I read the letter Tom sent out, here is my thoughts:
Tom is basically saying:
It sucks to be you as a BYU fan
Because of the demand for season tickets is so high, we are going to increase the price. simply because we can and there is nothing you can do about it.
If you are a Cougar Club member, you will be taken care of you.
If you are NOT a Cougar Club member, your up a creek without a paddle, because we will either move you from your previous season ticket seats or set the price of those seats to a point where you can’t afford it.
I have had several friends over the past decade stop having season tickets because as they told me “BYU priced me out of them”. What has seemed to be happening is the same thing in Pro Sports where BYU is more interested in corporate season tickets than the average fan.
One of my friends had the same season tickets seats for 35 years. A couple of years ago they got moved because BYU AD’s office deemed that area as a corporate seating area. My friend not only stop buying season tickets (total of 8), he stopped being a BYU fan because he felt Tom and company stopped caring about the average fan.
Can’t keep things the same when NIL and Big 12 is here to stay. Also, outside factors like minimum wage increases, inflation, tax increases etc. influence costs. Not to mention the screaming fans for better coaches and better facilities from the fans and athletes. Money grows on trees? Why scream at the AD and others for things the vast and loudest fans have wanted?
I remember the days where they would hand out thousands of student tickets the Wednesday before the games. I was in line and we paid nothing for them. Times have changed. We as fans wanted more even though we made it to #1 without all the costs. Now, we allow protests over LGBTQ interests on campus. We disallow conservatives to speak on campus and we promote transgenderism. Times have changed. But, when the pads are on and the players on the field, the band playing and cheerleading rising, we look up at the blue sky and cheer for our Cougars of BYU.
I just bringing to light how Tom Holmoe (aka BYU) treats the everyday fans. Not the ones that are Cougar Club members, but the everyday fan that works hard and wants to support BYU.
Like I said, my friend who is welder had 8 season tickets every year for 35 years. He was moved to allow the section to be “corporate” section. That was the final straw for my friend.
I understand the need for more funding, but just like during the Covid timeframe, the AD office asked for donation to come up with the short fall. The majority of that money came from every day fans, not corporations or Cougar club, but the ordinary fans.
I know it was forever ago, but my two season tickets for football (1993-1999, minus two years for mission) were very affordable for a student making $6.00 an hour. I remember my basketball tickets were $2 apiece, and all the tickets rotated. I got 50 yardline seats for Notre Dame, but other seats were endzone, 20 yard line, 40 yard line, etc.
With inflation, those days are gone, but only catering to the corporate seats is going to hit fan interest at a time when BYU can ill afford it — even with Big12 membership.
What Buck? Holmoe was interviewed and it was shown on BYUSN today saying what I wrote. The fans wanted the very best and they are getting it. And, it costs money. He said it and so does those who understand money doesn’t grow on trees. He isn’t treating anyone badly. You want it, you got it. Now pay up. Holmoe should be praised for getting all this because the fans wanted it. Now they are complaining? Unreal and ungrateful. So, does your friend want to retreat and go back to the Wacky WAC days? The basketball team to stay in the WCC? We can’t have it both ways. Heck, it’s Biden’s fault anyway for all the inflation
Those seats will be filled easily. Look at other big names teams and the prices they’ve been paying for years. And, fans will stick around unless BYU continues to go down the woke cesspool drain.
Ask the people who had season tickets at a particular seat for 20 years that was removed from those seats so that Tommy boy could give them to a corporate of “Big Time” donor, if they don’t feel they are being treated badly!
It is one thing to raise ticket prices, that I can understand because of inflation and what not. What I do not understand is taking season ticket for certain seats that belong to a fan and giving it to another person or corporation. That is simply WRONG!
As for money growing on trees, where does Alabama, Georgia, USC, and other schools get thier funding for their stuff? Not the everyday fans… They do donation drives to get the money for new facilities, training rooms etc.
One point, it is NOT THE FANS that are asking for “better coaches and better facilities, and athletes” that is the coaches and the AD’s office telling us that they need in order to compete in the BIG-12. Fans came for years to watch BYU during independence. Even when SUU or other small teams came, they packed the stadium to watch the team.
So stop with the “Fans wanted all this” crappola!
The entire Rice Eccles stadium expansion at Utah was paid for by donors. Not one cent from the State or fans were used to build it.
As for my friend, he is now an avid USU fan, could care less about BYU sports. Sad, but understandable when Tom Holmoe first reaction is to stick to the evey day fans (which sits mostly in the end zone sections).
Years ago, when I was still struggling with the family, I was able to buy two season tickets for about $150.
I would take turns taking each of my kids to the games and enjoying football with them. Due to some financial issues in the family, had to give them up.
My kids still talk about the time we had together (like watching rain water pouring off the seats like a waterfall during a SDSU game at LES. Soak to bone we were. LOL)
FYI, my daughter never forgave me for ruining her hair that day!
It’s no one’s stadium but BYU’s. Not the season ticket holders. The AD is doing every he can to afford the renovations, NIL’s, improve the facilities and other costly changes and improvements. If that means bringing in more corporations to pay for it, then it has to be done. Holmoe is simply doing his job and doing it well. Dang libs and democrats wanting to control other people’s money.
The fans are the reason for BYU seeking out a P5 conference. The fans wanted relevance and opportunity for National Championship opportunities for decades now. Especially recently. Now you want to blame people for getting it done? Change is inevitable so get your butts out of those seats and stop complaining on what you wanted, P5 status.
Yes Floyd, they get a lot from the sales of the seats. Like I said, those big name schools have been charging even students lots of money for games and they fill up the stadiums. There’s also concession stands and sales of other stuff. It all goes to paying for renovations and other expenses. Yes, they get money elsewhere as well. It’s all used and used to fund other teams and classes as well. Money doesn’t grow on trees is appropriate.
As to your USU friend, don’t let the door hit him in the butt.
LES was “Built by the funds that “fans” provided”, Don’t forget that! The money raised was by the everyday fan, the Cougar Club members and some donations by wealthy people. BYU did not put one penny into that stadium.
BYU AD’s office sold the season tickets seats of people who have been in those seats for several years to “selected special fans”. The original owners were willing to pay whatever prices for the tickets but were told that they were already sold to another person and was given tickets in the nosebleed sections with not guarantees that they could improve the seating in the future. That is ALL VERIFIABLE FACTS!
FANS stayed with BYU when they were in the WAC, MWC, and Independents. They stuck with them during the Crowton years and stayed with them during the 4-7 seasons as well as 11-2 seasons.
I am not sure what fans you are talking about that wanted:
The fans I know about wanted good games with top tier teams, which they got being independent. They knew with the whole CFS biases and leaning toward SEC favortism, that the NC would never happen for BYU.
Who cares how they got the money. We pay tithing and so do we have the right to decide how the money is spent? When you freely give, you don’t do it with strings attached if you are an honest person in business profit or non-profit.
The idea the school can’t reassign seats if needed is like the way people people sit in the same place in Sacrament meeting. If you dare uproot them, you get dirty looks and they sometimes stop coming to Church. Just like your friend won’t come to BYU games and now go the USU. I wonder if he were uprooted from his Sacrament meeting seats if he’d go to the JWs.
This is such a silly debate. Typical Democrat thinking that they want to control everything.
You do realize that there is a difference between donating to a charity and purchasing a product, right?
Again, you are confusing church and state. The fact that you purchased a ticket is a contract between the buyer and seller. That is different than donating to a charity such as church.
Um…to get into the Temple you have to pay for it. Aside from that, what are you talking about? You’ve lost this debate. It’s ridiculous. You buy something, the money is now there’s and they get to decide how it’s spent. Dang Democrats always trying to tell us what to do with our money we earn.
I knew you would miss the obvious point. Then you follow up with more socialist nonsense. Once you buy something like a ticket, the only thing you get to control is getting to the game and placing butt in chair. There is no contract that says next year you get to put your butt in the same seat. Show me any season ticket holder contract that say BYU has to give you the same seat year after year. Spoiled brats.
To me, that’s an overreaction. Stopped being a BYU fan? Living outside of Utah, I have a different perspective, I guess. The last several years I’ve been able to watch every single game from the comfort of my home in a comfortable chair, all of the snacks I want nearby, no line in the bathroom, and pause and rewind buttons any time I need them. Your friend should try it rather than turn his back on the team. But, to each his own, I guess.
Yes I would. He got to watch every single game he paid for and he got to watch it from a very good seat. I’m guessing he had a pretty good deal going and that is why he kept buying the tickets all those years. Times change and we have to adjust and change as well. Instead of being upset and angry, perhaps he could be grateful for all those games he was able to see all those years. The fact that he was still offered seats, albeit in a different area of the stadium, is pretty cool if you ask me.
There are way more fans today than there were 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe he could think of all the fans that wanted to go to a game and sit in the area he was and couldn’t because he had the seats first.
There are always a variety of ways you can look at any situation. I think he has been pretty fortunate over the years to sit in the seats he has, he should be grateful for that.
All will say Jim coming from you considering some of the things you have posted in the past.
I would be surprised that if the majority of season ticket holders (not just fans) have had the same seats for at least 5-10-15 years. Not talking about the corporate tickets that BYU seems to be enthralled with. But these are very average ordinary fans who year in and year out goes to the game with family.
But I guess “$$$$$” is more important to BYU sports now than having dedicated fans.
LOL! I’m a dedicated fan but doesn’t have season tickets. Yes! Money is necessary for a program to thrive in today’s football if we want to be elite. If you do t want that then no more complaining about coaches. Because coaches pay has skyrocketed too. I’m with Jim. Your friend should be thankful he still has season tickets.
