Spring Break
Scalpers taint culture of honesty
Issue date: 10/1/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
How much are your football memories worth? For many Georgia faithful, time spent between the hedges is priceless, but for a growing number of University students - call them the unfaithful - even the slightest financial profit is enough to forfeit their college football Saturday.
Scalping of football tickets by students is a major problem on this campus, despite University policy against it. As a transfer student in 2004, I received tickets to three home games - Georgia Southern, Marshall and LSU.
For the rest of the season, desperate to watch the Bulldogs, I was at the mercy of scalpers who exploit their fellow students.
I attended every home game that year, but paid a heavy price - most notably $100 to watch my team fall to Tennessee.
Three years later, the scalpers still have no conscience, but they have grown in their boldness. These opportunists now have the audacity to go public with the prostitution of their tickets.
Several groups go online to Facebook to "exchange" football tickets. One group, "The UGA Ticket - Buy/Sell/Trade - Mart," promotes itself as a place where you can "feel free to scalp yourself bald." The group's message board is filled with posts by students offering tickets for the best offer. I am disheartened by students eager to auction off their tickets, but at least I comprehend the financial motivation behind it. What I don't understand is the University's position on scalping.
Yes, the University Athletic Association Web site warns "price gouging other University students who want to support our football program will not be tolerated," but the ticket office makes no apparent effort to catch students who do so.
The student ticket manager, Kelley Lawrence, told me the University relies on students to turn in their peers for scalping.
Lawrence said in an interview the office receives only a couple of calls a week from students complaining about ticket scalping. We all know - as Lawrence must know - the majority of bad guys are not being caught.
I propose the ticket office offer rewards for students who identify these price gougers, accompanied by tangible proof, of course.
Rewards could include a small discount on a ticket purchase or a guarantee that helpful students can purchase bowl game tickets at the end of the season, or away game tickets of their choice for the following season.
If there is a reward, students will be motivated to blow the whistle on offenders. We could shut down price gouging this way.
I realize opponents of my idea will argue the University's current indifference indicates it will not really try to stop ticket scalping. However, I believe the University's apathy is due to its current ignorance of how much money is being made on the resale of its tickets.
If the University really cares about the interests of students, it will become more proactive in fighting scalping.
After all, if we can't rely on the University to enforce its own policies on underhanded activities such as ticket scalping, in what sort of "culture of honesty" are we living?
- Patrick Yawn is a senior from Savannah majoring in newspapers.
Scalping of football tickets by students is a major problem on this campus, despite University policy against it. As a transfer student in 2004, I received tickets to three home games - Georgia Southern, Marshall and LSU.
For the rest of the season, desperate to watch the Bulldogs, I was at the mercy of scalpers who exploit their fellow students.
I attended every home game that year, but paid a heavy price - most notably $100 to watch my team fall to Tennessee.
Three years later, the scalpers still have no conscience, but they have grown in their boldness. These opportunists now have the audacity to go public with the prostitution of their tickets.
Several groups go online to Facebook to "exchange" football tickets. One group, "The UGA Ticket - Buy/Sell/Trade - Mart," promotes itself as a place where you can "feel free to scalp yourself bald." The group's message board is filled with posts by students offering tickets for the best offer. I am disheartened by students eager to auction off their tickets, but at least I comprehend the financial motivation behind it. What I don't understand is the University's position on scalping.
Yes, the University Athletic Association Web site warns "price gouging other University students who want to support our football program will not be tolerated," but the ticket office makes no apparent effort to catch students who do so.
The student ticket manager, Kelley Lawrence, told me the University relies on students to turn in their peers for scalping.
Lawrence said in an interview the office receives only a couple of calls a week from students complaining about ticket scalping. We all know - as Lawrence must know - the majority of bad guys are not being caught.
I propose the ticket office offer rewards for students who identify these price gougers, accompanied by tangible proof, of course.
Rewards could include a small discount on a ticket purchase or a guarantee that helpful students can purchase bowl game tickets at the end of the season, or away game tickets of their choice for the following season.
If there is a reward, students will be motivated to blow the whistle on offenders. We could shut down price gouging this way.
I realize opponents of my idea will argue the University's current indifference indicates it will not really try to stop ticket scalping. However, I believe the University's apathy is due to its current ignorance of how much money is being made on the resale of its tickets.
If the University really cares about the interests of students, it will become more proactive in fighting scalping.
After all, if we can't rely on the University to enforce its own policies on underhanded activities such as ticket scalping, in what sort of "culture of honesty" are we living?
- Patrick Yawn is a senior from Savannah majoring in newspapers.
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 8
Lewis Ranja
posted 10/01/07 @ 9:30 AM EST
It's called Supply-and-Demand, buddy. If you want your tickets so badly, then there's no reason that I shouldn't up the price of mine to $100. Back when I went to school at Georgia, I sold every single one of my tickets for a beautiful profit, and then spent it all watching the game in a downtown bar. (Continued…)
Dawggone
posted 10/01/07 @ 10:02 AM EST
In the heirarchy of organisms, ticket scalpers are somewhere between stinging insects and alligators. How a person can justify ripping off a true Dawg is beyond me. (Continued…)
Dan
posted 10/01/07 @ 10:28 AM EST
I've spent literally thousands of dollars in my four and a half years here at the University. Paying all this money and going to dozens of football games, no one can question my loyalty to this school and team. (Continued…)
Clay Kimbro
posted 10/01/07 @ 3:01 PM EST
Lewis Ranja-
The ethical problem with your argument that you fail to realize by citing supply and demand is why you are able to sell a ticket with a $90+ mark up. (Continued…)
ricky
posted 10/01/07 @ 5:14 PM EST
The real problem is with counterfiet tickets that non students are selling on game day all over town on the side of the road. Maybe someone should ask the UGA police why they asked the GBI to stop its undercover operation to catch those selling counterfeit tickets last year. (Continued…)
drew
posted 10/01/07 @ 8:04 PM EST
There is an easy solution, put the hand scanners at the gates to Sanford. That way you will at least get rid of the 40 year old men with their 12 year old son sitting in the student section. (Continued…)
Lewis Ranja
posted 10/02/07 @ 7:00 AM EST
No econmic benefit to anyone, Mr. Kimbro? Tell that to the people running the bars. Cheap tickets are just a benefit that I received for paying money to be a student at UGA. (Continued…)
Carson
posted 10/02/07 @ 8:57 AM EST
Anyone who has gone to a few games knows that if you just wait around until after kick off you can get a ticket for absolutely nothing. People whine about the scalpers every year and nothing changes. (Continued…)
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