Plenty of Empty Seats in Upper Deck End Zone Student Section

TiderMan said:

This is my first year in Tide Pride and and I have also been dissapointed in the Tide Pride seats that go unused around me. There are two tickets on one side of me that has been empty for every game except for Kent State and Arkansas and there are several others in and around me area that go unused. I just do not understand the apathethic nature of some fans and students.

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What shocks me is the tickets in some prime Tide Pride areas that the seat holders sell. It's kind of annoying. I understand you can do whatever you wish with your tickets, but come on.

I've not seen the upper deck student section filled this year. Looks great when the tv cameras are at field level and they sweep past this big chunk of aluminum. This was the closest to full I've seen it. It'll be full in a couple weeks because it's a "big game" worthy of their attendance. The folks that sit next to us were taking dibs on when the upper deck sections and the greeks started to file out. As far as the Tide Pride seats that get sold, there are 4 seats in front of me that for 2 years haven't had the same people in them yet. I can go on Stub Hub and find the seats for sale every week. To my knowledge the "owners" have yet to attend a game.

This is bought up about 20+ times a year... Even if the seat is empty, the tickets were still sold so the University is getting their money. And even though the student section may not appear full, its mainly because they pack into the lower part more then the are suppose to be. And not all of the students are getting tickets, there are 30K+ students now and less then 20k students seats. But the thing about that is going to football games is a HUGE recruiting tool for the university to get students to go there. The better the chance they will be able to go the more likely more students come to UA. And that is the future of the University, everyone on here complains about the students but without them you wouldnt have a university.

I am beginning to wonder if some of the new Tide Pride seats are being bought up by scalpers and resellers? The seats around me are never occupied by the same people from game to game...

Some people vacate the upper sections to cram into the bottom.

Also, reselling is the only way some of us ever get to see a live game, so long live the scalpers.

Students would much rather cram the lower bowl section (like squeeze 30+ people into a row with 25 seats) rather than sit up there. It's going to keep happening as long as the University does not limit the number of people cramming down there. Heck, it might not be a bad idea for UA to create a "standby" system where at kickoff they see how many seats in that area are empoty and let that many people from the "standby" line up there.

I thought that section got almost full during the course of the game. It wasn't packed by any means but they did come later. Even the two seats that were by us weren't filled until the mid seems quarter.

Lady Crimson, I think that just may be the case. We get 4 sets of tickets, and my niece and her husband buy the extra 2. The seats immediately next to theirs rarely ever have the same people in them. Saturday, my niece's husband asked the lady sitting by him if they were ticket holders or if they were using someone else's tickets. She told him they got them from a broker. There is a family who will be in those seats a couple of times a year, but I guess they could request the same seats for the games they go to. If we could get them, we would because my great-nephew is 9, and he's started to feel "left out" because he can't go to the games with his parents.

BamaDude06 said:

Students would much rather cram the lower bowl section (like squeeze 30+ people into a row with 25 seats) rather than sit up there.

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^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

I thought it was a terrible idea to split up the student section when they announced it and still do. I like that they limit students to only three tickets being unused, but I say make it one. You can always donate it. And also, someone had mentioned having a type of system where you get "points" for going to other sporting events (1 or 2 for soccer and tennis, 5 and 10 for football, basketball, etc). Would show loyalty and for those that actually go and don't sell them (saw a student ticket on sell for $300 today for LSU game), they would get first dibs.

While I went to every game that I could as a student, I still defended some that didn't show up because there wasn't "atmosphere" at some games. Kind of a shame now that some kids don't show up at all and tickets go unused. Especially, since I am exiled in St. Louis and only got to see two games this year.

The student section is packed to the rafters. They are spilling over into the aisles. That's why they aren't sitting in their alloted "overflow" in the South Endzone upperdeck.

That's because students don't sit. They say they're supposed to stand throughout the game, therefore, the amount of 'designated' seats is moot. At least this is what I have been led to understand. Roll Tide!

Like others have said, it's not that the students aren't showing up. They just pack into the lower bowl because they don't want to sit up there. When they gave those seats to the students, I thought this problem might arise. The University needs to find some way to fix it because it looks ridiculous.

I know they close off the lower bowl at some point and force the rest to go to the upper bowl. Does this happen when a set number of students scan in (number of "seats" in the lower bowl) or just when the lower bowl looks full? If they are cutting it off based on a number of students, then the argument that students cram in the lower bowl isn't very accurate.

TheTradition said:

Like others have said, it's not that the students aren't showing up. They just pack into the lower bowl because they don't want to sit up there. When they gave those seats to the students, I thought this problem might arise. The University needs to find some way to fix it because it looks ridiculous.

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Yeah it does look bad. I was like this is a rivalry and this spot is that wide open? Though more did show up during the game, it shouldn't be like that.

CmdrThor said:

I know they close off the lower bowl at some point and force the rest to go to the upper bowl. Does this happen when a set number of students scan in (number of "seats" in the lower bowl) or just when the lower bowl looks full? If they are cutting it off based on a number of students, then the argument that students cram in the lower bowl isn't very accurate.

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No exact number before they close off the lower bowl.

Last year for the Florida game so many crammed into the lower bowl that there was actually no more room for anyone. Students had to leave the lower bowl and move to the upper deck because there was no where to go. The lower bowl was not closed off until it was beyond obvious that it was full

BigAl5833 said:

No exact number before they close off the lower bowl.

Last year for the Florida game so many crammed into the lower bowl that there was actually no more room for anyone. Students had to leave the lower bowl and move to the upper deck because there was no where to go. The lower bowl was not closed off until it was beyond obvious that it was full

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just thought i might weigh in. i work the student section at the games and we actually have a set number we let in the lower bowl before we close it off then we send everyone else to the upper deck. many students get upset and just scan their cards and leave or walk up for 5 minutes then decide the upper bowl is not to their liking and leave. it upsets me so bad to see them swipe and leave but that is just how the system works i guess. this is the first year we have implemented this number system though and it has its flaws as does anything else.

Lady Crimson said:

I am beginning to wonder if some of the new Tide Pride seats are being bought up by scalpers and resellers? The seats around me are never occupied by the same people from game to game...

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i know that my uncle has either 4 or 6 tickets and other than the one he uses for himself (two are his son's who lives out of the country) he passes them around to family and friends so you will see different folks there for lots of the game. he never resells them. i know that some of the seat holders around him do the same thing.

As someone said it's really not a matter of students not attending games (IMO) but more of a matter of where students prefer to sit. They usually don't close off the lower bowl until everyone's jammed themselves in like sardines and tons more are ambling through the rows trying to find seats.

tmv85 said:

Lady Crimson, I think that just may be the case. We get 4 sets of tickets, and my niece and her husband buy the extra 2. The seats immediately next to theirs rarely ever have the same people in them. Saturday, my niece's husband asked the lady sitting by him if they were ticket holders or if they were using someone else's tickets. She told him they got them from a broker. There is a family who will be in those seats a couple of times a year, but I guess they could request the same seats for the games they go to. If we could get them, we would because my great-nephew is 9, and he's started to feel "left out" because he can't go to the games with his parents.

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Sure, occasionally we let family members take our tickets as well, but there are some seats I have yet to see the same people in twice over the past several seasons.

My point is this, could this be the reason that some seats are empty during some of the less important games? If scalpers and resellers are buying up Tide Pride seats to turn a profit then that could account for some of the empty seats during less popular games.

Alabama fans who purchase Tide Pride tickets are less likely to let tickets go to waste (example: let family members use the tickets)