We're all happy for ya'. So much courage making such a stand -- you're a modern-day Rosa Parks.
You realize that most games sell out, right? I don't think the program is hurting for fans.
I quit buying tickets after the '03 season because 3 packs were my only real option. I have two kids who are multi sport athletes in a small town, which means I spend a lot of Saturday's in the fall at soccer games, softball tournaments, and flag football. There is no feasible way I can dedicate 7 or 8 Saturday's every fall to Hawkeye football. The 3 pack was the perfect medium.
My youngest should be off to college in 10 years. At that point I'll be in a position to become a season ticket holder. But I won't be taking advantage of that. I'll never purchase a football ticket from the UofI again.
In '04 they did the renovation of the south endzone. They also widened seats without adding bleachers....meaning they shrunk the seating capacity of the stadium. Then they added minimum donation levels for season tickets and tanked the 3 packs. I was out. The message was clear that they didn't need me (or the 3 other fans that attended with me) at the games.
I do realize that the games sell out. I realize that season ticket sales are humming along at record levels. I also realize that we've been stringing together a lot of winning seasons, BCS bowl appearances, and competing for conference titles for the last 9 years. I hope that continues forever, speaking as a Hawk fan. BUT, look 10 years down the road. Who is the coach? Is the program at an elite level? If things ever go south again and we're fielding teams that don't have a chance to win before they even step on the field all those expensive seats are gonna be sitting emtpy. Carver Hawkeye arena says so. This is one guy who will not be back, even if I'm in a position to do so. I sat through all those losing seasons 10 years ago and enjoyed every trip I made to IC. We had a nice time, drank beer, saw rowdy kids and parties, and then left town disappointed in the team....looking forward to the next time we could come back. We could park in several places. The attitudes of the U, locals, and cops were all mellow. It's no longer like that. But that's OK, they don't need me there. Besides, I'm already doing my part as a fan; I have cable TV and am kicking in my money via BTN.