The Athletic Department and Cornell Hockey

I figure this is as good a time as any to bring up an issue that’s been rattling around for a while in my head. Forgive the billhoward-like length.

Why does the Cornell athletic department treat hockey (and hockey fans) so differently from the way it treats other sports at Cornell? Why do its hockey policies differ so much from the policies of other schools towards their respective “major” sports?

The obvious answer to the first question is that men’s hockey is the big sport at Cornell. It attracts the most fans, due in part to a long tradition of winning and also to the fun, sometimes raucous atmosphere at Lynah. Athletics doesn’t have to hand out cheap tickets to fill the seats.

But it might be nice if that changed.

You can go next door to see the basketball team clinch an NCAA tournament berth for $3. The homecoming football game was free for students, and they gave away pizzas and t-shirts. As they did at every other game this season. The Greek house with the best attendance at football games received a hot tub. The Greek house with the best attendance at one of last weekend’s wrestling matches won a booze cruise around the lake.

If you’re so inclined, you can shout “fuck em up, fuck em up” at Newman. There are no ushers standing in the aisles to glare at you. In fact, there are students there waiting to pass out artificial noisemakers so you can be LOUDER. Come to a basketball game or a wrestling match and get a free t-shirt.

Sleep in the Ramin Room and cough up $247 for tickets, and they make you pay an extra $5 for the Lynah Faithful shirt. At $13 a game, you’re better off saving money by traveling to road games. Doesn’t it say something when it’s considerably cheaper to see games on the road? Or when you pay practically the same amount to watch the team skate to a 0-0 exhibition tie against Trois-Rivieres as you do to see them play BU at Madison Square Garden?

For $20, a townie can buy a voucher good for four tickets to a home basketball game, four sodas, and four hot dogs. The ‘luxury boxes’ in the back of the townie sections at Lynah sell for $13,000 per season.

I feel appreciated if I go to a basketball game or wrestling match. I am showered with free stuff. It’s a cheap ticket. If I get there early, I can grab a great seat.

I show up to Lynah at least 45 minutes before every game, but I have to sit in my assigned seat. The three rows in front of me remain empty until at least midway through the first period, if they fill up at all. Ushers frisk me to stop me from participating in a decades-old, fabled tradition that has gotten publicity in the New York Times and contributes to the impressive reputation of Lynah. Schafer likes the fish tradition. I like to swear twice each game, during Gary Glitter, but I always need to turn around to make sure there’s no usher standing right behind me (as happened once last year).

With hockey, it seems like the authorities are looking for any excuse to throw a fan out. With other sports, the authorities actively try to increase fan attendance.

Hockey sells out because we have been good in the recent past. We were a .500 team last year, and won’t make Albany this year. How many more years can Athletics ride this wave? I got a B in ECON 102 – I know a little about supply and demand. Athletics can gouge townies because there’s a huge demand for those tickets. They can gouge students because there’s a high demand for tickets. If basketball has another good season next year, and if hockey struggles again, we could see a shift of fans over to Newman. Will Athletics have to drop season ticket prices?

More importantly, I think it’s unethical to charge students so much. At other, larger schools with successful sports teams, tickets for football or basketball games are cheaper (and sometimes free). The only thing required is to get to the game early, or go somewhere the day before, to pick up a ticket.

The inside cover of this season’s media guide is ripe with pictures of the Faithful.

There may be bigger and newer venues in college hockey, but few places make visiting teams tremble as much as Lynah Rink does. From the stands rising sharply from the ice surface to the raucous cheers from the student section…Lynah Rink is a place like no other. Students camp out overnight for a chance to select their season tickets, hoping for one of the coveted spots in Section A [sic]. Cornell, backed by the fierce devotion of the Lynah Faithful, has enjoyed unparalleled success at home, recording a 452-166-47 mark in the 665 games played since the building opened prior to the 1957-58 season.

We all know the fans at Lynah are important. So why not let us know? Reduce the ticket prices. Throw in some free stuff (and I’m not just talking about the occasional candy bar tossed from the ice). Don’t crusade for a family-friendly atmosphere at Lynah without caring what happens next door or across the street. Organize buses to road games. Don’t throw us out of the games. Once we’ve graduated and left Ithaca, do your best to make sure we can watch the games online.

I dedicate a lot of time and money (though still not as much as others) to watching Cornell hockey. It would be nice to occasionally get something in return.

ebilmes
More importantly, I think it’s unethical to charge students so much. At other, larger schools with successful sports teams, tickets for football or basketball games are cheaper (and sometimes free). The only thing required is to get to the game early, or go somewhere the day before, to pick up a ticket.

You make some interesting points and bring up some things that I've often considered. I'll reserve comment for now, but I wanted to add that I believe student tickets at Lynah are more expensive than student hockey tickets at every other school in the country. The USCHO board occasionally has a thread on this and the most I think I've seen from other schools is 10 or 11 dollars.

I can't disagree. There's no reason why there aren't AD organized buses to the away games. There's no reason why I should spend an unbelievable amount of time and energy at Lynah and feel like a criminal, then go to a Newman game for nearly free and be allowed more liberty.

I understand why they charge what they do at Lynah- because they can. But it sucks, and at some point we have to say that it's unfair to the students. With the price increase and ticket lottery, they have already had a significant impact on the Lynah atmosphere from my freshman year until now, my senior year. Section B is significantly weaker, for example (I've stood in B and A for fours years- I know this from experience). Fewer voices are heard during the games.

On a side note, though, I would like to mention that the Section A ushers on the other side of B, the gentleman with the Giants hat and the lady at the top, are very nice, polite, and respectful. They've made the experience in A much better than when the AD police cracked down in '05-06.

ebilmes
I show up to Lynah at least 45 minutes before every game, but I have to sit in my assigned seat. The three rows in front of me remain empty until at least midway through the first period, if they fill up at all.

While I haven't been to a game at Lynah since Senior Night 2005, from what I can gather I think it's pretty obvious that the lottery system is doing a disservice to long-time fans, the players, and to the program in general. While no system is perfect, I can't help but think that policies could be put into place that would reward the Faithful a little bit more

Even so, it's nice to know that other schools encounter similar problems and sometimes adopt perverse rules as well:

[www.wral.com]

But more generally, if you are a current student who is upset about current Athletics Department policies or the state of Lynah fandom, I would encourage you to get involved and develop some sort of working group or student club to address your concerns. Write a guest column for the Daily Sun or encourage a hearing in front of the SA (we all know that they could afford do something productive with their time).

Likewise, if the CHA is no longer chartering buses for away games (and I must say, I was disappointed with the student turnout at the RIT game this year, at a venue only 80 minutes away), you could always look into starting your own registered student organization that seeks SAFC funding for that very purpose.

I also think that if you go through the appropriate channels and start the right conversation with the right groups and individuals (e.g. the SA, the Dean of Students, the CHA, the AD, the Pep Band, etc.) you will find that the administration would be more than willing to listen to your concerns and work to improve the experience for everybody. It may seem needlessly bureaucratic at times, but that's the way the world works.

Great post Elie.

I'd like to point out that Ohio State, which only has 1,000 student tickets, gives them away for free. Even when they played Michigan in a #1 vs. #2 weekend match up.

The best solution is, and remains, to be cheap general admission. You want to sit in B or A, get to the game early and claim your seat. These days, you purchase a seat for the section and sit in the general vicinity of your seat...unless of course someone makes the annual complaint during the Sucks game that they got to the game late and someone is already standing in their seat and they can't move two rows back.

redhair34

ebilmes
More importantly, I think it’s unethical to charge students so much. At other, larger schools with successful sports teams, tickets for football or basketball games are cheaper (and sometimes free). The only thing required is to get to the game early, or go somewhere the day before, to pick up a ticket.

You make some interesting points and bring up some things that I've often considered. I'll reserve comment for now, but I wanted to add that I believe student tickets at Lynah are more expensive than student hockey tickets at every other school in the country. The USCHO board occasionally has a thread on this and the most I think I've seen from other schools is 10 or 11 dollars.

I don't know about that, I think it depends on the team and sometimes the arena. Smaller schools with weaker programs seem to cost less than Cornell, but if you look at any of the big time programs, especially those with much larger arenas, and specifically those recently built (and thus are still being paid alot for) (like North Dakota or BU) seems to charge in the area of $25 or so.

I left in '04 when the SA was still subsidizing alot so it was less than $10 per game. Is the $13 per game without subsidization?

French Rage
I left in '04 when the SA was still subsidizing alot so it was less than $10 per game. Is the $13 per game without subsidization?

No, I think it's $13 with minimal subsidization from the SA.

metaezra
I also think that if you go through the appropriate channels and start the right conversation with the right groups and individuals (e.g. the SA, the Dean of Students, the CHA, the AD, the Pep Band, etc.) you will find that the administration would be more than willing to listen to your concerns and work to improve the experience for everybody. It may seem needlessly bureaucratic at times, but that's the way the world works.

I appreciate your advice. I don't have a lot of time to devote to this, but I will talk with amerks127 tomorrow about a road to take from here. I have written several letters to the Sun editor about this, but none of them have been printed. I especially liked your idea about starting an organization that uses SAFC funding to subsidize trips to away games.

The OSU's Jerome Schottenstein Center (Value City Arena) has a capacity of 17,500, so if The Buckeyes give away 1,000 tickets to students, they still have plenty of seats left to sell.

As I see it, the reasoning behind why hockey tickets prices are so exorbitant goes beyond "because they can" into "because they need to". Money taken in from hockey has to pay not just for hockey but for the 35 other varsity sports offered by the university. Most of those sports aren't bringing in any money at all by way of ticket prices. Lacrosse, football, and basketball bring in some money, but probably not a lot relative to hockey, this year's basketball success not withstanding. (Of course, if that success becomes a regular thing, I'm sure the seats will be filled more often, accompanied by a spike in ticket prices.) But hockey needs to support a lot more than just hockey. I don't particularly like this idea, but I understand it.

Will
As I see it, the reasoning behind why hockey tickets prices are so exorbitant goes beyond "because they can" into "because they need to". Money taken in from hockey has to pay not just for hockey but for the 35 other varsity sports offered by the university. Most of those sports aren't bringing in any money at all by way of ticket prices. Lacrosse, football, and basketball bring in some money, but probably not a lot relative to hockey, this year's basketball success not withstanding. (Of course, if that success becomes a regular thing, I'm sure the seats will be filled more often, accompanied by a spike in ticket prices.) But hockey needs to support a lot more than just hockey. I don't particularly like this idea, but I understand it.

It's not the prices that bother me that much (we're still talking about a fraction of NHL prices), but rather the fact that we're so often treated like criminals waiting to be caught. I was sitting in section A at 6:10 yesterday and got treated to 40 minutes of being stared at by some bearded usher in the bottom of the section. I mean one of the Lynah cops actually wears a bullet proof vest...how many hockey fans are walking into the rink packing heat?


If the Lynah faithful are indeed supporting the rest of the athletic department financially, then they should be getting more favorable treatment, not less. Few businesses treat their biggest customers with the least respect.

evilnaturedrobot
It's not the prices that bother me that much (we're still talking about a fraction of NHL prices), but rather the fact that we're so often treated like criminals waiting to be caught. I was sitting in section A at 6:10 yesterday and got treated to 40 minutes of being stared at by some bearded usher in the bottom of the section. I mean one of the Lynah cops actually wears a bullet proof vest...how many hockey fans are walking into the rink packing heat?

If Keith & Kyle have their way, all of them

My bad...I meant Miami Ohio, not Ohio State. Miami Ohio, which plays at the brand new Steve Cady Arena, gives away 1,000 student tickets out of 3,200 seats.

evilnaturedrobot
It's not the prices that bother me that much (we're still talking about a fraction of NHL prices), but rather the fact that we're so often treated like criminals waiting to be caught. I was sitting in section A at 6:10 yesterday and got treated to 40 minutes of being stared at by some bearded usher in the bottom of the section./quote]I was about to post the same thing. To me, the prices charged (a reflection of both the demand for tickets and the need to fund other programs that Will mentioned) are a separate issue from the other stuff that you and Elie mentioned. I'm probably biased from living in NYC, but $13 (if I recall correctly what was said upthread) to go to a hockey game doesn't seem so bad, especially since (in my view and probably that of others on this board) it's the best thing going in Ithaca on a typical winter Friday or Saturday evening. Sure, it's more expensive than "free", but it doesn't seem unreasonable.

The other stuff, though, is unreasonable.

As a reminder, it's not the ushers' fault. They don't set policy and if they don't follow policy, they lose their jobs. Be polite and respectful to them and I'm sure they will treat you the same way. Be an ass or a wanna-be civil rights attorney, and take the consequences.

Seems fair to me.

I think the bottom line is that Athletics takes hockey fans for granted, and just assume that they will always sell out the rink, pay inflated prices for tickets, and put up with anything because they are holding all the cards.

And when the team is good, and winning, all of these things may be true, but when the team is losing, unfortunately, they aren't; the administration is slowly killing the will of the Lynah Faithful and Big Red Hockey.

Trotsky
As a reminder, it's not the ushers' fault. They don't set policy and if they don't follow policy, they lose their jobs. Be polite and respectful to them and I'm sure they will treat you the same way.

Oh, I agree, and I happen to know the two ushers at the A/B entrance fairly well and have never had a problem with them (neither of them has even asked to see my ticket in about 6 months.)

The times when I have had problems it's been with ushers or athletics officials from outside section A that have come over to harass either me or my friends. I did not recognize the bearded individual who was staring at me on Saturday. Last year a fellow from athletics came over and tried to throw me out for swearing during Gary Glitter (which I have never done.) What saved me in that instance was one of the ushers that I know actually coming down and assuring this man from athletics that I do not swear.

So it's clearly not a case of the evil ushers trying to suppress student expression, but rather of an overbearing policy. And I'm sure that the ushers themselves treat students differently depending on whether or not they know them. That's just human nature.

Doug '08
I think the bottom line is that Athletics takes hockey fans for granted, and just assume that they will always sell out the rink, pay inflated prices for tickets, and put up with anything because they are holding all the cards.

I agree. And, as I said above, what I find so ridiculous is that Athletics treats its best customers far worse than anyone else. What other business would offer preferential treatment to people playing $3 while harassing those paying $13? It just doesn't make any sense.

evilnaturedrobot

Doug '08
I think the bottom line is that Athletics takes hockey fans for granted, and just assume that they will always sell out the rink, pay inflated prices for tickets, and put up with anything because they are holding all the cards.

I agree. And, as I said above, what I find so ridiculous is that Athletics treats its best customers far worse than anyone else. What other business would offer preferential treatment to people playing $3 while harassing those paying $13? It just doesn't make any sense.

The fact is that they can ell out the rink even "treating their best customers worse". It's been this way for years. Basketball and football have had attendance problems so policing them this closely would probably impact the revenue stream.

Let's be honest though. The student section at hockey games have more or less "earned" the heightened scrutiny based on their behavior over the years. Swearing en masse is bound to attract negative attention eventually.

If the basketball team starts to have continued, sustained success and sells out consistently I'm pretty sure the free stuff will stop flowing to Newman and the behavioral controls will become stronger.

The OP asked "How many more years can Athletics ride this wave [of hockey success]?" I assure you that it will take more than a couple years of 4th and 5th place finishes in the ECAC to end hockey's popularity. The fact that someone can write that shows a lack of historical perspective.

Based on hundreds of unsold student season tickets the last couple years, I'd say "a couple years of 4th and 5th place finishes" is more than enough.

amerks127
My bad...I meant Miami Ohio, not Ohio State. Miami Ohio, which plays at the brand new Steve Cady Arena, gives away 1,000 student tickets out of 3,200 seats.

That's on a FCFS basis. Wouldn't it be nice camping out every week there's home games for a chance to get free tickets? I hope everyone's already in line for this weekend?

I do think the students prices should come down. They're not selling them out...that should tell them something. It'll be interesting to see if the two years of so-so performance and basketball's rise impact townie loyalty next year.

KeithK

evilnaturedrobot

Doug '08
I think the bottom line is that Athletics takes hockey fans for granted, and just assume that they will always sell out the rink, pay inflated prices for tickets, and put up with anything because they are holding all the cards.

I agree. And, as I said above, what I find so ridiculous is that Athletics treats its best customers far worse than anyone else. What other business would offer preferential treatment to people playing $3 while harassing those paying $13? It just doesn't make any sense.

The fact is that they can ell out the rink even "treating their best customers worse". It's been this way for years. Basketball and football have had attendance problems so policing them this closely would probably impact the revenue stream.

Let's be honest though. The student section at hockey games have more or less "earned" the heightened scrutiny based on their behavior over the years. Swearing en masse is bound to attract negative attention eventually.

I happen to agree with the swearing policy and, with the exception of 2 or 3 times when I've added 'asshole' when I thought the goon really deserved it, I don't swear. My problem with the policy is the enforcement. Pulling an entire season's worth of tickets for swearing at a college sporting event? If you're caught swearing you should be tossed for that game and warned that if you're caught again that your tickets will be revoked. Revoking $250 dollars worth of tickets just for swearing once is draconian and uncalled for.

The only first time offenders that should have their season tickets pulled are the idiots who throw things on the ice at inappropriate times.


Edit: Because not enough threads on elynah go off topic, I decided to respond too, and subsequently rant about, the other section of KeithK's post:

KeithK
The fact is that they can ell out the rink even "treating their best customers worse". It's been this way for years. Basketball and football have had attendance problems so policing them this closely would probably impact the revenue stream.

This is true. THe athletics office makes these sort of decisions based on what they can do, not what they should do, and it really speaks to a larger Cornell policy of just generally trying to nickel and dime it's student body at every opportunity. I find this especially irksome after transferring in from an institution (in fact a larger and much poorer one) that didn't feel the need to charge it's students for things like bandwidth usage, gym access, or ice skating.

There is a reason why so many alumni look back upon the university (the administration, not their experience while on the hill) with mixed feelings. I would hope that the administration would consider this when they make their annual complaint that they don't benefit from alumni contributions in the same way that their peer institutions do.

evilnaturedrobot
Pulling an entire season's worth of tickets for swearing at a college sporting event?

I know this is the stated penalty, but do people have knowledge of them actually adhering to it? Or is it just a bunch of hot air?

redhair34

evilnaturedrobot
Pulling an entire season's worth of tickets for swearing at a college sporting event?

I know this is the stated penalty, but do people have knowledge of them actually adhering to it? Or is it just a bunch of hot air?

When the swearing crackdown first took effect (05-06?) there were more than a few threads started by angry ticketholders that had their tickets revoked (I believe they were also JA'd..)

evilnaturedrobot

redhair34

evilnaturedrobot
Pulling an entire season's worth of tickets for swearing at a college sporting event?

I know this is the stated penalty, but do people have knowledge of them actually adhering to it? Or is it just a bunch of hot air?

When the swearing crackdown first took effect (05-06?) there were more than a few threads started by angry ticketholders that had their tickets revoked (I believe they were also JA'd..)

Yeah let me clarify--have they been adhering to it this season for instance?

KeithK
The OP asked "How many more years can Athletics ride this wave [of hockey success]?" I assure you that it will take more than a couple years of 4th and 5th place finishes in the ECAC to end hockey's popularity. The fact that someone can write that shows a lack of historical perspective.

Thank you, Keith. I was waiting for someone to try to discredit me on the basis of my relative youth.

As Age pointed out, this new ticket process has resulted in several hundred unsold student season tickets each of the last couple years. Athletics consistently overestimates demand for hockey tickets. Given the high price and convoluted process of buying tickets, not to mention the team's relative mediocrity, there simply aren't enough undergraduates who want to buy tickets. The article linked earlier about Duke basketball mentioned that the system was changed because (among other reasons) Coach K noticed empty seats in the student sections.

Have you been to Lynah this year? At the beginning of the season, you could see where the unsold seats in G/H were. I wonder if Schafer notices the gaps.

Next year, the senior class ('09) will be the only one that can remember making the NCAA tournament. Or (maybe) even making Albany. You don't think demand for tickets will continue to drop, especially with the basketball team playing next door?

Athletics needs to cultivate hockey fan support so that there will continue to be a large, vocal, supportive fan base even when the team is at .500. You can say I don't have a "historical perspective," but neither will the students who decide whether or not to buy tickets next season.

redhair34

evilnaturedrobot

redhair34

evilnaturedrobot
Pulling an entire season's worth of tickets for swearing at a college sporting event?

I know this is the stated penalty, but do people have knowledge of them actually adhering to it? Or is it just a bunch of hot air?

When the swearing crackdown first took effect (05-06?) there were more than a few threads started by angry ticketholders that had their tickets revoked (I believe they were also JA'd..)

Yeah let me clarify--have they been adhering to it this season for instance?

I had a friend who got thrown out during the first exhibition game (why he was swearing during an exhibition game is beyond me.) They (I don't recall if it was gene or one of his underlings) took him in and threatened to revoke his tickets but then relented after he apologized, and on account of it being the first game of the year. They then made it very clear that this was not a courtesy that would be extended to subsequent offenders.

Whether or not this was hot air I cannot say, as I do not know anyone else that has been kicked out this season. It is possible that they have eased up on the policy (the less stringent fish enforcement might point to this.) At the same time, it's quite possible that they are still revoking tickets for first time offenders. We'll have to find someone who has been ejected during the regular season in order to find out.

What I can say is that my friend has been especially careful since his encounter, a stern warning certainly worked in his case.

KeithK
The fact is that they can ell out the rink even "treating their best customers worse". It's been this way for years. Basketball and football have had attendance problems so policing them this closely would probably impact the revenue stream.

But there are two separate parts to this. Keeping the price high "because they can" makes sense - they make more money that way. Treating people badly "because they can" doesn't make sense - what's the incentive to treat people badly?

Let's also remember that it was Coach Schafer who was complaining about the language and the need to clean it up. It's funny how some of us old guys can remember cheering, yelling, and screaming and not having to swear at all.(See signature below) While I think the policy may be too harsh in it's enforcement, I don't see why the policy of not swearing is so hard to understand; nor should it be that hard to follow.

I've never really understood how they can revoke someone's season tickets. It's not that you have to scan the ticket or provide ID when coming in to the rink. I do remember that students put down their ID numbers when buying tickets but it would be really simple to swap with a friend and say that you sold yours at the beginning of the season and then bought random games from friends. Completely unenforceable in my opinion and therefore not a threat I ever took seriously.

nr53
I've never really understood how they can revoke someone's season tickets. It's not that you have to scan the ticket or provide ID when coming in to the rink. I do remember that students put down their ID numbers when buying tickets but it would be really simple to swap with a friend and say that you sold yours at the beginning of the season and then bought random games from friends. Completely unenforceable in my opinion and therefore not a threat I ever took seriously.

Of course you're entitled to treat things as seriously or unseriously as you like, but it's not at all unenforceable. They can ban you personally from the rink whether you're carrying legitimately purchased tickets for a specific seat or not. They could also invalidate all tickets for the seat you purchased under your ID whether it's you who's carrying them or not.

Use your imagination - I promise you, they will, too.

Josh '99

KeithK
The fact is that they can ell out the rink even "treating their best customers worse". It's been this way for years. Basketball and football have had attendance problems so policing them this closely would probably impact the revenue stream.

But there are two separate parts to this. Keeping the price high "because they can" makes sense - they make more money that way. Treating people badly "because they can" doesn't make sense - what's the incentive to treat people badly?

It's not that they are treating you badly because they can. The powers that be (presumably) believe that cracking down on obscene language, etc. is a good thing in and of itself. They don't consider throwing you out for swearing to be "treating you badly" because it's part of creating the kind of "family friendly" rink environment that they want. If the rink was half-empty because of the crackdown they'd have an economic reason to consider stopping it (or at least toning it down). But since they still sell the tickets...

For the record, I think the policies are ridiculously extreme. I simply can understand their motivations.

Beeeej

nr53
I've never really understood how they can revoke someone's season tickets. It's not that you have to scan the ticket or provide ID when coming in to the rink. I do remember that students put down their ID numbers when buying tickets but it would be really simple to swap with a friend and say that you sold yours at the beginning of the season and then bought random games from friends. Completely unenforceable in my opinion and therefore not a threat I ever took seriously.

Of course you're entitled to treat things as seriously or unseriously as you like, but it's not at all unenforceable. They can ban you personally from the rink whether you're carrying legitimately purchased tickets for a specific seat or not. They could also invalidate all tickets for the seat you purchased under your ID whether it's you who's carrying them or not.

Use your imagination - I promise you, they will, too.

Whatever complicated procedures they put it place, it can be as simple as being spotted by the usher who 86'd you the first time or circulating your ID photo to the rink staff.

I seem to recall the ticket office requiring ejected students to return their tickets (so that the ticket office could resell them, despite refusing to refund the origional owner's money) on threat of judicial action.

evilnaturedrobot
I seem to recall the ticket office requiring ejected students to return their tickets (so that the ticket office could resell them, despite refusing to refund the origional owner's money) on threat of judicial action.

when i got tossed my last year up there (06-07), they demanded I return the tickets before the next weekend's games, but i was bursar-credited the value of the remaining tickets. there were only like 2 games left, so i got back the $25 or so that those tickets were worth.

of course, i just bought individual tickets from wherever and went to the games anyway.... i just avoided my former section.

evilnaturedrobot

redhair34

evilnaturedrobot
Pulling an entire season's worth of tickets for swearing at a college sporting event?

I know this is the stated penalty, but do people have knowledge of them actually adhering to it? Or is it just a bunch of hot air?

When the swearing crackdown first took effect (05-06?) there were more than a few threads started by angry ticketholders that had their tickets revoked (I believe they were also JA'd..)

Actually, I think the first "crackdown" was in the 1996-1997 season. The ushers on the C-D aisle regularly made their way down the aisle on opponents penalties to get those saying "Asshole" (and other phrases that would not be heard on the Cartoon Network).

The D/E rink guard last year who wore the red hat with the white pom thing on it was averaging kicking out about 4 people per game for language. He would come into the section and stand behind people and if he thought you were saying "asshole" or "fuck" he would kick you out. At one point I was chewing gum and he tried to kick me out. I knew one of the guys he kicked out and they made him return his tickets.

side note: The rink guard who is there this year told us that he requested to be transfered to the other side because he was "having problems over here" At the end of last season, some people stole his hat (which I was neither involved in or supported)... I'm thinking that was the problem.

hockeychick470
The D/E rink guard last year who wore the red hat with the white pom thing on it was averaging kicking out about 4 people per game for language. He would come into the section and stand behind people and if he thought you were saying "asshole" or "fuck" he would kick you out. At one point I was chewing gum and he tried to kick me out. I knew one of the guys he kicked out and they made him return his tickets.

side note: The rink guard who is there this year told us that he requested to be transfered to the other side because he was "having problems over here" At the end of last season, some people stole his hat (which I was neither involved in or supported)... I'm thinking that was the problem.

That's too bad. I remember him from my first year with season tickets, when I was in D. The only trouble I ever had with him and his partner was during the Harvard game that year when he tried to kick only one of the four people who threw fish. We talked to him after the game and from that point on in the season (it was the Nov. game that year) we had a nice relationship with him.

That being said, it is hard to believe that tickets are up $100 since I graduated two years ago.

It's quite simple. Violators are escorted out by both a rink usher and the nearest police officer. You are then asked for your ID, which if you don't have (or claim not to have) is a violation of campus code of conduct. At this point, an individual either shows their ID or is referred to the JA for failure to comply with a university official. For most of us who have future applications for jobs, school, etc, we show the ID card and forfeit the remaining tickets. It sucks. Especially when you purposefully refuse to swear because you're staring right back at the usher looking at you. Oh well... there's no fighting the system.