Knowing that this was on a Saturday and how UT fans have started to follow their team, we went ahead and scheduled several things for this game in an effort to [keep UT fan attendance to a minimum].Nice planning by the good guys. Way to protect this house.
We’ve sold close to 900 tickets to fraternities and sororities who are having their parents’ day at Saturday’s game, over 250 tickets are being used by former basketball lettermen as part of our annual reunion game and a lot of our endowment donors will be in town as part of donor appreciation day.
When you take into account that we sold 2,600 single game tickets for the UT game and you take out the 1,300 above sold to UGA groups, it really only leaves about 1,300 tickets that would be available for single game ticket sales. Out of the 1,300 remaining single game ticket sales, it is tough to say how many were bought by UT fans.
Also, UT got their contracted 100 tickets for their player/family allotment. Unless a lot of Georgia fans have given/sold their tickets to UT fans, then 1,300-1,500 is the max that UT could have in the house. Probably closer to 1,000 in the house as I don’t think all other 1,300 single game sales were sold exclusively to UT fans.
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Update: I want to address some things in the comments section. This info was NOT positioned to me as a "point of pride" by anyone in the Athletic Department. It was simply stated as fact. As in, this is how we're working to minimize our risk and maximize attendance of UGA fans for this game. And hey...there are fans who are wondering if we're going to get over run by Vols on Saturday.
This is clearly not the best solution for filling up a stadium with Dawg fans. In my opinion, the best solution for selling tickets is winning a heck of a lot more games in SEC play. However, the marketing, ticketing and administrative departments at UGA aren't responsible for winning games. (Those are my words. Not theirs or anyone else's)
Separately -- Per the question raised in the comments area...I agree that the camera angles are on the wrong side of the gym given the pathetic showing by alumni who hold premium tickets in Athens behind the benches. However, it's important to remember two things. First, the SEC does not allow student sections to be behind the player benches. Secondly, most schools have the TV cameras facing the player benches just like we do. Cameron Indoor Stadium is the most notable exception to this practice as they flip the camera angle to show the students. Therefore, our issue here is primarily that we're not winning enough to make people with great seats show up. That said, I would flip the camera angles if it were up to me.
PWD
20 comments:
Of course, these are the same planners who let the same faculty/staff seats stay empty game after game, have the television cameras pointed away from the student section, and the opposing team playing away from the student sections' basket in the second half.
There were fewer Georgia fans in the stands for the South Carolina game than any point since Decemeber. I find it hard to beleive that most of those empty seats (excpet the aforementioned facutly/staff seats) won't be wearing Orange on Saturday.
It's a sad state of affairs when you have to not only keep the other team's fans from takng over your arena by coming up with these charades, but to openly write about and acknowledge the problem.
If Adams and Co were at the last game, it seems like a decision about Felton's future isn't too far away.
The best way to keep UT's fans out of the Steg is to put a competitive team on the court that gives the student-body/faculty/alumni/fans something to cheer about.
hey dawgwood... heard out of mike adams's mouth tonight that he WAS at the game, as soon as he got back from the state congress. he said he caught most of the 2nd half and, quote, "we won!"
This is becoming pitiful.
Won't stomp them from stomping ya'll by 20+ again. I'm surprised you guys go to games, I'd probably fall asleep.
yeah, who cares? They are going to crush us.
I'm thinking 89-52.
Cant wait till spring practice starts!!!
I'm not sure this should be a point of pride from the Athletic Association stand point. And I'm sure your source didn't want these shenanigans broadcast all over the blogs. That's good that the AA is being somewhat creative, but I agree with the other posters. The solution is a better product on the floor. It's really a sad day when you have to highlight the efforts of the Promotions department over any of the efforts on the hardwood.
It would be nice if the AA didn't have to do anything special to get a packed house, but its better than Tech's AA, who openly recruits opposing fans to buy football tickets.
At least we haven't given up yet!
(Front office anyway, maybe on the floor)
they didn’t just try to sell them to me, they solicited my friends too (I am not kidding, this conversation is VERBATIM):
tech ticket agent calling me for the 3rd time in one week: would you like to renew your football season ticket package?
82: no thank you
ticket guy: but we have some good games at home this year
82: no thanks, I am a Ga fan and am only interested in the Ga tickets
tg: but we have miami and ND at home this year
82: no thanks, i only want to purchase the package every other year, call me next year!
tg: do you have any friends who may want to purchase any tickets?
82: ummm, no, I'm pretty sure no one wants them.
It is so sad when your team is so bad that a AA ha to come up with ways to make it look like GA has fans at the game. What is even worse is that it was put in writing for everyone else to see. Whatever happen to the days when fans actually came out to support their team...Oh...Nevermind ...maybe they would support it if they were any good!! You know fair weathered fans....
Anonymous
Just put all tickets on a bus send them to UT I can have them sold in an hour.
82 - do you mean basketball season package? They called you like this over football??
Anon 1:53, I agree that this shouldn't have been put into writing. It just makes us look like douche bags.
If I was an thank goodnesss I'm not..but if I was a Ga fan I would be embarrassed that they had to come up with something like this in order to keep the Tennessee fans in Tennessee for this game. Are they that worried about this game? I am proud to be a Vol fan an I know nothing like this would ever take place at our University. I can't wait to watch!
Go Vols!
This is one of those things that's probably like making gravy.
You don't want to know how it happens, and you'd like it kept in the dark.
I just found it interesting, and I was glad that our guys are on the ball working on this stuff.
If the place did have 2,500 UT fans our guys would be bitching endlessly that our ticket and marketing people didn't get their act together.
I can assure you that GT Football WISHES they had marketing people working on stuff like this to keep us the hell out of their stadium.
And yes. I just compared our b-ball program to their football program. Sadly.
PWD
Another idea: Frisbee dogs.
Seriously, I have no problem with this. Just about every sports team from college to pros does stuff like this to boost sells. At least, as mentioned, they are trying to sell the tickets to our fans and not just anyone or our opponents.
As far as PWD decision to post, if you read this blog with any regularity, you know he is a big supporter of the b-ball team (and UGA sports in general) and wants to see the program succeed. I have come across very few, if any times, when I thought something he posted was way off.
It is a problem when you try to come up with all these activities to keep the other team from bringing alot of fans just because you know they have alot that travels with them team. And also there is alot of Tennessee fans in the state of Georgia that would come to the game also. No matter where Tennessee goes they always have alot of supporters no matter what. But to put it in writing that you were trying to keep as many Tennesse fans away...thats wrong..
I was the first anon commenter on this thread, and I must say kudos to the Athletic Department. There were not nearly as many Vol fans in the house as I expected, especially given that the building was at best 80% full. It's hard to make people go see a cellar-dweller on a beautiful day like this.
The light faliure at the beginning was unfortunate, but having Jarvis there and the '83 team and others, including Hugh, more than made up for it.
Additionally, this afternoon was as well as a Felton team has played in many years, let alone this year. I'm not so sure Humphrey would have helped us all that much, as our depth was hurting more on our big men, all of whom had 4 fouls with 15 minutes to play, none of whom fouled out. Though we did look tired.
At any rate, if we can sustain the effort and skill we've shown against S.C. and Tenn at Rupp and the Baseline Palace, we might just steal one of them, and it might be worth being patient with Felton for one more year.
One more thing in reference to Jason's idea of having dog acts- the last time we had a frisbee dog in Stegeman, he took a big ol' poo right on the free throw line, so I don't think we'll be seeing any canine follies again soon.
"...the last time we had a frisbee dog in Stegeman, he took a big ol' poo right on the free throw line, so I don't think we'll be seeing any canine follies again soon."
Sounds like foreshadowing to me...
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