Report: Texas lost about 10,000 season tickets after 2014
Texas lost a chunk of season ticket holders after the 2014 season.
According to a report by Horns Digest, approximately 10,000 season ticket holders refused to renew their seats because of a no-resale policy implemented by athletic director Steve Patterson. The policy applied to those longtime season ticket holders who can pay a reduced rate and keep their early per-seat contribution because of their ticket status.
The grandfathered ticket-holders were not allowed to sell their tickets for more than what they paid on the secondary market.
Texas also said earlier this year that its season tickets would increase by about six percent. According to the report, many ticket holders had an increase much higher than that.
Steve Hank, chief revenue officer of Texas athletics, told HornsDigest.com the 6 percent average increase (actually 5.7 percent, he said, but it was rounded up) was based on a formula that involved the value of each seat “spread across” the entire, 100,119-seat capacity of Royal-Memorial Stadium.
But when comparing exactly what football season ticket holders paid in 2014, including their contribution to the Longhorn Foundation to retain those tickets, to what they are paying in 2015, season tickets were increased an average of 21.5 percent.
Of the 57,233 season ticket holders in 2014, 59 percent (33,695) experienced a season ticket cost increase for 2015 of between 25 percent and 50 percent, records show.
Texas was 6-7 last year and lost in the Texas Bowl to Arkansas.
The figures are part of a lengthy story about Patterson, who took over for former athletic director DeLoss Dodds. According to the report, multiple people have become frustrated with Patterson, who has reportedly done such things as limit the number of visits a coach can make to the athletic dining hall. After 30 visits, a coach must pay $10 to enter the dining hall.
Patterson has long said he’s wanted to increase Texas’ revenues and global reach. He’s said he wants to consider playing a football game in Mexico City and former coach Mack Brown recently went to Dubai on an exploratory trip with others.
The report also says Patterson has refused to settle a lawsuit involving Oklahoma State and current Texas assistant Joe Wickline, saying the school is not a party to the suit. OSU is asking for Wickline to pay nearly $600,000 as part of a contract stipulation that said he had to be the primary playcaller at his next job. Wickline and assistant Shawn Watson have reportedly split play-calling duties.
For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.
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\Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
