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New OSU ticket policy creates alumni angst
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The phone in Jay Hansen's Ohio State Alumni Association office recently has been ringing with questions and complaints about the association's changing football ticket policy. Those on the line, though, are preaching to the choir.
Hansen, an association spokesman, can't get tickets, either.
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"This is only my third year," Hansen said, "so up until this point I haven't had any access to staff tickets."
Hansen's plight and the reaction to the association's new policies underline the fevered demand for Buckeyes football tickets. Any change in distribution or access can cause major angst among hundreds of thousands of Ohio State fans who desperately want to see games inside Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes drew an average of 105,110 fans per game last year.
Last week, the alumni association said it was changing some rules, most notably that seniority no longer will play a role in acquiring tickets. The association has 18,000 fewer total tickets at its disposal this year.
That could affect some of the 10,000 or so members who didn't receive any tickets last year, but it also has turned Hansen's phone and e-mail into sounding boards for curious or upset Buckeyes fans.
"People obviously want to go to games as often as they can," Hansen said.
Who gets tickets?
A breakdown of how Ohio State hands out its football tickets:
Students: 30,000 per game
Faculty/staff: 15,000
Buckeye Club (athletics donors): 15,000
President's Club (university donors): 15,000
Alumni Association: 71,000 total tickets (amount changes for each game)
The rest go to a mix of former football players, visiting team, player guests, band, visiting band, football recruits, non-football recruits, television personnel, sponsors, public officials, media and long-time purchasers.
Source: OSU
