game Friday. I guess I can find a 4th?

I wonder how many BB fans will spend $50 at the bar tomorrow night instead of going to the game. Sad..

 

[Calhoun's Court]

A know of a lot of former season ticketholders who got mad because right after season ticket deadlines for both basketball and football UCONN would come out with their" value plan" or "value seats'. Thus giving the non donor and non season ticketholder a less expensive seat.

They stopped buying season tickets and now cherry pick the games. No donation and no getting stuck with exhibition games and weak schedules.

Myself I always get season tickets for men's basketball(37 years now) and football(14 years now). But I do understand people not ponying up for season tickets.

 

[ATLDYKA]

A know of a lot of former season ticketholders who got mad because right after season ticket deadlines for both basketball and football UCONN would come out with their" value plan" or "value seats'. Thus giving the non donor and non season ticketholder a less expensive seat.

They stopped buying season tickets and now cherry pick the games. No donation and no getting stuck with exhibition games and weak schedules.

Myself I always get season tickets for men's basketball(37 years now) and football(14 years now). But I do understand people not ponying up for season tickets.

Agreed and as I posted on another thread: fans have realized through past marketing and ticketing actions that they could wait to the last minute and deals would become available. Everybody jumping on the $20 deal for good seats.

 

[BoatShow]

UConn's idea of "medium availability" is suspect. Here's the family section boasting "medium availability. Yes it is a nice idea to dedicate an alcohol free heaven if that is what you're looking for. However, if you're Joe Six-Pack and you and your buddies want cheap lowerbowl tickets you're probabbllly turned off by the fact you can't kick a few back during the game. And clearly, this is an unpopular section regardless! Is it like an NCAA mandate to have an alcohol free section or something?

 

[pepband99]

Don't underestimate the casual fan waiting on a good weather report. God is smiling on us, weather wise, tomorrow.

 

[Nostical]

Ok. If giving high school players tix is a violation--give them to all the members of the high school bands. Or to National Guardsmen off duty. The point is find folks and give them the tix to fill the stadium. Don't blow our "interview" with The B1G and ACC. I want Danny Kannell to be raving about our atmosphere, not shakng his head in disbelief as to how we want to go to the dance but forgot to wear shoes.
I'm about to take off from O'Hare so I'm rushing but you get the point.