With all due respect to the student who made a guest post at Bernie’s blog, I think he is full of crap.
Frankly I get offended when the student body is kicked to the curb by some of the old dogs. I know that not every student is as passionate about Georgia football as I am, but there are plenty that are. We respect the alumni, and it would be nice to get a little respect in return. I beg of you to not lump all the students into one category based on what you see on TV. We are not all the same, but all of us love Red and Black.
First off, I am not some old dog. I am only 27, and am only 5 years removed from the 2007 season when I was a 5th year Sr. It has only been 5 years since I drove the bus, listening to 960 The Ref for at minimum 4 hours a day.
Let me go through the home schedule each of the years I was a student:
2003:
Middle Tennessee, South Carolina (when they were bad), Alabama (bad then), UAB, Auburn, Kentucky
2004:
Georgia Southern, Marshall, LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech
2005:
Boise State, South Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas (bad team), Auburn, Kentucky
2006:
Western Kentucky, UAB, Colorado, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech
2007:
Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Western Carolina, Ole Miss, Troy, Auburn, Kentucky
Look, students. This is not an isolated complaint. I sat on the Southside for the 2010 Arkansas game, and could clearly see the “frat section” was cleared out. Nevermind that Georgia came back to tie the game. Last year for the Auburn game, two ranked teams playing on National Television, and the Student section could barely get itself full.
The Buffalo game, it was just embarassing. Just embarrassing. At halftime, the Nouthside of the Stadium was at least 1/3 empty, and by the 4th Quarter, it was over half empty. Look, I know these crappy games suck, especially when it is hot. But the students should be held to a higher standard than some old man. They should suck it up and go.
Look at my freshman year and the slate of games. The only good game was the Auburn game, and thanks to my brother-in-law filling up a Solo cup full of Wild Turkey, I can’t remember that game one bit. Those home games sucked. But the students still went, still got loud, still had a good time tailgating.
So the guy who posted at Bernie’s blog seems like he is one of the good guys. But the rest of his ilk need to get over it and go to the games and stop being pansies. Ohhh, you can’t sell your tickets now that it is on the card. I admit, that does suck. But so what? You got friends coming in from out of town? They can’t go to the game? They can’t buy a ticket from the wacky guy who lives down the hall from you in Creswell? You know who I am talking about, the guy who wears a housecoat all the time. Tell them too bad. Go to the dadgum game anyway. Tell them you’ll see them at Bourbon Street after the game.
I was driving a lot on Tuesday-almost 600 miles!-and I listened to some good old Texas Country on my iPod. Some Roger Creager, Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow. I thought back to the days my freshman year where Uchee, Granite, myself and many other friends would pile into Uchee’s place and play poker. First two out of the game would start a NCAA Football tournament on the Playstation, and the next two out would shoot empty beer cans with a cross bow.
What I wouldn’t give to go back to those days. Little things bring back memories to the fun, good old days. Now, life is good now. Don’t get me wrong. But the days back even 5 years ago were awesome.
And that is what these students don’t understand. Life doesn’t get any better from here. You can go to UGA football games for like $50 total. Many alumni drop thousands of dollars per year. Are there obstacles? Sure. Is it hot? Yes. Do the games suck? Some of them, but it could be worse. Does it suck to use the ID instead of real paper tickets? Yes. But you know what those all are? EXCUSES.
Go to the damn games. The team is playing as well as it has in 5 years. UGA football is, I believe, on the cusp of having another great run. Go! Enjoy it! Becuase these days won’t last long, and one day you are going to regret the fact that you didn’t go.
Corbindawg
Excellent work.
I was at UGA during the end of the Ray Goff era and the beginning of the Jim Donnan era, and I attended every game, so I don’t want to hear the students’ bitchin’. I sat in the stands until the end of the game in Sanford Stadium in 1995 for the Georgia/Florida game. Your argument is invalid.
Thanks Vineyarddawg. I am a big fan of your work at Dawgsports. My brother-in-law was in school during the Goff years and him and his buddies at their tailgate constantly told me I didn’t know how good I had it. Even when UGA had a down season in 2006 and 2009, he told me that it was refreshing to be “down” and go 8-4 instead of 6-5 being the norm.
Thanks! I lurk here frequently, though I don’t comment that much. I like your work, too. And yeah, the kids today don’t know how good they have it.
<— Old Man commenting
Do you know if the corner of the 300 section that is always empty is a student section? It is pathetic that a game on national TV showing an ariel view of the stadium shows an entire corner of empty seats. If students don’t want them, then let those tickets go to someone who does. RIDICULOUS!
It would be a lot easier if the tickets were still paper and not electronic. But it is ridiculous. Corbin, next will you tackle the issue of students, and fans, booing during games?
Been there some that.
well said; however, the elephant in the room is this…..the administration is now accepting a level of student who simply doesnt give a shit. Some of these students have no clue about tradition and responsibility. My son went to every UGA game since he was 6 years old. He bled Red & Black but UGA didnt think his GPA warranted admission to the University. He is a Junior at Clemson and loving it. By the way, he doesnt miss a game at Clemson.
That weird guy in the house coat you referred to still gets tickets, he just doesn’t sell them because he can’t. There are lots of weird housecoat guys; always have been and always will be…… and hung over people….. and people with other various reasons they won’t be making it to the geam. Except back before the card ticket system they sold their tickets to students or their friends who went to the game. Now they just sit there with a ticket they can’t sell, hence the empty seats. Nothing has changed with the student body, just the ticket system.
By the way, meeting your buddy after the game doesn’t put an ass in a seat either. Neither does him buying a non-student ticket; that just replaces another ass in a seat.
Go back to paper tickets. It ain’t anything but that.
I have a hard time believing some people that say they went to UGA went to UGA. I was there between 2004 and 2007 and remember tons of upperdeck students squeezing into the lower level seats as being a part of the issue
My first year I didn’t have lower level seats my friends said no problem, we will sneak you in. I remember a tech fan bought a student ticket and managed to get in on someone else’s ID. He complained about someone sitting in his seat the entire area laughed not because he was a tech guy asking georgia students to clear out but because nearly everyone had upper level tickets. Students would just rush the security staff keeping people with actual tickets ahead of them to block security’s attempts to stop them from getting in.
I can’t imagine anyone who says they are a UGA student and never saw this happen. This happened on an insane level, and I promise you even now those upperdeck students find aways in to the lower levels.
If you want to curb the empty section up top your going to have to bring more students to the lower level section as your alumni die off(which alumni aren’t willing to do) Also going back to a paper ticket system and allow the kids that buy to make money off tickets actually make money off tickets.
Some schools at least validate scalped tickets, so if you do buy a student ticket you can have it validated if you are willing to pay full price at the gate
I sat in Section 114 and my tickets were never for that section.
And I am sure the uperdeck was less crowded than the lower levels, but you didn’t have entire empty sections. It might not be as full, but it wasn’t empty.
And the paper tickets do allow other, non students to go to the games. But if you aren’t going to the games, or don’t want to, then don’t buy the tickets. Let someone else get them. And if enough students don’t buy the tickets, then it opens it up to other fans. If the students aren’t going to go, fine. Don’t sell them the tickets.
Commenting on two points here..
1.) The issue is with the non-paper tickets.. I also graduated in 2007.. when you’re a recent alum most of us couldn’t afford to buy season tickets.. and since most of us still had friends there it wasn’t difficult to get those tickets and still have the avid fans cheer. Young alumni coming to the games was the reason those student sections were full.
2.) As for people complaining about 300 level vs 100 and complaining about their seats no being there.. yall needed to get a damn clue. For as long as anyone I know has been going to UGA games it’s first come first serve in any section. You’re a clown if you think you could show up at kickoff and get ‘your seat’. Try showing up 30 min before and cheering the whole time.
I miss those days.. damn do I miss Athens.
My thing is this, I want the stadium to be full and loud. I can understand the complaints from the alumni about students being lazy and not coming to games and I can understand the different defenses of the students. I agree with the above statement that the students pack in super close in the lower level seats. I can attest to this first hand. Now that it is first come first serve and they don’t check tickets anymore people just pack in like sardines. I love going to the games. It is the highlight of the year. Hell, the main reason I decided to go to UGA was because of football. I am in my seat at least thirty minutes before kickoff if not earlier and I stay til the end regardless of opponent or outcome. As I recall Corbin I had to make you sit through the 07 Tennessee game. You wanted to ditch early. I have made my peace with students leaving early or not coming. Until the product that is being put on the field matches the quality that most expect then why should they come to the game. If all you knew of Georgia football was the last four years would yall donate shit tons of money and then spend another shit ton on gas, food, drinks and tickets? If you aren’t from GA or have the back ground and you are at UGA for school first then why would you buy in if all you have seen is mediocrity? Just go to the games, be loud enough for two and stop bitching because a bunch of kids are deciding to do what they want to do with their free Saturdays. We have bigger fish to fry.