Forever Seats?

[John]

Anyone remember when they begged to keep season ticket money during covid instead of just refunding everyone? Yeah I do, I let them keep it to help sustain things.

me too, have also bought bowl tickets several times even though I wasn't attending in order to support the department.

 

[willie99]

Forever seats are gone, at least for one year.

We have to go through a seat selection process next year, based on priority points (and not donor level). That's huge and somewhat protects long time fans. Not perfect, but better than allocating by donor class

And it's possible the seats we pick next year become forever seats. I'd hate to pick new seats every year

It's still better than $uckin!


PS: No, I'm not happy about it either

 

[pepband99]

The business of college sports has changed and UConn’s revenue stream is not well-situated to deal with it. Just staying in place will cost millions a year.

It’s not awesome for some people, but fans and students will be footing the bill for it.

This.

Those complaining about "forever seats" can steal them from the lower bowl before they're ripped out. Problem solved, and you're saving demo cost!

 

[Waquoit]

If the results of the renovations are a better fan experience, then the athletic department can reasonably assume that the value of the experience is higher and raise prices.

The value of the ticket rises with the performance of the team. The "fan experience" is a minor factor. The renovations haven't happened and ticket sales couldn't be hotter. $103 to sit in the endzone for Maryland-Eastern Shore? Seriously?

 

[CTBasketball]

If you’re a Husky-level donor or even a Director-level donor, Dave Benedict doesn’t care about you. Especially if you came on the last 2-3 years.

If you’ve had your same two cheap seats at Gampel for 25 years, pre first championship, at todays donation level of $100 per, you’ve donated $5000 in 25 years.

A ton of corporate folks came in the last 2 years and donate $5000 monthly. That’s who they care about because they bring the money.

There is no loyalty in this, it’s a business that’s thinking short term. But, spurning loyal customers isn’t ideal when Hurley leaves/retires. That’s when you want your loyal customers support. We’ll see how big of an impact this causes. My guess is not enough to make Dave Benedict lose any sleep.

 

[zls44]

It wasn't an idea. It was a promise that they reneged on. Do you buy season tickets?

Can you produce a signed contract?

 

[zls44]

We’ll see how big of an impact this causes. My guess is not enough to make Dave Benedict lose any sleep.

Thereby making it the correct decision.

 

[beerfan]

You can’t have been paying attention to what is happening in college sports and then casually dismiss ‘the bottom line.’ The athletic department’s finances are hugely consequential here.

Our fandom has been subsidized forever by the university and the students. Their costs keep going up, our costs will need keep going up in the form of licenses, donations, ticket prices, etc. It’s unavoidable.

Also, the “corporations will take over” gambit has been peddled since the 1990s and it hasn’t happened, so everyone can stop.

Umm, no, I sit in "good seats" 10 years ago I knew everyone that sat around me, knew their kids, went to funerals, now it is a revolving group of casual fans from corporate tickets.

 

[ThabeetDown]

At the end of the day, the issue is not the $ required for the AD to stay afloat (and keep the basketball teams elite). The issue is using the guise of "renovations" as a cash grab to solicit donations. The email didn't even mention anything about changes to the upper level of Gampel, implying that it might not even be impacted -- yet, sorry, need your cash screw you for being loyal.

Of course, some seats will be removed due to this, and thus impacting season ticket holders. But why upend everyone rather than the select few that are impacted? They just seem to be doing this all wrong and frankly, even releasing an email in Oct about this without all the info was only done to get more money -- from the people that already give a lot of money.

Raising prices is one thing, but alienating loyal fans -- who stood by you when things were bleak (both during AAC and COVID) is straight up greedy.

At the end of the day, fully support AD David Benedict needing to raise as much $ as possible -- but do it the right way and not at the expense of loyal fans. This is a shortcut and cheap shot.

 

[willie99]

We've made friends with those around us as well

I just hope we don't go back to picking new seats every year and wondering where we're going to land

 

[NEforceUConn]

From the ghost of former Hartford resident Mark Twain:

Death, taxes, UConn screwing season ticket holders, and statistics.

 

[Waquoit]

Can you produce a signed contract?

The peanut gallery speaks!

 

[Alydar]

When were seats promoted by UConn as "forever seats"? I have been a season ticket holder for 20 years and have never seen anything suggesting that you get to keep your seats forever. It's always been points (money) based, as far as I can recall.

Once you got a seat it was promoted as yours forever as long as you renewed. It was UConn who said that. I guess forever isn't such a long time after all.

 

[willie99]

It was clearly and absolutely sold as forever seats, that's simply not debatable.

Now I expected them to increase donations per seat, and that was going to drive some people away and that would create turnover.

However, I never expected to go through an entire seat allocation process again. That is unjustifiable. A tweak here or there I get. I believe they're remodeling just so they can do this.

Many people have the seats that they have because they stayed with the program through the AAC and Ollie years. Now people who left get to jump back in and move ahead of others.

The more I think about it, the more I dislike it

 

[Lambeau]

Fact is, professionalizing college ball means moving to an NBA model, with many rows of corporate 'premier seating' in front of the sideline seating (at $500-$1,000) for merely wealthy mortals--the Warriors' arena, for one, even sticks a lounge behind the seven Courtside rows,
before you even start the 'sideline' seats. It'll be interesting how many 'premier' rows UConn indulges in.

 

[Chief00]

I asked that question and my rep said he didn’t know. That information will be coming out later this year. I can’t see that it’s going to be an answer that we like. Otherwise, they would’ve just told us already so we’d only be half as pissed.

What we have learned is it doesn’t matter what is said anyways.

 

[AstarIsBorn31]

I never thought much of their “forever seats” bs but I did think season tickets were a forever purchase unless you’re priced out by the face value. Much rather the ticket go up 10x and say no thanks then this. That’s the whole reason teams have long wait lists.
It’s also the reason why teams block off seats each for an influx of big donors.

Also if they are really downsizing the amount of seating thus creating a reason to do a full relocation you would hope that they considered the number of seats impacted when “selling out season tickets” this year. They don’t actually sell every seat in the arenas for seasons and should’ve probably lessened that allotment if they knew people would need to move around in the future.

 

[Chief00]

It wasn't an idea. It was a promise that they reneged on. Do you buy season tickets?

Your word matters in business long term. If you don’t value your own word who else will?

 

[John]

I never thought much of their “forever seats” bs but I did think season tickets were a forever purchase unless you’re priced out by the face value**. Much rather the ticket go up 10x and say no thanks then this. That’s the whole reason teams have long wait lists.
It’s also the reason why teams block off seats each for an influx of big donors.

Also if they are really downsizing the amount of seating thus creating a reason to do a full relocation you would hope that they considered the number of seats impacted when “selling out season tickets” this year. They don’t actually sell every seat in the arenas for seasons and should’ve probably lessened that allotment if they knew people would need to move around in the future.

** Face value plus mandatory per seat donation

What they should have done is ramped up the mandatory per seat donation to cover whatever budget gap they're trying to paper over. This way they're not reshuffling the the entire building and long time season ticket holders (ahem) keep their seats as long as they pay the donations.

 

[John]

Can you produce a signed contract?

If you were a season ticket holder you'd know what was explicitly laid out in regards to seat locations being perpetual as long as the mandatory per seat donations were made annually. I can tell by your snark you don't have skin in the game

 

[zls44]

The peanut gallery speaks!

So: No?

 

[zls44]

If you were a season ticket holder you'd know what was explicitly laid out in regards to seat locations being perpetual as long as the mandatory per seat donations were made annually. I can tell by your snark you don't have skin in the game

I’m a season ticket holder but not someone dumb enough to think a marketing slogan was binding.

Go ahead and sue UConn if you want. Get a class action going, too. And if you win, when you end up underwater because of the legal bill, you’ll realize how much time and money you wasted.

Or shut up and grow up. That’s also an option.

Everyone panicking when they don’t even know if they’re impacted. Mad for the sake of mad.

 

[husky8273]

If someone is not currently a Season ticket holders but has a significant # of priority points, will they be able to participate in the selection process?

 

[Mike Honcho]

Can you produce a signed contract?

Oh, look who crawls out of the shadows with some snark. Surprise surprise

 

[pepband99]

However, I never expected to go through an entire seat allocation process again. That is unjustifiable. A tweak here or there I get. I believe they're remodeling just so they can do this.

Really? You don't think the building of a basketball practice facility, or the new volleyball facility, both of which negate most of the need for retractable seating, aren't in play? You don't think that luxury seating isn't in play? (which will also take away from the "corporates" you're all whining about too)

I'd at least hold off outrage until the seating plan shakes out.