I am not a fan of the student ticket price increase for football. Not for the amount, but for the principle.
I understand $15 is not a lot to ask for a ticket. But neither would be $20. Nor $25. Where would it stop?
You could vindicate all sorts of prices for tickets and say, “It’s a one-of-a-kind experience to be in The Swamp.”
But is it right to raise revenue by raising student ticket prices?
Didn’t cost per credit hour just go up?
Didn’t my Bright Futures money just get cut back?
Show me where the football team is losing money, and I’d consider an increase in price fair.
I don’t like the idea of trying to get more money out of a student who is getting less money to go to school in the first place.
I love this school, and I love my sports; I attend as many events where I can see my peers (these athletes are students like me) compete at a collegiate athletic level.
So, when are they going to start charging me money for basketball now? You could argue that this year the success of the basketball team was on par with the level of the football team. They’ve won just as many championships since 2000.
I think the basketball team has it somewhat right: Precedence goes to those who have gone to a lot of games, and after that you can sign up online or show up the day of the game and hope to get a seat. You also lose out on three games if you miss one.
I understand that football is different and can’t be done the same, but I think there is a fundamental issue in the system when my friends can’t join me for a game because they can’t find a ticket for the South Carolina game for less than the cost of their arm on the street.
I understand that $105 or whatever doesn’t seem like that much as opposed to $70, but for me, that $35 is a week of groceries.
That is the cost of halfway of a trip home to South Florida.
That is the cost of the cover of a textbook at the UF bookstore.
But, oh well, I guess it looks like I’ll be hungry for a week for the right to have some school pride and cheer on my Gators in person.
Thanks, UAA.
