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I'm sure I'm not the only one that committed to purchase football tickets that will never be used. I signed up for 4 season tickets, but live in Texas. I, like many businesses, purchased them to support UAB and the city of Birmingham. Showing support this way is a two edged sword. The problem with so many people buying tickets that they don't intend to use is that it cheapens the value of the program and keeps fans away. What do I mean? Two examples. When I was a teenager growing up in Birmingham, I usually went to the Hall of Fame / All American Bowl game or to watch the Birmingham Stallions games. I never bought a ticket ahead of time. I usually got one for free outside the stadium or paid less than $5 for a ticket. Since I didn't have a lot invested, I didn't feel obligated to stay for the whole game or to pay attention. I did, incidentally, because I enjoyed the games. Not so much for whoever went with me though. Plentiful cheap or free tickets creates apathy.

Now jump to today. Georgia Tech played against Tulane in the first game in Tulane's new OCS. The Tulane alumni and businesses did a great job selling out the game. The problem? I wanted to make the drive to the game but the sell out created high ticket prices on Stub Hub. Not wanting to make a 5 hour drive and risk not getting a ticket for a decent price, I stayed home and watched in on TV. It was disappointing to see an incredible number of empty seats in the stadium. Bottom line, buying up huge blocks of tickets that won't be used keeps true fans away.

My suggestion is rather than buying tickets that won't get used, it would be better for businesses to commit to donating the ticket prices to make up for games where the attendance is less than a set amount. In other words, say if the goal is 20,000 per game, a business would offer to pay the cost of a certain number of seats of the shortage if say only 18,000 pay and show up. That way the value of the tickets aren't cheapened by people's good will.
As long as we are in legion field there is no chance of an announced sell out keeping fans away
For the next couple of years the sheer number of tickets sold is very important.
Buy season tickets, period.
UAB has never been able to gauge the impact of consistent winning on ticket demand. Just as we were perhaps about to find out, the program was killed. I still believe people will come to Legion Field by the tens of thousands if the local product makes the visit worthwhile. That is the fear that generated the system BOT action through the office of President Watts on 12/2/14.

That and the fact that so many (5,000+) of the best seats at Legion Field can't be sold as season tickets in advance of the season means that many good seats go unsold. One big advantage of the OCS (or the MPF, for that matter) would be being able to sell ALL the best seats at the best price, perhaps even with a premium donation. It could make a huge difference in UAB FB's "bottom line".
Like others have already said, we are in zero danger of having a ticket shortage at the moment. You can walk into legion field and sit wherever you like. Until that changes in the slightest bit, we need to sell as many tickets as possible and fill the stadium up the best we can.
I wonder if the people who know their tickets will never be used might request seat assignments in the less desirable seats. I'd hate for there to be empty spots in premium locations because the ticket holders were from remote states. Even in the vast expanses of Legion Field, some of us do like to sit in our assigned seats. Just a thought...
(06-19-2015 02:53 PM)JeffUAB Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder if the people who know their tickets will never be used might request seat assignments in the less desirable seats. I'd hate for there to be empty spots in premium locations because the ticket holders were from remote states. Even in the vast expanses of Legion Field, some of us do like to sit in our assigned seats. Just a thought...

Only if we coordinate with certificate holders first.
(06-19-2015 02:53 PM)JeffUAB Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder if the people who know their tickets will never be used might request seat assignments in the less desirable seats. I'd hate for there to be empty spots in premium locations because the ticket holders were from remote states. Even in the vast expanses of Legion Field, some of us do like to sit in our assigned seats. Just a thought...

UAB cannot LEGALLY sell 2,000 seats in Sec 10 or 11 (50 yard line) or 2,000 seats in the corresponding sections in the east stands to ANY (but a few) UAB fans in advance of any season. You can buy as many seats as you wish in other seats not painted gold. Those 5,000+ seats will be primarily filled by "squatters" who bought GA tickets, got promotional free tickets, paid a few bucks outside the stadium before the kickoff or just drifted in from their reserved seats elsewhere.

We will never know for sure what the results would have been if UAB could have sold these 5,000 prime location seats for a prime ticket price plus perhaps a premium contribution. Maybe we will find out when we have the OCS and can sell ALL seats at a prime price for their location.
(06-19-2015 03:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-19-2015 02:53 PM)JeffUAB Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder if the people who know their tickets will never be used might request seat assignments in the less desirable seats. I'd hate for there to be empty spots in premium locations because the ticket holders were from remote states. Even in the vast expanses of Legion Field, some of us do like to sit in our assigned seats. Just a thought...

UAB cannot LEGALLY sell 2,000 seats in Sec 10 or 11 (50 yard line) or 2,000 seats in the corresponding sections in the east stands to ANY (but a few) UAB fans in advance of any season. You can buy as many seats as you wish in other seats not painted gold. Those 5,000+ seats will be primarily filled by "squatters" who bought GA tickets, got promotional free tickets, paid a few bucks outside the stadium before the kickoff or just drifted in from their reserved seats elsewhere.

We will never know for sure what the results would have been if UAB could have sold these 5,000 prime location seats for a prime ticket price plus perhaps a premium contribution. Maybe we will find out when we have the OCS and can sell ALL seats at a prime price for their location.

I took this picture with you in mind, B&BF. It's of the seats UAB gave me...
[Image: CH5DH2TUYAE380i.jpg:large]

No one, not even the UAB Athletic Department or the Birmingham Parks Board care about those certificates!
(06-19-2015 03:57 PM)UABslant Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-19-2015 03:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-19-2015 02:53 PM)JeffUAB Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder if the people who know their tickets will never be used might request seat assignments in the less desirable seats. I'd hate for there to be empty spots in premium locations because the ticket holders were from remote states. Even in the vast expanses of Legion Field, some of us do like to sit in our assigned seats. Just a thought...

UAB cannot LEGALLY sell 2,000 seats in Sec 10 or 11 (50 yard line) or 2,000 seats in the corresponding sections in the east stands to ANY (but a few) UAB fans in advance of any season. You can buy as many seats as you wish in other seats not painted gold. Those 5,000+ seats will be primarily filled by "squatters" who bought GA tickets, got promotional free tickets, paid a few bucks outside the stadium before the kickoff or just drifted in from their reserved seats elsewhere.

We will never know for sure what the results would have been if UAB could have sold these 5,000 prime location seats for a prime ticket price plus perhaps a premium contribution. Maybe we will find out when we have the OCS and can sell ALL seats at a prime price for their location.

HERE! I TOOK THIS PICTURE TO SHOW YOU MY SEASON TICKET LOCATION THAT UAB GAVE ME...
[Image: CH5DH2TUYAE380i.jpg:large]

NOW STOP WITH THE STADIUM CERTIFICATE MESS!

As I said BEFORE, that is why I said "LEGALLY". It is a FACT that the Stadium Certificates are valid in perpetuity and according to the letter from the Park Board, it covers 2,000 prime seats in the west stands and 2,000 prime seats in the east stands AND all the 1,000+ Gold seats. The fact is that the UAB clerk, perhaps out of ignorance, ILLEGALLY sold those tickets to you - IF the sale was more than a week before the game for which you used them. The fact that no one arrested you only indicates a lack of interest in the problem, not that the problem does not exist. Running a STOP sign and not being caught & ticketed doesn't make that act legal. BTW, Chances are that nearly all of the fans sitting in those 2,000 sec 10 & 11 seats were also illegally occupying those seats, but no one cared even though UAB didn't make the prime seating money off them.
I had 2 season tickets in that spot for 3 years.

No "clerk" assigned them to me. You'd have to ask our Associate AD over ticketing why he was giving those out.

And I would love for a certificate holder to call the cops on me... that means they are still alive and attending a UAB Football game.
(06-19-2015 04:21 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]The fact that no one arrested you only indicates a lack of interest in the problem, not that the problem does not exist.

No, it indicates that even the BPD knows the difference between a criminal and a civil matter.

I understand that "Certificate Holders v. Slant" may become a class action.
I better lawyer-up now.
(06-19-2015 04:57 PM)UABslant Wrote: [ -> ]I had 2 season tickets in that spot for 3 years.

No "clerk" assigned them to me. You'd have to ask our Associate AD over ticketing why he was giving those out.

And I would love for a certificate holder to call the cops on me... that means they are still alive and attending a UAB Football game.

As I understand the city ordinance on seating at Legion Field, the only person who could "call the cops" is one who actually owned the certificate for those particular seats. Since Bama and Auburn pulled out, the cash value of those certificates (at one time selling for over $3,000 each - 1970s money) has diminished so they are more curiosities than valuable assets. Maybe T.C. Cannon, who with his wife owns two of them, could tell us.

Their value aside, they are still legal contracts between the city and the SC owners and are valid as long as Legion Field is used for football games. The fact that the owners don't care about UAB football, the Classic or the B'ham Bowl game doesn't make them any less legally binding.

My point in this discussion is the financial effect it had on UAB football where the best seats were left to "squatters" rather than being sold to fans who might have payed a premium to sit there since 1990. That makes it 24 years of possible loss of premium revenue to a program that needed funding. How much did UAB FB lose in revenue by this situation? Would it have made a financial difference over two decades in keeping the team more solvent and uninterrupted?

If anyone thinks it doesn't matter, find a program anywhere that essentially gave away 2,000 50 yard sideline seats like UAB has done for 24 years.
Geez. This again.
(06-19-2015 04:57 PM)UABslant Wrote: [ -> ]I had 2 season tickets in that spot for 3 years.

No "clerk" assigned them to me. You'd have to ask our Associate AD over ticketing why he was giving those out.

And I would love for a certificate holder to call the cops on me... that means they are still alive and attending a UAB Football game.

I appreciate this post more than you will ever know. It won't help a damn thing, but thank you.
(06-19-2015 07:20 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]Geez. This again.

Yea. I ALMOST forgot about this topic. 03-zzz
(06-20-2015 09:39 AM)BlazerDave Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-19-2015 07:20 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]Geez. This again.

Yea. I ALMOST forgot about this topic. 03-zzz

As have the descendants of the certificate holders. 03-wink
If someone plays a game in Legion Field and no certificate holders show up, did it really happen?
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