A new low....

[gmujim92]

Just read something about vcu fans buying up our "Early Bird Special" A10 tourney packages in the "Hate" thread and got curious.

After a little "expert sleuthing" -- OK, I simply went to their fan site -- I was nauseated to discover that this is indeed occurring. I thought I'd put it out here for anyone who doesn't usually click on the "Hate" thread.

Here's a link to the vcu thread if you'd like to feel sick too:

http://forums.vcuramnation.com/threads/the-a-10-tournament-ticket-thread.12789/

I don't know how anyone else feels about it, but I'm beyond pissed and embarrassed. Not surprised, given the events of the past four years, but supremely pissed.

I know many of us here have suffered through some very lean years with this basketball program. But I can't help but feel like this is a new low.

(Not being a computer expert, I'll ask anyone who knows: Wouldn't there have been some way for the ticket office to limit sales of the "early bird" tickets to only Mason fans?)

While I understand the university is trying to recoup its money -- I assume all schools are required to buy a minimum number of all-session packages -- and very few Mason people are going to want to pay for an all-session pass when we'll most likely be 1-and-done again, this situation just highlights (AGAIN) how quickly and thoroughly The Virus has taken our program into the toilet.

Remember, just four years ago, we had the LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN THE NATION, were ranked, earned an 8 seed and won an NCAA tournament game.

At this point, I hope vcu fans buy up every single "Early Bird" package ASAP and there aren't any left for the 3 Mason fans who actually want to go watch us lose in Brooklyn.

Might be a good thing for Edwards and Cabrera to take a long hard look at how fans respond to a winning program, so they can get off their asses and do what we all know needs to be done.

 

[KAOriginal]

Happens in every conference every year. I remember buying tickets off W&M and the America East additions back in the day, knowing they didn't need tickets.

Any school is always 1 bad hire away from greatness or nothingness. We can thank Tom OConnor for taking us to nothingness....

 

[Washingtonian]

Wow:
"Donated fifty bucks to Masons Patriot Fund. Now in line for top donor seating at Barclays."

Maybe this isn't a bad thing if this is a requirement, the Patriot Club could use all the money they can get.

 

[gmujim92]

Happens in every conference every year. I remember buying tickets off W&M and the America East additions back in the day, knowing they didn't need tickets.

Any school is always 1 bad hire away from greatness or nothingness. We can thank Tom OConnor for taking us to nothingness....

KA, I guess it just hit me harder because it's vcu and we used to be peer programs.

Now they're in the top 20, recruiting top-50 players and buying up our tourney tickets.

Doesn't take long.

 

[Pablo]

(Not being a computer expert, I'll ask anyone who knows: Wouldn't there have been some way for the ticket office to limit sales of the "early bird" tickets to only Mason fans?)

Jim,

Mason has a priority point system that is used to assign seating for these types of events. All Mason early bird tickets should be made available for purchase only if you have the requisite priority points and are current season ticket holders to preclude this problem.

When the Washington Capitals would play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs, the Penguins fans would buy many of the tickets for the series games played in DC. So, one year Capitals' owner Ted Leonis had Ticketmaster block ticket purchases for area codes around Pittsburgh (which really pissed off the Penguins fans). Of course, this wouldn't work for the Mason tickets because Fairfax & Richmond are so close, and some of the Mason fans (including you) live in the Richmond area while many of the vcu fans live in this area.

Just to be clear, I have no problem with fans of other schools buying up our excess tickets. But, IMO, the school should not allow them to purchase tickets during the "early bird" period as evidently is happening.

 

[KAOriginal]

KA, I guess it just hit me harder because it's vcu and we used to be peer programs.

Now they're in the top 20, recruiting top-50 players and buying up our tourney tickets.

Doesn't take long.

I feel the pain. And this goes beyond Hewitt.

When we made the FF4 and continued to do well, we thought the school cared about the program.

It didn't. Mason basketball was going to be whatever it was good or bad without further investment.

vcu...invests and builds its program, no different then a specialized major it may begin to offer.

Remember, athletics was the "servants entratrnce" and not the front porch or even nice lawn ornament. That is our failure.

 

[GMUSSTN]

I feel the pain. And this goes beyond Hewitt.

When we made the FF4 and continued to do well, we thought the school cared about the program.

It didn't. Mason basketball was going to be whatever it was good or bad without further investment.

vcu...invests and builds its program, no different then a specialized major it may begin to offer.

Remember, athletics was the "servants entratrnce" and not the front porch or even nice lawn ornament. That is our failure.

Oddly enough that's what's going to stick to me about the Merten legacy. That man was really good about sitting courtside every game but as far as giving the program the leg up it needed to be even more profitable for the school he wasn't going to give us an inch. I think TOC knew it, I think coach L knew it, and I think the 5,000 new buildings on campus while we still didn't have basic athletic facilities was just salt in the wounds.

Does Merten even still come to games? Does he even still care beyond bumping elbows with donors?

I'm just glad we have a new president who understands that athletics is an investment, not just a lottery ticket you punch every year hoping to score big so you can build a new planetarium.

 

[GSII]

When going to a wake forest game, and sitting either 1 to 4 rows behind their bench, or in the first 3 rows opposite benches, you are not allowed to wear opposing team teams gear. They will give you a wake forest shirt to wear or you have to move. Thats how you run your show. Even if you suck on the court the pride is still there. Not sure how the ACC tourney tickets are done, i can only assume each school has a "whore out" protection plan so a bunch of Cubans dont end up near Coach K.

 

[Haxormax]

yeah it's all pretty gross. I am definitely going to A10 tourney... I don't wanna sit with any criminals though

 

[Cool Disco Dan]

I think, especially given the current state of our program, it's shiitty of our athletics dept to offer an Early Bird Special and not restrict it to GMU season ticket holders, students/faculty, alumni. If this team shows signs of a pulse -- like it almost was appearing to -- there could be decent interest in the tournament, but our allotment may already be sold by the time that happens.

 

[Vurbel]

vcu fans are buying our seats. 2/3rds of the PC game against vcu is going to be vcu fans. Can it get worse?

 

[gmujim92]

vcu fans are buying our seats. 2/3rds of the PC game against vcu is going to be vcu fans. Can it get worse?

Unfortunately it can, and most likely will, before it gets any better.

Wait til Hewitt gets his walking papers and the little bit of young talent we have runs for the hills.

This rebuild is gonna be long and painful.

 

[Vurbel]

So he was given the keys to a 2011 Cadillac, and now we have a 1979 Pinto.

 

[Washingtonian]

vcu fans are buying our seats. 2/3rds of the PC game against vcu is going to be vcu fans. Can it get worse?

Maybe a 2 foot snowstorm will hit Richmond that day and no snow in DC and their fans can't make the trip.

 

[gmujim92]

Maybe a 2 foot snowstorm will hit Richmond that day and no snow in DC and their fans can't make the trip.

My kids would love that. They always bitch about how NoVa gets snow and we don't.

 

[MasonFanatic]

It might actually be a good thing for us long term if vcu fans completely take over the Patriot Center this season. What louder signal for change could there be?

 

[A.-Siegfried]

Unfortunately it can, and most likely will, before it gets any better.

Wait til Hewitt gets his walking papers and the little bit of young talent we have runs for the hills.

This rebuild is gonna be long and painful.

I don't think the talent is going to run and here's why.

Lockett is going to red shirt. So is he going to sit ANOTHER year and waste eligibility before playing?
Jenkins has already used his redshirt so same question as above.
Porter is from near by. I'm hopefully this plays a big part in him wanting to stick around.
Jackson would be a wild card. Not from the area, showing real promise, but I don't know that he is going to jump ship just because Hewitt leaves.
Can't see Moore leaving. He's a 30+min a night guy for the next 2 years.
Thompson...maybe goes...he'd be an NBA prospect with a redshirt year at a big school.

It would all depend on the hire of course, but I don't know that any of these kids are like Luke was after his sophomore year. Not like they are going to have an NCAA tourny appearance (and win) to showcase their talent.

I'm not as stressed about them leaving as others are.

 

[The Great PATSby]

vcu buying tickets for the game at the Pat Dome = More revenue for us. I'd rather have them be filled with a Ram fan than be empty.

The only thing I'm going to hate is that f**king "Let's Go vcu" song that they always sing that goes like "Duh duh duhhhhh duh duhhhh duh duhhhhh." I'd rather a threesome with Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell than listen to that f'ing song... especially in our own house.

 

[gmujim92]

vcu buying tickets for the game at the Pat Dome = More revenue for us. I'd rather have them be filled with a Ram fan than be empty.

I really don't understand this line of thinking.

 

[The Great PATSby]

I really don't understand this line of thinking.

...for Mason revenue purposes. $25 times every dickhead from Richmond could be a lot of money for us.