\What's been lost in the last couple days [in the lottery situation] we believe,"" said UW Deputy Athletic Director Jamie Pollard at a town hall-style meeting the Athletic Department held at the Kohl Center Monday, ""is how proud we are of the student support.""
Really? I was under the impression what had been lost was 625 applications for student season basketball tickets. What's the Athletic Department going to misplace next? Quick, somebody make sure we still know where Anthony Davis is!
Seriously, there was no comforting of rabid Badger fans scorned during Monday's three-ring circus of a press conference that laid out the Athletic Department's solution to technology run amok. Students bickered amongst themselves and shouted questions over each other to Pollard and Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney, generally behaving in a manner akin to the White House press corps.
Emphasizing that there was no perfect solution, Pollard laid out the Athletic Department's best plan--the lottery would be entirely redone. Of the 2,100 student tickets, 1,500 would be full-season tickets and the remaining 600 would be divided into four four-game packages. These would be distributed free of charge to every student in the lottery that doesn't get the full season tickets.
Of course there were the individual sob stories from students who--having missed class, work or sleep and were waiting in line prior to the ticket process being suspended Friday afternoon--chose to whine about the injustice of it all. They clamored for extra considerations in the second lottery.
Yes, it is unfortunate that the 17 groups of students who had already gotten in line now face the risk of not getting season tickets. Yes, the entire system of applying for season tickets needs an overhaul so this doesn't happen again. But come on--at the very worst, you'd be getting FOUR FREE GAMES! The Athletic Department is willing to give away $81,600 worth of tickets to its loyal student fan base.
But then, just as it looked like it was settled, that this would be the plan that would be put into place--surprise! The Athletic Department--in a move that induced headaches in newsrooms across the city--backed away from the plan proposed at the press conference, deciding to be as democratic as possible and put it to a vote. Now they are surveying everyone to see who prefers the compromise Pollard proposed and who just wants all 2,100 seats to be full season tickets.
Boy, the Athletic Department sure took a reasonable solution and made it as complicated as possible. I mean, how do I know what to do if I want to vote for Ralph Nader? Is a vote for all 2,100 seats to be full season tickets a vote for Bush?
Whoops, confusing my voting processes here.
I suppose the Athletic Department does deserve a lot of credit for going to such lengths to appease everyone. UW men's basketball Head Coach Bo Ryan, who watched the meeting after running his team through an afternoon practice, said it best:
""This is a great example of an administration willing to work with the students,"" Ryan said. ""This is a pretty good deal.""
Whatever ends up happening with the season tickets, don't fret if you don't end up getting great seats at the games. You can always make friends with Ryan and move on up to a courtside seat. After all, now that starting point guard Boo Wade is out for the season, there is an open spot on the bench.
mtworringer@wisc.edu.
