Tide Pride administrative fee for waiting list

trenda

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If you're having to deal with the bad taste of taking a monetary loss on these type tickets. You may want to try donating the tickets for the "East popcorn St" games to a local youth organization or something like that. That way you remove the "business side" of it and you can lay your head down at night knowing you may have provided a kid with an experience that he'd otherwise not have. Just a thought.
That's a great idea! Will look into that. In that context, I have no problem giving them away; but selling them for $10-15 after paying full price is just sad.
 

trenda

Hall of Fame
May 17, 2000
6,496
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Hendersonville, TN USA
The last year I had season tickets, there were 3 games that I couldn't give away the tickets for free.

I hear ya! I've had a couple of instances where I could not sell nor find any friends/relatives to take them. My seats are in the upper deck, which apparently is not good enough to pay face value for to some folks.
 

Hoot30

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If you're having to deal with the bad taste of taking a monetary loss on these type tickets. You may want to try donating the tickets for the "East popcorn St" games to a local youth organization or something like that. That way you remove the "business side" of it and you can lay your head down at night knowing you may have provided a kid with an experience that he'd otherwise not have. Just a thought.
I have had the same experience in the last few years. I sold my 3 tickets for the Arkansas St. game last year on eBay and only got about $70 where face value was about $45. The AD has a program that allows TP members to donate their tickets back to the AD. I think they then distribute these tickets to veterans and/or local kids. I started to do that with The Citadel game last year, and will plan on doing that for the games I can't make moving forward. All you have to do is to login to your TP account and you can donate the tickets from there.
 

RKel32

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Nov 17, 2004
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I have had the same experience in the last few years. I sold my 3 tickets for the Arkansas St. game last year on eBay and only got about $70 where face value was about $45. The AD has a program that allows TP members to donate their tickets back to the AD. I think they then distribute these tickets to veterans and/or local kids. I started to do that with The Citadel game last year, and will plan on doing that for the games I can't make moving forward. All you have to do is to login to your TP account and you can donate the tickets from there.
I really wish that we'd embrace something in this country closer to what at least some European soccer teams do. The name on your ID has to match the name on the tickets. If you can't use the tickets, you can sell them back to the club for half of face value. They club then opens those tickets up for sale to fans as single game tickets. This (theoretically) would allow the university to maintain its revenue stream by making additional money on single game tickets, lower ticket prices to season ticket holders (not likely, but you could if you're recouping cost from resells), and cuts out third party brokers. I really have never seen a negative to this model...
 

81usaf92

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Apr 26, 2008
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I really wish that we'd embrace something in this country closer to what at least some European soccer teams do. The name on your ID has to match the name on the tickets. If you can't use the tickets, you can sell them back to the club for half of face value. They club then opens those tickets up for sale to fans as single game tickets. This (theoretically) would allow the university to maintain its revenue stream by making additional money on single game tickets, lower ticket prices to season ticket holders (not likely, but you could if you're recouping cost from resells), and cuts out third party brokers. I really have never seen a negative to this model...
The biggest problem with that is that when you break it down, selling your ticket back will lose you money. Lets say face value is 75 bucks for a LSU game. A tide prider is actually paying close to 100-120 with the mandatory donation tagged onto the ticket. There is no way the university is going to give away donation money. It is better for you to sell your tickets on stub hub( or any other site).
 

RKel32

All-SEC
Nov 17, 2004
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The biggest problem with that is that when you break it down, selling your ticket back will lose you money. Lets say face value is 75 bucks for a LSU game. A tide prider is actually paying close to 100-120 with the mandatory donation tagged onto the ticket. There is no way the university is going to give away donation money. It is better for you to sell your tickets on stub hub( or any other site).
Of course selling your ticket will lose you money. That's the point. It removes the incentive to buy season tickets for the purpose of reselling them. I'd argue that a lot of people would give up their season tickets and rely on the single-game market, which, if controlled at face value by the university, would allow fans to attend the 1-4 games a year they want to without having to hoard and resell for a profit.
 

81usaf92

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Apr 26, 2008
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Of course selling your ticket will lose you money. That's the point. It removes the incentive to buy season tickets for the purpose of reselling them. I'd argue that a lot of people would give up their season tickets and rely on the single-game market, which, if controlled at face value by the university, would allow fans to attend the 1-4 games a year they want to without having to hoard and resell for a profit.
The university will still try to resell them for more than face value on resell. I don’t think it benefits anyone but the university. There is a reason most donated tickets never get resold

In 2015 I was waiting out a Tide Pride Auburn seat @ Auburn. The week of the game UA was offering $100 tickets. When you go to click on them you realize the real price is $130 with $15 donation fees, $5 sales tax, and $10 ticket master charges. Luckily I found a guy on another website with an extra ticket in the Bama section selling a “$90 ticket for a Bama fan”. When I got the ticket face value said $75. Keep in mind this was against a 6 win Auburn team that was heading to Bham bowl. So me an the guy came out better for it and had a bunch of empty seats behind us. That tells me folks aren’t paying for University prices.

I sell at the home games and even if I was to be completely oblivious to the opponent we were playing that week I could guess based on what crowd shows up. I’m not talking numbers I’m talking type of people. Almost all the time a big game happens it’s the TPers. Everytime I see a new crowd it’s usually non TPers, and loads of them saying that either “ someone gave the tickets to them” or they only paid 29 bucks for them. Yet the university is always selling these tickets. Unless the university goes to a donation and id system like they do with the students where if you donate you don’t get your money and they don’t charge the person that got your ticket then I don’t see a system that benefits anyone but the university. Because you are losing money, the university is over charging, and there are far more empty seats
 
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RKel32

All-SEC
Nov 17, 2004
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Madison, AL
The university will still try to resell them for more than face value on resell. I don’t think it benefits anyone but the university. There is a reason most donated tickets never get resold

In 2015 I was waiting out a Tide Pride Auburn seat @ Auburn. The week of the game UA was offering $100 tickets. When you go to click on them you realize the real price is $130 with $15 donation fees, $5 sales tax, and $10 ticket master charges. Luckily I found a guy on another website with an extra ticket in the Bama section selling a “$90 ticket for a Bama fan”. When I got the ticket face value said $75. Keep in mind this was against a 6 win Auburn team that was heading to Bham bowl. So me an the guy came out better for it and had a bunch of empty seats behind us. That tells me folks aren’t paying for University prices.

I sell at the home games and even if I was to be completely oblivious to the opponent we were playing that week I could guess based on what crowd shows up. I’m not talking numbers I’m talking type of people. Almost all the time a big game happens it’s the TPers. Everytime I see a new crowd it’s usually non TPers, and loads of them saying that either “ someone gave the tickets to them” or they only paid 29 bucks for them. Yet the university is always selling these tickets. Unless the university goes to a donation and id system like they do with the students where if you donate you don’t get your money and they don’t charge the person that got your ticket then I don’t see a system that benefits anyone but the university. Because you are losing money, the university is over charging, and there are far more empty seats
Agree. I just see the current landscape of getting tickets to any non-garbage game as 1) have TP tickets, and 2) go through 3rd party vendors that is rife with price gouging.

I don't see this as a problem that I would trust the university to solve on its own. You're absolutely right that in the current climate they'd just take the opportunity to gouge people of more money. Maybe if we had legislation that actually made it illegal to sell tickets above face value....

I'm just fed up with the ticket situation for Bama games and the constant begging for money. It's a shame that as a two-degree alumni, I have no desire to return to campus.
 

81usaf92

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Agree. I just see the current landscape of getting tickets to any non-garbage game as 1) have TP tickets, and 2) go through 3rd party vendors that is rife with price gouging.

I don't see this as a problem that I would trust the university to solve on its own. You're absolutely right that in the current climate they'd just take the opportunity to gouge people of more money. Maybe if we had legislation that actually made it illegal to sell tickets above face value....

I'm just fed up with the ticket situation for Bama games and the constant begging for money. It's a shame that as a two-degree alumni, I have no desire to return to campus.

Once I learned that I paid way more going to UA than my friend going to Samford when tuition was taken out of the equation ( I had the VA pay and she had a full ride) I pretty much saw the University for what it was. I’ve never been a “My university” kinda UA grad but I did enjoy my time there for the most part.
But the ways UA just consistently sucks every dollar out of fans, students, alums, and parents has kinda turned me off about bowing down to the Great Elephant in everything concerning my billfold. I’m just not excited about paying for anything on campus anymore so I use alternative methods to avoid that when I can.
 

selmaborntidefan

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I bought tickets for the entire season in both 16 and 17 from another TP member who was basically just keeping his/her seats but not going to any games that particular year. If you want to do it this way, you just wait until after the first game is played (the neutral site game) and then hop on StubHub. At that point there are folks that are selling them for - if you add it all up - face value for the seven-game pack. They're desperate enough you MIGHT get lucky and actually save a few bucks.


The problem, however, is you then have to go to the games - or try to sell/give away tickets - to such also rans as Charleston Southern.


My case, of course, is a bit unique. I live 600 miles away, so I have to figure in travel costs to the game. Since family lives an hour west of T-Town, I don't have to worry about hotels, but it's either "plane plus rental car" or "gas and car wear" for me. And as I've aged, it's much more difficult to drive for that long, especially when I'm the only one.


The good has been that those two years have been a major help in my recovery from divorce - and we've had a good on-field product.
Almost everything else has been bad.


1) Tide Pride is an old pre-Internet way of doing things.


When TP came into existence, the Internet was just something the military sort of had. There was no such thing as StubHub, GameTime, Seat Geek or whatever. We didn't have so many connections to so many other people who could "hook a brother up" with tickets. Btw - for those thinking that comparing CFB to other sports doesn't work - you might want to consider that attending a regular season hockey game in Boston has upper deck face value seats of $65 for a game against Edmonton. It's above $100 for rivals like the NY teams. The same is true - to a lesser extent - of St Louis in baseball.


OK, so you have points and get a guaranteed spot for the national title game if we make it. But we already know years in advance where that game will be played so anyone planning to go can plot their route and reserve a hotel a year out (and out from the city). And you can always find a scalper right there, too. If you use Southwest Airlines, you can even reserve your flight 60 days out - and if we lose in the early round or don't make it, you can cancel and use those funds for up to a year later. (This may not help if you only travel once a decade but most do more than this).

I can attend the Ole Miss, Arky, Tennessee, LSU, and the national title game traveling from DFW and spend LESS MONEY than it will cost a TP season ticket holder to see those same games. That's from 2017 btw - and you're still stuck with tickets to Fresno, Colorado St, and Mercer. The only thing that might flip that observation is the fact the last game was against UGA in Atlanta.

2) You give up EVERYTHING to go to the "game day experience"

I'll admit I didn't contemplate this until I experienced it, but it became an issue the more I thought about it. You are giving up EVERY OTHER GAME that day to see Alabama play. This is worth it if we're talking LSU or Georgia and 1 or 2 other teams depending on the year, but I've missed out on a LOT of things happening. Remember the infamous UGA-Tennessee "Double Hail Mary" game? I missed it, didn't even know about it until late Sunday. Why? Because my son and I were driving all day to the UK game and had to bolt for some rest because we had the same drive back the next day. And BDS is notorious for delaying the display of scores that Tide fans want to know.

The stadium Wi-Fi is the worst I've ever experienced, too, so I can't find the scores. I also missed the infamous Ohio State-Michigan game a few years ago where the Buckeyes were trailing late and there was a whole controversy over a spot or something (I may have details wrong because I didn't see the game).

3) The Game Day Experience is worth it - once - but it's kind of overrated once you've done it several times.

My first BDS game was the 2012 Miss State game. For those who don't remember, the Bulldogs were undefeated entering that game and ranked eleventh. Those two schools are geographically closer than any other SEC schools so you have a 1 vs 11 showdown between two unbeaten teams. But the stadium never came close to filling out for a Sat night game, and it looked abandoned at halftime after we took a 24-0 lead and the wind chill entered the low 40s. My entire section was empty except for me and a few diehards several rows below by the time we got to the final five minutes.

Now....2016 ATM was very good. It wasn't like the 10 IB or 12 ATM, where you could feel the electricity coming through the TV - but it was probably the best game day experience I had.

But once you've done it, well, that's pretty much it. Three weeks later I went to the MSU game that the PTB gave us an 11 am kickoff. When they cranked up "Sweet Home Alabama" at 1030, almost the ENTIRE upper West side was STILL empty. It never did fill in, either, and who can blame them? It was a 51-3 romp where the only mystery was whether Adam Griffith could miss a lot of kicks.


Keep in mind that after you've spent the 3.5 hours in the BDS heat (in most cases), you then have to spend about a half hour stumbling over people to get to your car, hoping you can actually get out in traffic just to sit another half hour, and then you have to drive home or to wherever you're staying that particular night.


I first inquired of Tide Pride at the end of the 1996 season. I was a pretty poor E-4 at the time so going to football games wasn't very high on my list. Then came a baby and a move, and I forgot all about it. I guess if you make Bill Gates money and want to sit on the 50 then fine. But most of us don't have that option.


I get why they're doing this, but if I'm the consumer it's the last straw, too. I've already decided that AT MOST I'm going to two games next year, Tennessee and/or LSU. We have TJC coming for an inspection early next year so national title game attendance is out even though it's only over to New Orleans.
 

B1GTide

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1) Tide Pride is an old pre-Internet way of doing things.
2) You give up EVERYTHING to go to the "game day experience"
3) The Game Day Experience is worth it - once - but it's kind of overrated once you've done it several times.
I agree with #1, I am not a member of the Buckeye Club for this reason. Resellers make it possible to attend games for far less than that paid by club members. Those programs are really a waste of money for anyone not a member of the financially elite, because there are no real perks - just paying more for the guaranteed opportunity to purchase tickets.

For #2 - Only if you do not tailgate with friends and a TV. When I go to OSU games, I tailgate with a group of friends and we have TVs set up and a few guys bring tablets. We generally have access to most games being played right up to the point in which we head into the stadium. And, to be honest, when the Buckeyes are playing, other games are not on in my home anyway unless it is a blowout.

For #3 - Again, it depends. I have many friends that I hang with at tailgates before the games. That doesn't get old. If I did not have those friends there, it probably would. Hanging out with you guys before the aTm game certainly made that a memorable experience for me.
 

selmaborntidefan

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I agree with #1, I am not a member of the Buckeye Club for this reason. Resellers make it possible to attend games for far less than that paid by club members. Those programs are really a waste of money for anyone not a member of the financially elite, because there are no real perks - just paying more for the guaranteed opportunity to purchase tickets.

For #2 - Only if you do not tailgate with friends and a TV. When I go to OSU games, I tailgate with a group of friends and we have TVs set up and a few guys bring tablets. We generally have access to most games being played right up to the point in which we head into the stadium. And, to be honest, when the Buckeyes are playing, other games are not on in my home anyway unless it is a blowout.

For #3 - Again, it depends. I have many friends that I hang with at tailgates before the games. That doesn't get old. If I did not have those friends there, it probably would. Hanging out with you guys before the aTm game certainly made that a memorable experience for me.

B1G,

That's a fair point regarding #2 as I'm imposing my own experience on others, so it depends on context.

As far as #3, it was fantastic meeting everyone, and I look forward to doing so this year.

But if we did that SEVEN TIMES a year EVERY YEAR.....I don't know that you find the same feeling and enthusiasm. I had all kinds of trouble just getting to BDS that day (my flight the night before got delayed two hours, so I arrived at Memphis after midnight and still had to get up early and drive - and then drive back to Memphis after the game.

We were at the SEC home opener against a respected rival that has a good history with us. I don't know that you'd find the same enthusiasm or feeling or fun if we'd met two months later for the Citadel game after having met in September.

But your constructive criticism on point two is valid, and I concede such.
 

B1GTide

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B1G,

That's a fair point regarding #2 as I'm imposing my own experience on others, so it depends on context.

As far as #3, it was fantastic meeting everyone, and I look forward to doing so this year.

But if we did that SEVEN TIMES a year EVERY YEAR.....I don't know that you find the same feeling and enthusiasm. I had all kinds of trouble just getting to BDS that day (my flight the night before got delayed two hours, so I arrived at Memphis after midnight and still had to get up early and drive - and then drive back to Memphis after the game.

We were at the SEC home opener against a respected rival that has a good history with us. I don't know that you'd find the same enthusiasm or feeling or fun if we'd met two months later for the Citadel game after having met in September.

But your constructive criticism on point two is valid, and I concede such.
Yeah, Tuscaloosa was a hike for us, too. I get that part. We did that 3 times last year and will not do it more than once/year going forward. The travel was too much. But for locals, weekly games with friends on campus amounts to a better experience than weekly games hanging with friends at someone's home.
 

81usaf92

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For #3 - Again, it depends. I have many friends that I hang with at tailgates before the games. That doesn't get old. If I did not have those friends there, it probably would. Hanging out with you guys before the aTm game certainly made that a memorable experience for me.
If you've been to a SEC game at BDS you've been to everyone of them. Alabama really has a very basic gameday experience, and nothing much changes. I think the only game Ive been to since 2009 that was truly different than any other game at BDS was 2014 Auburn game. It was the first night iron bowl since 2003, So many legends were at the game, a high scoring nailbiter, revenge was in the air, and it was probably one of the only times I think Bama fans would've actually traded a championship for a win over Auburn. Other than that game I cant of a game at BDS that had a truly different atmosphere from each other. I think some would argue 2011 LSU, but what really distances itself from 09, 13, and 15 LSU games? I guess we lost?
 

B1GTide

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If you've been to a SEC game at BDS you've been to everyone of them. Alabama really has a very basic gameday experience, and nothing much changes. I think the only game Ive been to since 2009 that was truly different than any other game at BDS was 2014 Auburn game. It was the first night iron bowl since 2003, So many legends were at the game, a high scoring nailbiter, revenge was in the air, and it was probably one of the only times I think Bama fans would've actually traded a championship for a win over Auburn. Other than that game I cant of a game at BDS that had a truly different atmosphere from each other. I think some would argue 2011 LSU, but what really distances itself from 09, 13, and 15 LSU games? I guess we lost?
Yeah, I am not saying that they are unique - just that is is cool to hang out in that atmosphere with friends.
 

81usaf92

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Yeah, I am not saying that they are unique - just that is is cool to hang out in that atmosphere with friends.
Well that's the thing, many folks don't. The university continues to raise prices to the extent most people refuse to pay for a single game. The majority of new people I see tend to just ask "where the museum is?" and "when and where is the walk of champions?". That is basically the gameday traditions. Its not really anything unique and worth doing more than twice. Its not like seeing aTm's cadets riding past your tailgate in formation on horse back, seeing LSU go down victory hill, or being in the Grove. Those experiences never get old, and tailgating is a must at those places. At Alabama tailgating is more of an expensive relaxation period with friends.

I think what I'm getting at is that when you strip it down Alabama's traditions and game say experiences are winning and the university price gouging you while Bama is winning. Which I'm great with the former, but not so much with the latter.I don't see as many tailgaters as I did in 2014 and 2015, and the prices are still going up. At some point CNS will go to the lake and watch ducks, when that happens will the tailgate crowd die down again and will the university stop asking high prices? I don't know, but I think its going to be interesting to see.
 

4Q Basket Case

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Well that's the thing, many folks don't. The university continues to raise prices to the extent most people refuse to pay for a single game. The majority of new people I see tend to just ask "where the museum is?" and "when and where is the walk of champions?". That is basically the gameday traditions. Its not really anything unique and worth doing more than twice. Its not like seeing aTm's cadets riding past your tailgate in formation on horse back, seeing LSU go down victory hill, or being in the Grove. Those experiences never get old, and tailgating is a must at those places. At Alabama tailgating is more of an expensive relaxation period with friends.

I think what I'm getting at is that when you strip it down Alabama's traditions and game say experiences are winning and the university price gouging you while Bama is winning. Which I'm great with the former, but not so much with the latter.I don't see as many tailgaters as I did in 2014 and 2015, and the prices are still going up. At some point CNS will go to the lake and watch ducks, when that happens will the tailgate crowd die down again and will the university stop asking high prices? I don't know, but I think its going to be interesting to see.
It takes a lot of money beyond ticket sales and TP fees to field the programs we do, and football subsidizes all of the others. Basketball used to at least break even, but I don't think it does so anymore, and if we fire Johnson, it definitely won't. So while I see your point, I think you're being a bit tough.

Put yourself in Greg Byrne's shoes for a moment.....given that the athletic department as a whole doesn't make a huge profit every year, and what little there is gets plowed back into facilities (mostly football), where would you cut in order to offset the loss of revenue from ancillary charges, and keep us in good graces with Title IX, and maintain the level of on-field performance we all want in all sports?

Your last three sentences, though, raise a most interesting question, and one that I've wondered about for some time. The answer will be largely dependent on the ability of the next football coach to maintain the current level of performance, or at least be close. Which won't be easy. The fee to stay in line for TP tickets may not be much money, but it's the kind of thing that really gets under people's skin, and they remember it far more than the dollars would indicate.

So while they may be able to get away with it now, I do think money-for-nothing charges like that will come back to haunt the athletic department.
 
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81usaf92

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It takes a lot of money beyond ticket sales and TP fees to field the programs we do, and football subsidizes all of the others. Basketball used to at least break even, but I don't think it does so anymore, and if we fire Johnson, it definitely won't. So while I see your point, I think you're being a bit tough.

Put yourself in Greg Byrne's shoes for a moment.....given that the athletic department as a whole doesn't make a huge profit every year, and what little there is gets plowed back into facilities (mostly football), where would you cut in order to offset the loss of revenue from ancillary charges, and keep us in good graces with Title IX, and maintain the level of on-field performance we all want in all sports?

Your last three sentences, though, raise a most interesting question, and one that I've wondered about for some time. The answer will be largely dependent on the ability of the next football coach to maintain the current level of performance, or at least be close. Which won't be easy. The fee to stay in line for TP tickets may not be much money, but it's the kind of thing that really gets under people's skin, and they remember it far more than the dollars would indicate.

So while they may be able to get away with it now, I do think money-for-nothing charges like that will come back to haunt the athletic department.
Football can cover itself without extra pocket change from what’s left of the Average Joe’s life savings. We managed to land Saban and renovate the stadium multiple times without the extra money. Big Donors buy coaches and stadiums not Tide Priders and average fans.

I’m not against the university trying to make an extra buck or two, but it’s the lengths they go and how much they overcharge.

I think they will find out how loyal fans will be to there price gouging when we are back to thinking 10 wins is a good season again. Because I know quite a many folks really thinking about how soon and far off their last game they go into is because that lazy boy in front of that great tv is a lot better on the back and wallet.
 
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