As many Badgers are aware, yesterday was the day which student basketball tickets went on sale. After last year’s roller coaster ride of a season, which ended just two points short of a trip to the national championship, its no wonder the tickets were a hot item, completely selling out in just five minutes. Needless to say, there is a lot of anticipation flooding campus about the upcoming season. Undoubtedly there will be those left heartbroken when they discover they just weren’t lucky enough to snag their guaranteed place in the Kohl Center this winter. Who can blame them for feeling so distraught when the Badgers go up against the likes of Duke, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, and Nebraska at home this season.
For those of you who did not get tickets, don’t be so quick to despair for there is still hope you can make it to these potentially historic games. There will be a number of student ticket holders who, for one reason or another, will not be able to make it to these games and will look to sell their ticket but herein lies the problem—--Badgers ripping off other Badgers.
I understand season tickets are pretty expensive up front and you want to make back as much of that money as you can if you’re unable to attend a game.
These tickets are not designed to be the engine of profit for your selfish desires. One reason athletic season tickets are offered at a much lower price than general admission is to allow students, who are usually strapped for cash, the ability to still go to the games. When you sell your tickets for exorbitant profit you put your selfish greed above your fellow Badgers.
If the moral implications don’t deter you, perhaps the legal implications will. When you purchase your tickets you agree to the terms and conditions regarding ticket scalping. This agreement states “Resale and purchase of tickets for greater than the price printed on the face of the tickets is illegal in the City of Madison and on the University campus and violators may be fined up to $500.” The agreement goes on to say that those who violate the terms and conditions are subject to having all of their remaining student season tickets revoked as well as the privilege to purchase student tickets in the future.
There is a considerable amount of buzz on Facebook and Twitter over Badgers selling their student tickets already. These sales postings are all in the 300 to 500 dollar range. There is no other explanation for their motives than downright selfish greed. You don’t advertise selling tickets that aren’t even in your possession yet except to make a quick profit. This behavior is disengenous to the fans who did try getting tickets for the right reason. This is conduct unbecoming of a Badger.
There are some who are selling these tickets purely for profit and when confronted with the truth that what they are doing is wrong not to mention illegal, the individuals selling the tickets are quick to adopt a childish “too bad, so sad” rhetoric. I think this speaks volumes about the individual scalping their tickets. We’re all Badgers and we all just want to watch our team tear it up this season. Just finding a ticket can be hard enough and when you throw an unneccessary financial roadblock in the way, it makes it all the more difficult.
Look, UW men’s season basketball tickets are a big deal on campus. This is arguably the most anticipated Badger men’s basketball season of all time. Have some integrity and do the right thing. Go to the games and if you can’t do that, make a Badger’s day and sell your ticket for face value.
Cullen is a senior majoring in History and Political Science. What do you think about selling student tickets? Do you buy or sell tickets often? We want to hear form you. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com
