Yes...you read that title correctly. For those of you who know me know that in almost ALL cases I will be able to see another side to the common arguments many of our fans have against our AD. However, in this case (as you are about to read), I see NO reason whatsoever for what is occuring to occur and could not be more upset by it. It deals with tickets to the National Championship game, and please realize I am aware of what would need to occur for us to make it there. But also realize I am aware this is the closest we have been in some time, and with each win, we only get that much closer.
So, for those of you who read the comments a little while back on this past version of my Monday Musings you noticed some confusion over the Bowl Application Form which was sent to all Mizzou donors a couple of weeks ago. To sum up, on my form, and the form of many, the option to purchse tickets was given to just about every conceivable bowl game Mizzou could be selected for via the Big XII Conference agreements, as well as all four BCS games. However, the form sent to me was missing the section allowing me to try to purchase tickets to the BCS National Championship Game (or the Big XII Championship game as it turns out). I was confused by this, as hopefully you have just read and understood.
After gaining some very recent and very official clarification, donors at my level ($250 per year) were not afforded the chance to purchase these tickets on the first go-round. In fact, to get the chance, you had to have donated $750 or more this past year.
Given our current attempts to bolster attendance in what can only be described as a not as rabid a fan base as other current Top 10 schools (save kansas), the Mizzou AD has TOTALLY screwed this up.
How is it at the same time that you are damn near BEGGING people to come to a final regular season game that you take away the chance of ANY of your fans (and I use that term right now to describe anyone who has donated....it is not to segregate against those who have not, I assure you, just easier to deal with as this floods out of my head) to order tickets. As was explained to me, tickets MAY become available and I should be the one to check back later.
ARE YOU KIDDING? MAY BECOME AVAILABLE? How many TSF donors do you think we actually have at this point at the level you dictated was worthy of going to the game? And how in the hell are you going to get something back out to all the other donors you screwed the first time. Do you realize how much extra work and confusion you are going to create for this?
Now don't get me wrong, good for those fans and thank you to those fans who can afford to donate at that level. We would be nowhere as a department without them. Those people deserve many perks, no doubt. But to think any of them would want to keep one of the other fans out of the National Title Game? Added to that, I assure you (even without any proof) that we would be nowhere also without all the fans at my level, the level above and level below. Hell, through the efforts of one man on another website, I believe he recruited about 100 people to the TSF just to help keep nU fans from buying tickets...NONE of those fans (to my knowledge) will have the chance to get tickets on this go-round.
So let me get this straight....for a program which currently:
#1 - Is struggling to sell HOME tickets to senior day of the first 8-1 team in god-knows how many years
#2 - Is NOT well known about bringing fans to bowl games currently
#3 - Is looking to make a statement about itself on the national scene
For a program which is all of these things to not be able to say, "Look, we have 22,000 tickets for people interested in going to the game" is just a self-imposed DAGGER. We NEED to prove we are a legit fan-base, and we are apparently being crippled by the people whose jobs should be dependant on our becoming said fan base. This is just the WORST decision I have seen from our department in awhile.
Hell, I have no experience in ticket sales, but here is your solution....
give me the option to get these tickets and clearly write on there (as they ALREADY DO) "orders are subject to availability and will be filed according to TSF priority point system" I guarantee I will understand if somehow I dont get one, but I am going to feel DAMN good about being able to commit to them. And in a time where all we need and want is for our fan base to feel good about itself, to gain confidence in itself that we DESERVE to not only be here now, but deserve to stick around for awhile, I say we just took our own legs out from underneath ourself.
So shame on you Mizzou AD. Shame on you for an absolutely short-sighted and stupid move.