Preface: If you're looking for the article about cut-off scores, you can find it here.If you didn't get tickets, and you're feeling blue. Here's a half baked attempt at some perspective on the situation. It won't make you feel better, but it's just something to consider. Some of it is a repost from stuff I wrote in the comments section earlier.
Ticket Demand is Cyclical:
The current system can be taken advantage of if you recognize that it's basic economics. If you only want tickets when EVERYONE wants tickets, you're going to pay more and/or you're not going to get them. If you want to get tickets forever, the system will come around for you.
We're just in an extremely high period of demand with an amazing home schedule. The schedule and the team expectations will soften up in 2-3 years, and you'll be able to get in.
The System Rewards Longevity:
The system takes care of the fans who put up with the most bad football for the longest.
As my brother pointed out today, students today get the benefit of watching some of the best football in UGA history as students. The downside, they come out of school unable to afford season tickets...in the short term.
Alumni like me (mid-90s grad) saw some of the worst football in UGA history as students, but season tickets were easily accessible when we graduated. That's the trade off.
According to UGASports.com, the average donor has about 10,000-12,000 points. That means that over half of the season ticket holders today are well below the amount that some first time givers attempted to pay to buy their way into the stadium. That's a system that rewards longevity.
My Advice:
If you only want season tickets when UGA is good, then scalp the tickets. If you're serious about purchasing season tickets for the rest of your life, then give a few thousand bucks in your first year. After that give as if you were going to get tickets. Drop $1,000 or so a year to the Hartman Fund. If you don't get the tickets from UGA, you can use the ticket refund to scalp. After a few years, demand will drop and/or ticket prices will rise. When those things happen, more folks will fail to renew. Boom. You're in. It was only one year ago that the cut-off score for new givers was $1,900.
Bottom line...there's no such thing as a sellout. If you want to go to games, scalping on the bridge for the bad games will always be cheaper than face + contribution. If you want to go to the good games, the price will still rarely be greater than face + contribution.
Having said all of that...if I had written a $5,000 check and not gotten season tickets, I would've been physically ill. I gave the biggest gift of my life this year, and I didn't qualify for any road games. So I do sympathize.
It is what it is. But it really isn't a long term problem for you.
For other options on getting in:
-- Season Tickets for Sale on Stubhub
-- Single Game tickets for sale on Stubhub
PWD
(ticket image: sicemdawgs.com)
