Latest Sign That the Economy Has Gone to the Dawgs

Washington fans are having to dig a little deeper to come up with money for season tickets this fall and for many, the funds simply aren't there.

A state jobless rate of 9.2% in March was not lost on Husky officials, who have unveiled a plan called "Dawgs Supporting Dawgs."

The plan calls for fans to make donations to help support fellow Huskies who could not renew their season tickets for 2009.

"This will be a good opportunity for people to be able to hold on [to their tickets]," associate athletic director Roy Shick said.

Fans won't get their old season tickets back. Instead, they will be seated in general public ticket areas. The benefit is that they will maintain their priority points based on consecutive years of purchasing season tickets.

A season ticket runs about $250 and a Husky booster club has kick-started the campaign by making a donation that will purchase tickets for 100 fans who did not renew because of economic reasons.

Washington depends on season tickets for 85% of its athletics revenue and season ticket sales have dropped from 55,072 (not including students, faculty and staff) in 2002 to 43,497 in 2008. The most recent count for 2009 renewals stood at 38,750.

Comments

[Carl Spackler]

Hank Stamper is crying in his beer in heaven as the socialism is still alive and well in the pac nwest (See Kesey: Sometimes a Great Notion)

[ChrisB]

This is stupid. I make donations to my alma mater's athletics department. I make donations to other charities that help people in need. I sometimes donate tickets, particularly if they will be used for kids or poor families. I don't see myself ever making donations to other people so they can get season tickets to football games and preserve their priority points. This is just jaw-droppingly tone-deaf and idiotic (the more I think about it, the more it angers me). If there is a shortfall because of a drop in ticket sales, the athletics department can call me up and see if I can donate more. But they better not ask me to do this type of thing.