I wonder how many others out there are so quick to bash TAF and stand against TAF without knowing all the facts? How many out there believe TAF to be an evil organization who just wants to loot & pilage your money & "tax" everyone out of the stadiums? To those who are quick to bash, I beg you to do your homework. Ask questions of EDUCATED pro-TAF people. Hell, call the TAF office with your questions! I know they wioll be glad to help you out!
As you've seen elsewhere on this forum Meathead some of these TAF threads can get out of hand. If we can keep it civil i've got some comments and questions. First, I'm for some form of increase in ticket price for the plain and simple reason of equity. People on the 40 in the lower bowl and top row of the upperdeck should not pay the same price. IMO, LSU has left money on the table for years with this situation. I've raised several issues of why I am against TAF but to really get to the heart of my problem.......Why does LSU need these new facilities? That's my plain and simple question. IMO, most of them are not in need of any major renovation or needing a new one. The obvious exception being the PMAC it's a dump. If things need maintenance thats one thing but $100 million worth? I see it as 99% wants.......To create the best facilities available.......I'm a believer that the best facilities don't translate into winners. I just see it as unnecessary. Now a nominal or reasonable PSL to have funds available for "needs" would be more appetizing. And last just a comparison to what aTm is doing. they are raising tickets prices 41%. Based off the TAF info I saw the low end for the PSL's for my seats my ticket price (with PSL) would go up 260%......from about $1,250 a season to $3,250. Heck give me the 41% increase.
i feel we need it to compete because to get the best recruits you have to be able to impress them and these facilties will. Better recruits with the coaches we have= wins. imo
The only people who should have their ticket prices raised are the ones between the 25's or so, in the lower sections. No one else's price should be raised. LSU is the only enterprise I know of where the people in the worst seats pay almost as much as those in the best seats. It's been a bad, unfair policy for decades. Also, it's the people in the best seats who have made it difficult for the TAF to get more than 12% of the seats. They have been spoiled forever, and amazingly many of them don't donate so much as a dollar to LSU athetics outside of paying their ticket invoice. If they're not willing to help LSU athletics raise the money needed to compete with other top programs, then jack their tickets prices immediately.
My intention is not to be uncivil on this matter. Instead, my mission is to educate the uneducated which is the problem with 90% of the people I come across who are against TAF. I agree 100%. I think they should have some type of staggered price structure based on the location of your seats. A gradual increase is exactly what TAF fees would put in place. Those in the endzones would probably get out with no fee (or a max fee of $50) while those on the 50 will pay a premium. It is not just new facilities or major renovations. Take a look at the sports complexes on our campus & compare them to other SEC schools. We look like we are maintained by BREC! Many of our facilities scream PUBLIC PARK and not University Facility. If you are opposed to tearing down the Box, I suggest you look to our neighbors. I have been to many of the baseball stadiums in the SEC & thay all make the Box look like ass. Death Valley is a fine facility, but you cannot argue that it does not look like a top notch facility. And we both agree on the PMAC. I won't get into practice & training facilities because of your stance you stated. I doubt that I would make any difference nor would I change your mind. That is blatantly wrong...wrong...wrong! If TAF had gotten the 12% rule lifted, they would only have taken over the lower bowl between the goal lines. TAF doesn't want the endzones or the upper deck bleacher seats. Those are not revenue gainers. TAF wants to put a fee on the primo seats. The fees that I have seen are more along the lines of $500-$1000 for a 50 yard line seat. Sure the prices will skyrocket for those people in the best seats in the house, but, as you said befire, why should they not pay more than someone in the corner or the upper deck? TAF has no desire to jack up everyone's tickets $260%. However, if you have been sitting on the 50 for $250 a season for 50 years, you should expect a hefty increase to come your way! BTW...where are your seats that you are paying $1250 a season??
I was referring to my ticket cost increase not everyones. My tickets are on the East side on about the 40. So I am one who would get hammered relative to any ticket hike scenario. I pay about $250 per seat @ 5 seats. Haven't had them for 50 years...only since just before the Dinardo era. Anway, from what I heard my PSL would be anywhere from $400 - $600...i used $400 in the above scenario. The items I recall to upgraded or rebuilt and my thoughts: 1) New Baseball Stadium - build a new one? that just doesn't make any sense to me. You could probably renovate it for half the cost. 2) New Track Stadium/New Weight Room/New Locker Room - why? The multi-million dollar surface at Bernie Moore is brand new. The weight room and locker room are essentially brand new both finished renovation in the Dinardo era. Ignoring my "best facility" argument. These type things hit on another problem I have. Although TAF would be the vehicle the driver is LSU (ie, Emmert, Skip, BOS, etc.). I have a problem with the appearance of prior misuse of funds (don't mean fraudulent but irresponsible) and what would happen going forward. With talk of doing these type upgrades it just sends me the message of "spend at will we're not paying for it". Take advantage of the useful life with what you have and do something once their expired. 3) New Tennis Facility - why? 4) New Softball Facility - this should probably be in #2 since it is essentially brand new. 5) New W. Upper Deck - If it's a safety issue I'm all for it. but just to put it in line with the other side? I don't like that reason. Some of the talk is in case we want to close in the south or north. IMO, I think enclosing an endzone would be a waste of money. i don't think we have a big enough fan base to fill it. JMO. 6) DV Press Box - I here it's a dump and should be renovated. that's all I can think of at this point. As for DV's "cosmetic appearance". it does need some cleaning up but I would think that cost would be pennies in the grand scheme of things. Alot of this should have probably been addressed when wanting to win over the legislature. probably part of the reason it didn't work....just not enough detail info. As for what TAF was going to take over. Every scenario I saw had them taking over everything with the only place free of PSL being a couple sections in the top of the endzones and of course the student section. I would assume you're a TAF member....where are your seats and what is your PSL. One more thing. Assuming TAF happens and I pay for the PSL to do these athletic program wide upgrades. To get descent basketball tickets I have to pay another PSL....correct? Not necessarily the same $ but another PSL for the PMAC.
Unlike the United Way at least TAF would spend the money for the purpose for which it was donated instead of $80,000 office renovations for its top executives. I would give money to a homeless crackhead or wino bum before I woould give it to the united way
I have a few very good contacts with TAF & the AD. Everyone that I have talked to had said that TAF didn't want the endzones or upper deck seats at all. If they got the law off the books, there is no reason to snatch & grab all the seats. Why overload an already overworked staff with an additional 70,000 people to track all at once...many for only $50 a pop. All they wanted was to get the people in the prime seats. You assume correct that I am a TAF member. I sit in the South Endzone and the surcharge I pay for my seats is $0. My tickets are through the ticket office & not TAF and they cost just as much as your plush 40 y/l seats. I give to TAF not out of need for tickets, but because I care about the future of LSU athletics. I don't know anything about basketball surcharges as it is a worthless & meaningless sport in this world & shold be dropped by the NCAA. However, if they choose to keep it, I don't see why you wouldn't have to pay a surcharge on season tickets. Why shoudl football fans fund everything? What about the idiots who like basketball but hate football? Should they not pay their fair share? Or, are you proposing a level of donation that gives you carte blanche to all the prime seats in every arena for every sport?
Not a basketball fan I gather. As for football paying for everything. Isn't that what the PSL contemplates based on all the projects they would want to fund with it. I agree each should carry some weight but football would carry more since it is the gorilla. But it looks as though the initial TAF plan has this wrong or does want football to fund it all. I do believe there are PSL's on low and mid-level sideline seats at the PMAC. How much I haven't a clue. Mine are mid-level behind the backboard and I don't pay any fee. But yes, based on what they want to charge and it's use for PSL in DV then that should provide carte blance access to tickets....Maybe a nominal charge on the other sports but nothing more than a 5-10% fee. Don't take this personally but I would bet alot of peoples motivation for supporting the TAF plan is just b/c they think/know they can get better tickets irregardless of what LSU does with the money.
Don't be so quick to make assumptions. I have been a proud paying member of TAF since its inception. I sit in the North end zone so I did not join just for football tickets. Questioning and examining any organization is not bashing it. In fact, examining them is actually more responsible. I want every organization that I donate to to be under public scrutiny for the same reasons that stockholders deserve openness with the companies that they invest in.
