Stadium Reseating Aftermath

When you buy season college football tickets, as long as you continue buying them, you are guaranteed (not technically, but it is heavily implied and occurs virtually without exception) that same level of seating and that number of seats, as long you want them and want to pay whatever the going rate is the next year. We and everyone we know always get the same exact seats, as a matter-of-fact. Kathy's parents have had theirs since the 80's. Same seats. Same neighbors. Angel's family has had the same experience with their Florida Gator tix. Mary Faye and her family have had the same t.u. baseball tix forever.

Of course, if they reduce the number of season ticket seats, like they did last year in our south end zone, then ticket holders in those areas are out of luck. (That was a sad thing!)

But... say... you... I dunno... ADD 20,000 seats to your stadium. You announce that everyone is being re-seated. Everyone runs around freaking out, but I think it's fine. We won't have our same seats, but I assume we at least get 4 seats at our level. We even seriously consider upgrading if we can.

Each ticket holder was assigned a time and date, in order of points based on their years as a season ticket holder and the level of seating they have had over those years, to log in and commit to the number and level of 2015 tickets they wanted. No specific seats were assigned. Totally fair.

Here's the problem:

They allowed people to claim as many seats as they wanted, up to a max of some number (like 12) depending on the section they selected. So people who currently have 2 seats could commit to 12 seats, sucking up everyone else's spots. I'm not sure when it turned upside down, but at some tipping point in the process over the month, people started having to take tickets in sections below their current level. All the ones after them had to take tickets at a lower level than they've had, until they sold the last seat before hundreds (? thousands?) of current season ticket holders even had a chance to commit.

Here's the fair way they could have done it (© 2013 Jeff):

Round 1, each season ticket holder could have chosen whatever seat section they wanted, but only up to a max of the number of seats they currently hold. After round 1, every season ticket holder would have a seat.

Round 2, let everyone claim additional tix up to the max number per section, in the same priority order as before. Most of us wouldn't have been able to get additional seats, but at least we would have seats.

Now... toss into the mix the following abuse of the system: Many people committed to the maximum number of seats with absolutely no intention of using all of them. They are "holding those seats in case friends might want to buy them." They'll just keep the ones they need and not take the extras.

Lovely.

The only money you had to pay now was the first installment of a special fee per ticket. You signed a statement that you commit to paying the special fee. The punishment for backing out? You lose your tickets. That should mean ALL the tickets. If they let people keep some tix and cancel others, that will really tick off the people who didn't get tickets at all because of them.

And now A&M will have to sell those seats all over again. What a mess!

Oh well. Like someone said online, you can buy one heck of an 80-90" TV with the money you would have spent on season tix.

Cannot WAIT to be at the Rice game tomorrow!! Gig 'em Ags!!