I remember when they were "free"

[will-you-shut-up-man]

Sticker shock! Tennessee student football ticket prices double for the 2024 season

The Tennessee football student ticket lottery is changing, too. Rowdy Rewards and the Big Orange Tix loyalty system has merged.

www.knoxnews.com

 

[will-you-shut-up-man]

Not trying to age myself but I remember when the tickets were part of the student activity fees. Standing in line or camping out for certain games were part of the beauty of being a UT student.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

Not trying to age myself but I remember when the tickets were part of the student activity fees. Standing in line or camping out for certain games were part of the beauty of being a UT student.

Now the activity fee covers the right to have a chance to buy a student ticket…..

 

[mcnabbvolunteer]

Yes I remember standing in line and the person in front of me getting tickets at midfield and then I get end zone nose bleed tickets!!!!!!

 

[exotic_vols]

I just went back and looked at my old student ticket stubs. The school started charging for student tickets in 2008. It was $15 per game. There was no lottery system back then probably because the team was sub-par. I remembered the only difference for students to get tickets in 08 was to pay $15 at the office. You still had to wait in line and you couldn't pick where you want to sit.

 

[utvolpj]

Not trying to age myself but I remember when the tickets were part of the student activity fees. Standing in line or camping out for certain games were part of the beauty of being a UT student.

If they were part of the fee then they weren't free. Still weren't guaranteed a ticket either

 

[BigNasty]

I remember scalpers standing outside the ticket office paying students $25 plus face value to get tickets.

 

[will-you-shut-up-man]

If they were part of the fee then they weren't free. Still weren't guaranteed a ticket either

True, but it felt free, so I stand by my statement. And pretty much whoever wanted to go could go.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

I just went back and looked at my old student ticket stubs. The school started charging for student tickets in 2008. It was $15 per game. There was no lottery system back then probably because the team was sub-par. I remembered the only difference for students to get tickets in 08 was to pay $15 at the office. You still had to wait in line and you couldn't pick where you want to sit.

Wonder which coaches reign they went down in price. My daughter who is finally graduating with her Masters Thursday has been paying $10 for the past 6 years….

 

[Pride85]

Not trying to age myself but I remember when the tickets were part of the student activity fees. Standing in line or camping out for certain games were part of the beauty of being a UT student.

I can too. One small perk of being in the Pride was we didn't have to camp out for the tickets. Always sat in the same spot every game, no matter who we were playing.

 

[VolTull]

I was attending a Student Council meeting in the 70s and the issue that was being discussed was that students which had no interest in attending some/all sporting events were being unfairly charged. There was a bill passed voting for discontinuing lumping ticket fees into the Activity fee and passed to the appropriate school official.

This - I left soon after - started a ball rolling to unhook the game ticket fee.

 

[Okie]

I attended Oklahoma in the mid 80's, was in the band so all of my tickets were free. Other students were $25 for a season ticket, no reserved seats. You had to go stand in line outside the ticket office and it was one per person with their own student ID. The line would usually start to form the night before and there would be a party on the sidewalk all night. Ditto for men's basketball. All other sports were free, just show a student ID, no ticket required.

I don't know what they do today, but the student section is quite frequently not full. When it does fill, it's last minute and they leave before the game is over frequently. That doesn't bode well for future donations to the university and athletics, IMO.

 

[OffTackleVol]

Not trying to age myself but I remember when the tickets were part of the student activity fees. Standing in line or camping out for certain games were part of the beauty of being a UT student.

And The Zoo didn't have air conditioning and Sophie's had the best flame broiled burger in town...........

 

[Voltopia]

The mission of college athletics is being completely subsumed by the drive to generate money above all other goals. No one will be spared, no one will be safe. If you can pay five, then you can pay ten. If you can pay fifty, you can pay one hundred. And if you can pay five hundred, you can probably pay a thousand. And so on, and so on -- until enough people stop paying.

 

[superdave1984]

True, but it felt free, so I stand by my statement. And pretty much whoever wanted to go could go.

Plus if you were married, you could get a second free ticket for your spouse even if your spouse was not a student.

 

[Vol4gzus]

The Who singing," I'm free!" Maybe Steve Miller is better with," OOH take the money and run"

 

[Teeman]

Yes I remember standing in line and the person in front of me getting tickets at midfield and then I get end zone nose bleed tickets!!!!!!

You had to be really nice and smile at the little old lady handing out the tickets. It usually worked for me.

 

[reederw]

Yeah I started at UT in 87 and we had a card that was like thick construction paper and they would punch a hole in it when you got a ticket

 

[volplaya8]

Not trying to age myself but I remember when the tickets were part of the student activity fees. Standing in line or camping out for certain games were part of the beauty of being a UT student.

Going to the UC and praying you got lowers instead of uppers when they picked your ticket out of the stack randomly! Great times!

 

[ftsandersvol]

 

[Hacksaw]

I don't remember exactly how it worked, but I know I went to the games and I never had any money.

On a related note, how many of you still have your student ID? I'm sure I still have mine somewhere but I couldn't say where. I come across it every ten years or so when I'm cleaning up and reorganizing.

 

[SaipanVol]

I found a student ID at the gym and replaced the photo with one of mine. The ID had a Chinese name on it and I used it anyway. I bought a student ticket from a Fla fan for the Floriduh game for 10 bucks and went to the gate and went in and the look on the guys face was priceless!

 

[number1volfanfrom76]

Plus if you were married, you could get a second free ticket for your spouse even if your spouse was not a student.

I had to buy the spouse ticket in mid-70's. Can't remember $ but I can't remember a lot these days!

 

[BigBadVol]

I remember the student tickets becoming available on Tuesdays for that weekend’s game. We would go to the student book store to get them I believe. They were included in the student activities fee. And for some reason, I remember being able to get two tickets if I wanted. I might be wrong. One other thing, you had to pick up your tickets by the end of day Thursday. They would open up those tickets not picked up to the public.

 

[ENGRVOL]

Really feel sorry for students now. Attended UT in the early to mid 2000s and remember complaining that the student activity fee should be optional but enjoyed the opportunity of getting tickets. However now even with skyrocketing tuition students have to fork over more money.

At least it seems that basketball tickets are remaining free according to the article so there is that.