Superaggie79
02-02-2007, 10:56 AM
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper657/stills/jf4dpy38.gifAs I'm sure everyone knows the big news surrounding Texas A&M this week is the Ticket Pull Debacle of '07 in which students that had been standing in line for hours were told to go home because the crowd had become dangerous. So the University met about how to deal with the situation and they decided to institute a computer generated lottery. It all sounds good right? WRONG! One of the conditions to be eligible for the lottery is that you have had to attended at least one mens basketball game this year. This angered many people that had spent hours standing and now their chances were reduced to hoping a computer picked them. After the pull it was found that December grads had recieved tickets and people that hadn't been to the game but their sports pass had been used also got tickets. With all of this hooplah I decided to go to the President of Reed Rowdies, Aubrey Bloom, to get his thoughts on the situation.
Superaggie79:How big was the crowd when you first got to the line after the ISU game?
Aubrey Bloom:When I left the Iowa State game the crowd was probably nearing a few hundred people, the people who say it was a small organized line that we tried to get to move are incorrect. the line already reached from the barriers down to the walking tunnel.
SA79:Why was it that the university didn't do anything about the line being created before the 11 pm start time they had previously stated?
AB:As for University Policy I am not versed enough in their handling of matters in the past to adress this. I will only say that we were told security would be out there from the early evening on letting people know that they could not be in that area, and clearly that did not happen.
SA79:Do you think that the lottery system that the athletic dept came up with was fair? From the looks of things several December grads and some people that have never been to a game but had friends use their sports pass got a ticket.
AB:From a pure Adam Smith economics version of fair, no it was not. But it was the right move. It was unfair to the people who had not yet gone to a game, but I think most would agree that for this game that was an acceptable slant to the pull.
SA79:Did you have any say or give any advice on how to fix the problem?
AB:I was part of the committee that talked about ticket pull all season, but after wednesday night I was not approached in reaching the decision about the lottery pull. That is not to say that I think I should have been by any means, because this was an upper level decision (as it should
have been.)
SA79:If they went with the same lottery system for the tech game then students that weren't eligible for this lottery still won't be able to achieve eligible status. Is that right after those students paid for the opportunity to attend the game but then won't have that opportunity?
AB:You are correct that if they go with the same system again, it would not be fair (in legal terms) to the people who have not attended a game this season. They deserve at least a chance to the game. That said, I would like to see the Tech pull also weighted heavily based on how many games people
have gone to this season.
SA79:What does it say about BCG that he's been able to create this kind of energy for basketball at Texas A&M?
AB:This entire situation speaks volumes to not only the coaching ability of Billy Gillispie, but also to his allure to the Aggie family. Winning is important, but not the only factor in creating energy. Seeing this team play hard every minute of every game is almost as important as the win-loss column in terms of fan support.
SA79:Do you have any ideas on what should be done in the future for ticket pull?
AB:I have plenty of ideas, but nothing that's to original from everything else being thrown around. I would like to see a pull where every student with an all sports pass has a chance, but students who've attended more games have a better chance. And contrary to internet grumblings, this type of pull has been enacted at other schools around the country.
SA79:What's your pick for the ku game?
AB:I'm actually hours from leaving for Lawrence for the game tomorrow night, and I will say that this team is unlike any team that KU has faced so far this season, however the same can be said for us with their length and speed. My official prediction: Texas A&M 64 Kansas 60.
To learn more about Reed Rowdies click here (http://reedrowdies.tamu.edu).
Superaggie79:How big was the crowd when you first got to the line after the ISU game?
Aubrey Bloom:When I left the Iowa State game the crowd was probably nearing a few hundred people, the people who say it was a small organized line that we tried to get to move are incorrect. the line already reached from the barriers down to the walking tunnel.
SA79:Why was it that the university didn't do anything about the line being created before the 11 pm start time they had previously stated?
AB:As for University Policy I am not versed enough in their handling of matters in the past to adress this. I will only say that we were told security would be out there from the early evening on letting people know that they could not be in that area, and clearly that did not happen.
SA79:Do you think that the lottery system that the athletic dept came up with was fair? From the looks of things several December grads and some people that have never been to a game but had friends use their sports pass got a ticket.
AB:From a pure Adam Smith economics version of fair, no it was not. But it was the right move. It was unfair to the people who had not yet gone to a game, but I think most would agree that for this game that was an acceptable slant to the pull.
SA79:Did you have any say or give any advice on how to fix the problem?
AB:I was part of the committee that talked about ticket pull all season, but after wednesday night I was not approached in reaching the decision about the lottery pull. That is not to say that I think I should have been by any means, because this was an upper level decision (as it should
have been.)
SA79:If they went with the same lottery system for the tech game then students that weren't eligible for this lottery still won't be able to achieve eligible status. Is that right after those students paid for the opportunity to attend the game but then won't have that opportunity?
AB:You are correct that if they go with the same system again, it would not be fair (in legal terms) to the people who have not attended a game this season. They deserve at least a chance to the game. That said, I would like to see the Tech pull also weighted heavily based on how many games people
have gone to this season.
SA79:What does it say about BCG that he's been able to create this kind of energy for basketball at Texas A&M?
AB:This entire situation speaks volumes to not only the coaching ability of Billy Gillispie, but also to his allure to the Aggie family. Winning is important, but not the only factor in creating energy. Seeing this team play hard every minute of every game is almost as important as the win-loss column in terms of fan support.
SA79:Do you have any ideas on what should be done in the future for ticket pull?
AB:I have plenty of ideas, but nothing that's to original from everything else being thrown around. I would like to see a pull where every student with an all sports pass has a chance, but students who've attended more games have a better chance. And contrary to internet grumblings, this type of pull has been enacted at other schools around the country.
SA79:What's your pick for the ku game?
AB:I'm actually hours from leaving for Lawrence for the game tomorrow night, and I will say that this team is unlike any team that KU has faced so far this season, however the same can be said for us with their length and speed. My official prediction: Texas A&M 64 Kansas 60.
To learn more about Reed Rowdies click here (http://reedrowdies.tamu.edu).