Coach Wannstedt better not have the program take a step backwards this season. Fans at the game may be a little more cranky.
The University of Pittsburgh announced new donor-based seating policies for football and men’s basketball season tickets yesterday as part of an aggressive fund raising campaign called “Quest for Excellence.”
The goal of the campaign is to raise $45 million for the Pitt athletic department by June 2007. The money will be used to bolster the school’s scholarship fund and endowed scholarships and for capital improvements.
While the campaign has a flashy name, the bottom line is the price for football and basketball season tickets is going up. And the only way to get the best football tickets, which are increasing by as much as 70 percent, is to donate money to the Panther Club — the fund raising arm for Pitt’s athletic department.
The “good news,” the actual ticket price won’t be increasing. Instead, either the amount of the annual mandatory “donation” to the Panther Club (formerly known as Team Pittsburgh) will be rising significantly or be added for the privilege of paying for a season ticket.
Naturally, Pitt has a study to back-up the need for the increases. They released the summarized facts showing how far behind Pitt is to other schools.
To be honest, I’m not terribly surprised. Trees Hall, the major rec facility was decrepit and not well kept when I was there in the late ’80s to early ’90s. I remember they had to close my Pistol and Rifle class early that semester — never to be reopened as far as I’m aware (how many people even knew there was a firing range in the bowels?) — when after years of firing, but no clearing out all of the lead from the sand led to dangerous ricohets if an errant shot went too low. Sad truth, Pitt’s Athletic Department is still digging out from over 15 years of neglect. The mid- to late-90s saw the revamping of the primary money programs — football and basketball — and now they are using those to target the rest.
The other factor, is many — including most of the guys who post here — were agitating for Pitt to be willing to step up and spend the money for a head football coach and his staff. Well, we got our wish and this is part of the reward. (Yes, I’m fully aware they probably would have pulled this even if they hired Rhoads, but can you imagine how many season ticket holders would have dropped?)
Here’s the press release from Pitt on the plans, and the area explaining the whole “Quest for Excellence” plan.
To some degree, I guess I have to agree with Starkey’s view. Believe me, I’m not happy about seeing my ticket prices increase. The Trib. has PDF diagrams of the Pete and Heinz Field showing where the donations will be added or increased. I guess the closest thing to a bright side, personally is that the PSB crew’s seats (section 132) are only looking at having a $50 mandatory donation per ticket tacked on (still, about a 35% increase per ticket).
I’m sure there will be plenty more about this.
