Jeremy Foley sends letter begging students to buy tickets

[JC_Gator]

I received the following in my email the other day and confirmed this was sent to all students.

To view this email as a web page, go here.

August has arrived, football practice has started and the fall semester will soon be underway. In less than a month we will kick off the 2014 football season and to those of you who purchased season tickets via the lottery, we thank you for your support of the Gators. Part of what makes The Swamp one of the greatest game day experiences in the nation is the pride and passion from the East Side of the Stadium and our University of Florida students. For those of you who have not yet purchased your seats, tickets are still available, viaGatorzone.com/students, on a first come first serve basis. I hope you will all join us in The Swamp each week as the energy and passion you bring is what makes game day so special. Our football team feeds off of that and needs you there. I know the coaching staff and the student-athletes will continue to work tirelessly and put it all on the line to represent you – the Gator Nation. Again, I thank you all for your support. I believe that we have a top university because of the dedication of our students, alumni, faculty and staff, and the pride that comes with being a Gator. In All Kinds of Weather, We All Stick Together Jeremy Foley Director of Athletics

Gator Ticket Office PO Box 14485 Gainesville, FL 32604 (352) 375-4683 M - F 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For those guests that are hearing impaired, contact the Florida Relay Service at 711 (TDD/TTY)

 

[sonomagator]

Not surprised , a lot of schools are doing the same. A buddy of mine who has 2 daughters at ariz st was laughing because he, his wife and daughters are all getting letters even though they're already season ticket holders.I know that Cal, Ore Ucla and Stanford are all doing the same with students and season ticket holders from various friends of mine. Hell I live in Cal and got a letter from my alma mater in Virginia to buy season tickets. Haven't heard from them in 20 odd years, but I guess everybody needs money.

 

[JC_Gator]

This is a problem everywhere, but it has been years since the students haven't sold out the season tickets. I mean they are $115. And I can buy guest tickets for varying prices per game or $280 per season. You can't ever get tickets that cheap again.

 

[bradgator2]

I've ner heard of guest tickets for the students... How do those work?

 

[JC_Gator]

Basically a student can get up to a certain number of guests into a game and the guest will sit with the student, even though the guest isn't a student. I got my girlfriend into several games last year this way.

 

[GatorJ]

Remember when it was nearly impossible to get student tickets. You had to call the ticket line to buy them. And you would dial every 10 seconds but it was busy.

 

[MatthewM.]

Jesus Christ there was a lottery to be able to buy tickets and I knew a ton of kids that missed out on tickets for multiple years. This was only 4-5 years ago. **** these students seriously.

 

[oxrageous]

Jesus Christ there was a lottery to be able to buy tickets and I knew a ton of kids that missed out on tickets for multiple years. This was only 4-5 years ago. **** these students seriously.

Is it the students or the product? 4-5 years ago we were a powerhouse.

 

[MJMGator]

Is it the students or the product? 4-5 years ago we were a powerhouse.

I suspect a little of both. UF continues to get harder and harder to get into each year and many of the brainiacs attending arent into sports. That said, if we were coming off a championship season, I don't think we'd have this problem...to this extent.

 

[VulcanAlex]

Not surprised but I would hardly call this letter "begging". I am surprised that the student section is not sold out when I was at UF the school was smaller, the product not that great, but the section was full. Times change.

 

[oxrageous]

Not surprised but I would hardly call this letter "begging". I am surprised that the student section is not sold out when I was at UF the school was smaller, the product not that great, but the section was full. Times change.

He left out that there is a picture of Foley on his hands and knees accompanying the letter.

 

[Bernardo de la Paz]

Remember when it was nearly impossible to get student tickets. You had to call the ticket line to buy them. And you would dial every 10 seconds but it was busy.

And they sold out in less than 24 hours

 

[MJMGator]

Will WM hand deliver them?

 

[GatorJ]

And they sold out in less than 24 hours

There were no ticket scalping services online. You had to stand outside the day of the game and hope somebody was selling them reasonably.

 

[ufgator812]

He left out that there is a picture of Foley on his hands and knees accompanying the letter.

Must resist urge...

 

[JC_Gator]

This is not the first email I have gotten from UF asking students to buy tickets. They had a "lottery" and it didn't sell out. In my degree program, chemical engineering, people were asking me how the team was doing having no idea we just lost to GA Southern. Seriously they were clueless.

 

[ufgator812]

I'm getting them weekly. Emails and US mail.

 

[Zambo]

Why go to the game when you're going to spend 90% of the time staring at your smart phone screen anyway. That's all anybody does anymore is focus on liquid crystal eighteen inches in front of their face.

 

[JC_Gator]

Why go to the game when you're going to spend 90% of the time staring at your smart phone screen anyway. That's all anybody does anymore is focus on liquid crystal eighteen inches in front of their face.

One of the major problems actually is the lack of cell phone service, so kids can't stare at their smartphones. And some choose not to go to a game because of it.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Embarrassing.