The post goes on to say, because there are more request for tickets than there are ticket available, the ticket office is going to implement a new policy to try to give "most new customers to be offered tickets to two home games." So, instead of giving a few of the new applicants season tickets, none of them will get season tickets. As as substitute, they'll get an amazing 2 game package.
Fans will be offered tickets to either Iowa's non-conference game against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 4) or Ball State (Sept. 25), and, most likely, the Hawkeyes' date with Big Ten Conference rival Michigan State (Oct. 30).There is one redeeming quality to getting tickets to the worst games on the home schedule...if you don't decline the 2 game package you'll get credited for a year of season tickets in the priority points system.
Before I continue my rant, I do understand that Iowa fans have it better off than others. It's a good problem to have. Sold out is sold out. At least you get 2 tickets. Green Bay fans have to wait like a million-trillion years for season tickets. I should have bought season tickets last year. They're trying just to be fair. Blah, blah, blah. I get it. Yeah, it's crappy that I'm not getting season tickets, but honestly I'm not surprised one bit that they sold out. If the ticket office had just said, you know what, we sold out and you didn't have enough priority points this year to get ticket. Instead though, the ticket office came up with some crazy way to handle this.
Continuing...let's do a little math (not too much more complicated than doubling 4,500). So there are 4,500 tickets that were available. We know that Iowa has an obligation to reserve 5,000 tickets for Iowa State and I believe the Cyclone band is coming to Iowa City this year too, so that eats up some more tickets. For a Big Ten opponent, Iowa is only required to hold 3,000 tickets for the visiting team. So that means, the conference home games should have about 2,000 - 2,500 more tickets available than the Iowa State game (not counting homecoming though, because there are some alumni tickets and obligations like that). I believe the other 2 home games, against Eastern Illinois and Ball State have similar arrangements in terms of visitor ticket and so they should have more than 4,500 ticket available. So for the majority of the games next year there should be about 7,000 tickets available, which almost covers the 7,300 requested.
Let's just assume, though that there are only 4,500 tickets available to all 7 home games. That's a total of 31,500 tickets. If you gave the 7,300 requests a 4-game packages, that would only be 29,200 tickets, which is totally feasible. Instead the 2 game package, that only 14,600 tickets, leaving almost 17,000 tickets unaccounted for. Why are they only offering 2 games, when they could easy have given everyone 4?
So to reiterate (because I'm still trying to make sense of it), there are at least 4,500 tickets available to each home game next year, with every game besides against Iowa State and Penn State having more in the range of 7,000 tickets. And the best they can do is offer just 2 games? Eastern Illinois/Ball State and Michigan State? What about the 7,000 tickets that should be available for the Wisconsin game? Or the 4,500 tickets for the Iowa State game? Where are those 17,000+ tickets going? Shouldn't the Michigan State game and the Wisconsin or Ohio State game have the same availability? Why can't I get tickets to those games? What's going on??
If they give those tickets to current season tickets holders that requested more...fine, that makes sense as those people would have more priority points. Though the ticket office said that there will "only a very limited number" of those request filed (i.e. the big donors). And, I've already read about a few people getting emails saying that the request for additional tickets was declined. Single game tickets then? Also shot down by the ticket office: "the availability of single game tickets will be limited to very small quantities of tickets to Iowa's non-conference games against Eastern Illinois and Ball State." So, the conference games aren't going to have single game tickets. Anybody out there have an idea where all these tickets are going?
Going back to the priority points. I will take the 2 tickets that they offer me whenever I get the dreaded rejection email. I saw one person's and they offered Ball State and Michigan State (so I guess you don't even get to choose between Eastern Illinois and Ball State). It just assumes that you will accept the offer, and you have to email them back to cancel it, which is fine. It also says that seat back and parking passing will automatically be refunded. Anyway, I'm taking the priority points in hopes that it'll help me land season tickets in the future. But, that seems kind of iffy as this year's policy seems to completely ignore the points system for new applicants. An alum who help season tickets for 10 years, but couldn't afford them last year during the down economy is treated the exact same as Fairweather Fred who has never went to Iowa, never had season tickets, and is just applying for season tickets because of the nice schedule...both most likely get just 2 tickets.
I know in today's society you nobody wants to hurt anybody's feelings. (Everyone gets a trophy! Hooray for participation!!) But would anybody really be upset if the ticket office just used the priority points system that they have in place to place the 4,500 available season tickets? So maybe only the just 1,000 who are alums and donated some money get to fill their order this year...at least it is fair and easy to understand.So what does everyone else think? I usually don't rant or write super long and unorganized posts, but isn't just a really dumb way to do this? I guess I just need to wait for my email to come and then see if any more information is given by the ticket office later on. I'll try to get some tickets to homecoming as an alum and make it to 3 games this year. Which in reality is pretty good. Two years ago, I made it to only a single game...then last year 2 games. So if this trend continues, maybe by 2014 I'll have season tickets. I also go my Away Game Ticket Application in the mail today, so at least there's that...