Tuesday, October 09, 2007

DIA Offering Odd Deal on Basketball Season Tickets

I received an intriguing e-mail message from the DIA. The DIA is now offering a "limited number of one year, non-renewable season tickets" for men's basketball, in C level, for $384. According to the e-mail, these seats were first offered to those on the waiting list, and now they are available to I Fund members. Several comments:

1) This shows how far men's basketball has fallen since the magical Final 4 year of 2004-05. Thanks to Bruce Weber and his incompetent recruiting (no recruits lined up for the early signing period in November) the future is not bright.

2) Has the Football Guy achieved his dream of making Illinois a football school, at the expense of the men's basketball program, which was a national power?

3) I guess folks on the waiting list didn't care to get season tickets. Lack of interest caused by mediocre on-court performance combined with atrocious off-court behavior?

4) As I understand DIA priority rules, season ticket holders get 1000 points for each year that they renew season tickets. So if these tickets were renewable instead of non-renewable, a new patron would have to donate $1000 at least to bump someone from C Section tickets behind a basket. Sounds like the DIA is being disingenuous.

5) Apparently the DIA cannot sell enough student tickets and now must sell those same tickets to the non-student fan base.

6) Who wants to buy these tickets if they are non-renewable and offer you no chance to improve your seat selection in future years?

7) Apparently, demand for season tickets is low and the DIA is desperate to sell these tickets. However, if men's basketball becomes good again, the DIA reserves the right to screw those who buy these non-renewable tickets to new I Fund members willing to pay cash money.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home