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Phone call from Barta

mepohawk

Scout Team
Nov 21, 2011
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I received an email from the Iowa Athletic office that said Barta would be calling to visit with season ticket holders on Thursday night. I was wondering if any other season ticket holders received such an email or if perhaps it was just going to those who had not yet renewed. It sounds like it will be like a conference call with opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions. Did anyone else get this email or has this been done in the past?
 
Interesting - just want to be sure I understand... the athletic department is sending an email to season ticket holders to invite them onto a conference call (so presumably the second post isn't correct as his phone won't "ring" with Barta on the other end). Again, presumably, Barta will speak for a few minutes and then open the lines for Q&A?
 
This is not new. They did this last year also.
smile.r191677.gif
 
It is correct that phones will ring at 7 pm CDT Thursday 4/16. Not a conf call/dial in.

I will not listen in. They are trying. Just too little, too late.
This post was edited on 4/15 8:26 PM by markfromj
 
I just got the call now - I'll answer out of curiosity. I haven't renewed and don't intend to (only partially because of the product on the field - young kids, harder to get to games, yadda, yadda).
 
Ha Gary called me last night to tell me this.

Probably wanted me to diagram some plays for him so he can pass them on to the masses tonight.
 
I have received 3 emails on this phone call, it is being promoted like it's a great new feature. This is part of the email:



This event is being staged exclusively for our season ticket customers in the sport of football. Earlier this year we indicated that this very important group of fans of the Hawkeyes would be receiving unique and exclusive opportunities in the coming year and in the years to come, and this is one of a handful we have planned for the 2015-16 athletics year.

I am not renewing my tickets for 2015- I have called, emailed with the warning but I am still on the list. I can't justify the cost anymore for 4 tickets.
 
I dropped my tickets too after 15 years. I am kinda bummed. Its not so much the results as the cost and time investment now. I don't like the Maryland-Rutgers thing, it cheapened the Big 10 to me. Its just hard to justify paying that much for games like Illinois State when they are so far below cost on the secondary market. I plan on going to some games still, but there simply isn't value in those tickets.
 
I feel the same way- 4 tix at full price, $400 "seat deposit/license fee/bs fee" per ticket, and $500 IClub donation. I live in Mpls so I can just buy tickets second-hand and save 3-4 thousand dollars.

These gimmicks of saving some cash at the souvenir store or a teleconference call with Barta- all for only $4,000+ reeks of desperation and an out of touch athletic department.
 
I've asked this of another poster, but will ask again:

Why do some of you include your "IClub donation" as part of your season ticket expenses...when listing your per seat donation separately?
 
Had to hang up after his BS excuse about wireless problems on gameday. Nebraska just spent 3 millon so people could connect to their WIFI in their football and Basketball stadium /arenas. But his excuse is were working on something with our carriers but golly gee there's 70K there.

This post was edited on 4/16 7:18 PM by hawkcub

This post was edited on 4/16 7:18 PM by hawkcub
 
To renew my tickets and keep my seats, I need to pay a $500 I club donation in addition to the seat deposits. That's why mine is included as part of my total cost.
 
Originally posted by hawk44ever:
To renew my tickets and keep my seats, I need to pay a $500 I club donation in addition to the seat deposits. That's why mine is included as part of my total cost.
You base that on what?
 
Flawed thinking. It's a seat license, not a benevolent charitable deduction... Obviously still a legal deduction, but in reality.... Nothing nonprofit or philanthropic about it. i
 
Originally posted by Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo:

Originally posted by theIowaHawk:
Originally posted by hawk44ever:
To renew my tickets and keep my seats, I need to pay a $500 I club donation in addition to the seat deposits. That's why mine is included as part of my total cost.
You base that on what?
Maybe this will help. http://www.hawkeyesports.com/tickets/iowa-priority-points.html
I know what the priority points are.

But, this is where these posters are confusing me:

There is a per set donation requirement, according to this poster he pays $400/seat, therefore he is in either 125, 128, 104 or 107.

But, once he has those seats and renews on time, there is no further priority point issue. There is no need to donate $500 to the IClub to "keep" your seats, you keep them regardless.

I posted the question, because the last poster who brought it up was surprised to hear that he did not, in fact, need to continue donating (on top of per-seat donation) in order to keep his seats. Just because one may have needed to donate in order to initially get those seats, they now get first-refusal rights.

If I'm wrong, I'd like someone to point it out.
 
Originally posted by hawk44ever:
To renew my tickets and keep my seats, I need to pay a $500 I club donation in addition to the seat deposits. That's why mine is included as part of my total cost.
The link that Doodle provided clearly states that "Per seat contributions count toward annual National I Club recognition levels."
In other words, you do not need to donate any additional monies to "keep" those seats. You may donate additional if you would like to raise your priority points and are interested in improving your seat location in the future.
Also, I believe the IRS guidelines are that you may claim up to 80% of your per seat contributions as a charitable donation and 100% of any additional donations for which you receive no benefits in kind..

This post was edited on 4/17 10:04 AM by TankHawk
 
Originally posted by TankHawk:
In other words, you do NOT not need to donate any additional monies to "keep" those seats.
FIFY, based on the context of your post.
 
Originally posted by theIowaHawk:

Originally posted by Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo:


Originally posted by theIowaHawk:

Originally posted by hawk44ever:
To renew my tickets and keep my seats, I need to pay a $500 I club donation in addition to the seat deposits. That's why mine is included as part of my total cost.
You base that on what?
Maybe this will help. http://www.hawkeyesports.com/tickets/iowa-priority-points.html
I know what the priority points are.

But, this is where these posters are confusing me:

There is a per set donation requirement, according to this poster he pays $400/seat, therefore he is in either 125, 128, 104 or 107.

But, once he has those seats and renews on time, there is no further priority point issue. There is no need to donate $500 to the IClub to "keep" your seats, you keep them regardless.

I posted the question, because the last poster who brought it up was surprised to hear that he did not, in fact, need to continue donating (on top of per-seat donation) in order to keep his seats. Just because one may have needed to donate in order to initially get those seats, they now get first-refusal rights.

If I'm wrong, I'd like someone to point it out.
If you are in the $400/seat section, you have to pay the seat extortion fee EVERY year to keep those seats. No need to "donate" more unless you want to.
 
Originally posted by 83Hawk:
If you are in the $400/seat section, you have to pay the seat extortion fee EVERY year to keep those seats. No need to "donate" more unless you want to.
Yes, that is my understanding. You would need to donate $1600 to have 4 seats in that section, but you would not need to donate $500 directly to the IClub.

Call it extortion if you want to, but it is just a ticket price increase, in fact it is in a way people should be happy about. (ignoring whether they were happy about any price increase, however configured).

They could have just raised those seats $400, but instead they make it a donation, allow some of it to be written off, and have it count more towards priority points.

I don't understand why it makes people so angry.
 
Originally posted by theIowaHawk:
Originally posted by 83Hawk:
If you are in the $400/seat section, you have to pay the seat extortion fee EVERY year to keep those seats. No need to "donate" more unless you want to.
Yes, that is my understanding. You would need to donate $1600 to have 4 seats in that section, but you would not need to donate $500 directly to the IClub.

Call it extortion if you want to, but it is just a ticket price increase, in fact it is in a way people should be happy about. (ignoring whether they were happy about any price increase, however configured).

They could have just raised those seats $400, but instead they make it a donation, allow some of it to be written off, and have it count more towards priority points.

I don't understand why it makes people so angry.
I also don't understand why many approach it as "if I have to pay a $400/year seat license to go to games, I'm getting rid of my tickets!". There are plenty of good seats available in the $0-50/year seat license range if saving money is really a concern. Otherwise you just come off as an old man yelling at the kids to get off your lawn.
 
It's extortion because it is yet another example of putting money over loyalty. By that I mean....folks who had purchased tickets for decades that built up enough "senority" to get prime seats between the 40s, are now forced to donate hundreds and hundreds of dollars to keep those seats. Not fair IMO.

I used to work with a guy who's dad had been a season ticket holder since the '50s. Didn't make a lot of money but still gave what he could. He had tickets for so long he finally got seats right behind the Iowa bench at the Fieldhouse. When Carver was built, they told him he had to give thousands of dollars every year (WAY more than he could afford, since he was a retired bread truck driver) if he wanted to sit anywhere near the court. So.....his decades of ticket buying and meager donations meant NOTHING to the university.

Doesn't affect me and never will, since I sit in a $50 section at Kinnick. I just don't like the idea of seat license fees (and I also don't care if other schools do it).
 
Originally posted by 83Hawk:
It's extortion because it is yet another example of putting money over loyalty. By that I mean....folks who had purchased tickets for decades that built up enough "senority" to get prime seats between the 40s, are now forced to donate hundreds and hundreds of dollars to keep those seats. Not fair IMO.

I used to work with a guy who's dad had been a season ticket holder since the '50s. Didn't make a lot of money but still gave what he could. He had tickets for so long he finally got seats right behind the Iowa bench at the Fieldhouse. When Carver was built, they told him he had to give thousands of dollars every year (WAY more than he could afford, since he was a retired bread truck driver) if he wanted to sit anywhere near the court. So.....his decades of ticket buying and meager donations meant NOTHING to the university.

Doesn't affect me and never will, since I sit in a $50 section at Kinnick. I just don't like the idea of seat license fees (and I also don't care if other schools do it).
I agree with most of what you posted. Although I see the business side of things (and can't really fault the University for trying to make the extra money from reseating/priority points), when they constantly bring up how important the "loyal" ticket holders are in every press release, then do stuff like this, I can't help but notice the hypocrisy.

Doesn't really matter to me either, will be in 138 regardless.
 
The result of all this is that ticket demand has become much more elastic. There won't be many sellouts now, because of the 7 games upcoming this fall, my guess is that 4 will have tickets available below cost on the secondary market. Why would you pay face value for Illinois State?
 
Originally posted by ThatsFootball:

Originally posted by 83Hawk:
It's extortion because it is yet another example of putting money over loyalty. By that I mean....folks who had purchased tickets for decades that built up enough "senority" to get prime seats between the 40s, are now forced to donate hundreds and hundreds of dollars to keep those seats. Not fair IMO.

I used to work with a guy who's dad had been a season ticket holder since the '50s. Didn't make a lot of money but still gave what he could. He had tickets for so long he finally got seats right behind the Iowa bench at the Fieldhouse. When Carver was built, they told him he had to give thousands of dollars every year (WAY more than he could afford, since he was a retired bread truck driver) if he wanted to sit anywhere near the court. So.....his decades of ticket buying and meager donations meant NOTHING to the university.

Doesn't affect me and never will, since I sit in a $50 section at Kinnick. I just don't like the idea of seat license fees (and I also don't care if other schools do it).
I agree with most of what you posted. Although I see the business side of things (and can't really fault the University for trying to make the extra money from reseating/priority points), when they constantly bring up how important the "loyal" ticket holders are in every press release, then do stuff like this, I can't help but notice the hypocrisy.

Doesn't really matter to me either, will be in 138 regardless.
The "loyal" ticket holders are important to them, doesn't mean they get special treatment or any benefits from it. Reminds me of Mediacom, the best rewards are given to the new customers while the longtime "loyal" customers get the shaft.
 
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