Akron Tailgate Lot Priority Policy

[Captain Kangaroo]

I received a phone call last week from a University employee notifying me that I probably wasn't going to be on the list to return to Lot #9 this upcoming football season. Apparently Lot #9 (lot behind the scoreboard, paralleling Exchange street) will be designated for "major donors," in the $5k to $20k range. I was told that perhaps Lot #13 (corner of Carroll and Spicer) would be available as our new "refugee camp" lot.

This brings up several questions --

What is best for Lot #9? Last season, our groups really made that lot a party. Tents, flags, grills, music...when people drove past, the people in Lot #9...the most visible tailgate lot on the campus...made it look like a real College Game Day environment. It was the lot that the local news media would film and photograph on game day as a representative of what cool things were going on at UA.

The hard-core Lot #9'ers stuck with the program as the team's performance spiraled down the toilet. After mid-season, the "hard cores" remained, although least half of Lot #9 was empty. They were a hearty bunch...

Now why do you displace your "hardest-core" followers? The University knows who made that lot rock in the Fall of '09 (obviously, since I got the phone call)...so why give the boot to those 200-or-so folks who take up maybe only 60 of the 300 available Lot #9 spots? There would still be 200+ spots available for everyone else?

An obvious answer would be - "Hey...money talks. If you want to park there, pay up! Donate!"

I get that. Any idiot gets that. But does it need to be that Black-and-White?

Look at the lower-JAR seating. Those seats are paid for by the "major donors." How many of those people show up for games on any given day? I'll round up and say "half."

Going a step further - How many 20k...10k...donors are going to party in Lot #9 on game day? How about zero? And why would you if you're paying for a loge loaded with food and drinks? It turns Lot #9 from a Tailgate Lot, to a Parking Lot. Is that the right move? If handled differently, could it have been both?

And how many $xxk donors are there anyhow? And how many will show up in 2010...especially after the 3-9 season? I can't imagine season ticket holder numbers will skyrocket after last year's train wreck?

Going another step further...Today's $250 or $500 donor is tomorrow's $1k or $5k donor. If you are YouTube Tom, why don't you walk down to Lot #9 and shake hands and meet with the future "major donors," rather that boot them across campus? Is there ever a point where you invest in the future?

And keep in mind...those 2009 Lot 9'ers aren't freeloaders. They pay $450 for their reserved season tickets and parking. The do donate to the Z-Fund. They donate to their respective UA colleges. They also purchase basketball and soccer tickets. They spend money to follow the Zips to places like Happy Valley...Madison...West Point...Syracuse...Buffalo...Toledo...Raleigh...and just about anywhere in-between. Some followed the basketball team to Alaska, for Christ's sake! When the PD and Beacon ignored Zips athletics, they blogged about the Zips and created ZipsNation. These are essentially The Best of the Best Zips fans. And they are getting the boot?

The good news is - the "Major Donors" probably won't materialize. If the lot was 1/2 full at year's end last season, it will be even less full with a smaller sampling of the public having access. Lot 9'ers will probably get a phone call in August letting them know their cherished Lot #9 wants them back. But at that point the damage may be done.

I recall when Parking Genius Pat Kreiger designated the Rubber Bowl "Paved Lot" for $5k donors. The lot was empty on game days...save for some coaches wives and a UA administrator or two. The lot did eventually fill up...once the parking attendants left and the general public pulled in.

And I do want to be clear on one thing -- The UA official that called me was very courteous. And the fact that I received a personal phone call rather than be ambushed with a "Dear Valued Season Ticket Holder...you're getting the boot" email/letter is greatly appreciated. I have no real issue with the change...UA has a very expensive stadium to pay off...but it does merit discussion

You opinion on The New Lot #9 is...?

[cornbread]

Lot 9 to lot 13 is a big move.

The university should want lots closest to the stadium packed for obvious reasons. But they should also reward big donors with the close spots.

Can't it be broke up into lot 9A and lot 9Z?

Give 9Z to tailgaters for the party so that big donors can get up close and personal with the "college atmosphere" idea. They were no-doubt sold that ideal when they cited an on campus stadium. Lots look big.

[g-mann17]

If they pull that, it's major BS, there are a total of about 1000 Club, loge, suite seats. They had great priorty parking near the elevators to their level, they also had an "easy in, easy out" with the two exit lot behind Stiles. The walk is no shorter, and the Stiles lot is paved. If we have more than 1000 donors in the 5 to 20 thousand dollar range, I would like to know where they are because that is 5-20 million right there, I didn't even know we did that well in Z-Fund contributions.

[Zip_ME87]

I think the Lot 9 should be for the "die hard" fans who will be there no matter how good/bad the season is going. When I drive down Exchange Street, seeing the tailgaters gets me pumped up for game day. UA should be interested in showing off its fans' support. Wouldn't Lot 10 be a better option for high paying donors? It's paved and an easy walk between the stadium and field house to reach the press tower.

[ZachTheZip]

Didn't they pull the same crap under Mack Roades at the Rubber Bowl? How did that work out? Oh yeah, dead empty lots up close while the real party was further back.

As an aside, they should come up with a visitor's tailgating lot. I'm thinking lot 20. If they bring a big group, it's visible from Market Street. TexanMark, that lot is empty most of the time and there's plenty of space if you're looking at tailgating with all the Syracuse fans in the same spot. Unfortunately, all the prime lots are isolated from the others. You have to choose between tailgating together and interacting with Akron fans before the game.

[Dr Z]

Luckily I can take a look into my crystal ball at Lot 9

on the second home game of 2010 to see how successful

this idea will be, let's have a look...

Football is the most unique fan experience in sports.

One of the biggest reasons are the pregame tailgating,

and the postgame tailgating, somebody is dropping the ball....AGAIN.

[MaxZIP]

I enjoyed lot 34 last year. Good times, easy out, and a nice stroll/stumble through campus before the game.

[GP1]

What is best for Lot #9? Last season, our groups really made that lot a party. Tents, flags, grills, music...

No stripper poles, no strippers, no baby pools full of oil, no mud pit etc. Doesn't sound like much of a party to me.

Seriously, I'm all for them making some money. There is a right way and a wrong way to handle this. It would seem to me that a wrong way to handle it would be to alienate a guy who owns the ONLY fan board about the Zips. There are enough people working at UofA who know who the regulars are to make a better decision. My guess is some of you might have even shelled out a little more to park there, but not up to what they are asking. Asking you for a little more money would put the decision to leave or stay in your court. Things like this could have been handled more quietly.

For example, my brother has Pens season tickets on the glass. There are a couple of nice ladies who sit a couple rows behind who never miss a game and have had season tickets since the first season the Pens ever played. There were so few season ticket holders, the players used to deliver the tickets to their homes and fan appreciation day was a post season kegger at a park outside of Pittsburgh where the players showed up and got as drunk as the fans. These ladies are not wealthy, but the Pens helped them out so they could continue to have the same quality seats they have had for 40+ years. Do you want that story in the paper or one where these ladies are sitting in peanut heaven.

For a guy who is supposed to be a PR genius, TW sure is a dumb-ass.

[Captain Kangaroo]

No stripper poles, no strippers, no baby pools full of oil, no mud pit etc. Doesn't sound like much of a party to me.

Ahem -- There were stripper poles.

[zen]

Now why do you displace your "hardest-core" followers?

yes, unfortunately, yes.

The "hardest-core" followers are the leastest likely to quit being fans, right?

So, unfortunately, it's not about rewarding you for being such good fans, it's about taking advantage of the hard-core-ness of your fandom and giving the reward to the people who coughed up loot.

I'm not saying I agree with it, but it makes sense.

The point that you made which makes a lot of sense is the potential for spotlighting "game day atmosphere" in the prime location (as well as rewarding the most ardent of fans). But another unfortunate fact is that the people making decisions probably don't subscribe to the same vision about which type of atmosphere is best to convey.

[g-mann17]

Official announcement now available on Gozips.com

I didn't link it because I'm lazy and disgusted at the thought of losing a prime tailgating spot.

[Zip_ME87]

Weren't the reserved parking passes $25 last year if you didn't have priority reserved or "higher" priced seating? What happened between last season and this season for the price to double to $50, other than fewer people showed up as last season progressed? Did the product get better to a point of folks being willing to shell out twice as much money for reserved parking? Why is it the new guy (AD) has no issue with mucking around with pricing but doesn't really do much, if anything, to improve the experience?

[Dr Z]

Official announcement now available on Gozips.com I didn't link it because I'm lazy and disgusted at the thought of losing a prime tailgating spot.

Here is your punch in the gut, I mean link Thanks for being a fan

[g-mann17]

Weren't the reserved parking passes $25 last year if you didn't have priority reserved or "higher" priced seating? What happened between last season and this season for the price to double to $50, other than fewer people showed up as last season progressed? Did the product get better to a point of folks being willing to shell out twice as much money for reserved parking? Why is it the new guy (AD) has no issue with mucking around with pricing but doesn't really do much, if anything, to improve the experience?

I can only imagine it has something to do with paying for the mega parking deck on Exchange, that may or may not be ready for football season. ($25 for 6 games was 4.17 a game) Now it will be over 8 bucks a game to park, wasn't regular parking per game $5 last year? Is that going up too?

[GP1]

No stripper poles, no strippers, no baby pools full of oil, no mud pit etc. Doesn't sound like much of a party to me.

Ahem -- There were stripper poles.

See you at the game. If I don't make it, please tell Destiny I said hello.

[Captain Kangaroo]

"This new plan continues to allow all Zips fans to park on campus in close proximity to InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field while rewarding our donors and fans who have the most invested in our programs," said UA Director of Athletics Tom Wistrcill.

If I were to pick apart the release, this is the line I'd have the most trouble digesting. If he'd have stopped at "donors," it would have been better.

[skip-zip]

Interesting development. And I do understand some of the disappointment.

Here is how I see it...

Let's get the obvious point out of the way first. You simply HAVE to produce benefits to garner donations. And priorities on seating and parking are two simple ways to accomplish that.

However, I can also see the other side of the issue. The lower level of the JAR is maybe half full on average...true. And this parking lot at Info will probably be half empty by mid-season...true. But, if money is the main goal, does it really matter? The seats are paid for, and the parking passes are paid for, whether those people show up or not. Right?

Which leads me to a great point that was made by the Captain about investing in potential future donors. I think this needs to be considered when making such a change. Today's loyal, younger fans could potentially be tomorrow's $5,000 donors. But, on the other hand, you could say, "what does that do to help us pay our bills today."

So, the real question should be....how exactly do you balance the dire need for operating revenue with the risk of alienating the younger die hard fans?

I just hope that the people who are against the road "money" games are not the same people who are complaining about this new parking policy. If so, maybe this is a wake up call that it takes a lot of money to operate a D-1A football program, and our beloved University may just be trying to find every way possible to try to increase revenue in the short term.

[RowdyZip]

Well, I haven't posted in a while but I thought I'd chime up on this one. I'm THOROUGHLY disgusted by this decision. Do I see the logic in it? Sure, who doesn't? But what a kick in the junk from the administration to some of the biggest fans of the school and of athletics. If anything, you divide that lot and make separate entrances maintaining a portion for those of us who can't afford to donate major monetary amounts but do support the school in other ways such as ticket and merchandise purchases and general exposure from such things. My UA flag flies year round outside me house, and yep I'm outnumbered by the Suckeye flags even in my North Akron neighborhood. Tom, get on the ball and make an adjustment and quit trying to take advantage of your most ardent supporters when there's plenty of room for those donors all around the stadium in "less visible" areas(read: you won't see the empty spots when they abandon the team when it gets cold and/or does poorly).

[RootforRoo44]

I enjoyed lot 34 last year. Good times, easy out, and a nice stroll/stumble through campus before the game.

Lot 34 is where the real party is at, that's for sure.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I enjoyed lot 34 last year. Good times, easy out, and a nice stroll/stumble through campus before the game.

Lot 34 is where the real party is at, that's for sure.

You're a history guy, right? Did the Russians stop at Czechoslovakia?

[GP1]

I just hope that the people who are against the road "money" games are not the same people who are complaining about this new parking policy. If so, maybe this is a wake up call that it takes a lot of money to operate a D-1A football program, and our beloved University may just be trying to find every way possible to try to increase revenue in the short term.

It isn't an either/or question when it comes to road money games or parking increases. I understand the need to make money and I encourage them making as much money as possible. How they executed this plan is wrong.

Let's say CK contributes $2,000 per year to the Z-Fund and they want $10,000 for people to park there. He is a loyal fan and owns a web page that could cause a stir (and it did...this thread is already on page 2 with page 1 including a stripper). Why not go to him and offer the same spot for $3,000? Still less than the 10K, but much more than he currently pays. The ball is in his court to accept it or walk away. If he accepts it, the Z-Fund increased a donors giving 50% and CK has made a choice he can live with. If he walks away, it was his decision to make after a fair offer and the Z-Fund can sell the spot at a higher price and save face. The appearance is much better as it is a win/win for everyone.

[GP1]

I enjoyed lot 34 last year. Good times, easy out, and a nice stroll/stumble through campus before the game.

Lot 34 is where the real party is at, that's for sure.

You're a history guy, right? Did the Russians stop at Czechoslovakia?

Did the Germans stop after they bombed Pearl Harbor?

[ZachTheZip]

I just hope that the people who are against the road "money" games are not the same people who are complaining about this new parking policy. If so, maybe this is a wake up call that it takes a lot of money to operate a D-1A football program, and our beloved University may just be trying to find every way possible to try to increase revenue in the short term.

It isn't an either/or question when it comes to road money games or parking increases. I understand the need to make money and I encourage them making as much money as possible. How they executed this plan is wrong.

Let's say CK contributes $2,000 per year to the Z-Fund and they want $10,000 for people to park there. He is a loyal fan and owns a web page that could cause a stir (and it did...this thread is already on page 2 with page 1 including a stripper). Why not go to him and offer the same spot for $3,000? Still less than the 10K, but much more than he currently pays. The ball is in his court to accept it or walk away. If he accepts it, the Z-Fund increased a donors giving 50% and CK has made a choice he can live with. If he walks away, it was his decision to make after a fair offer and the Z-Fund can sell the spot at a higher price and save face. The appearance is much better as it is a win/win for everyone.

I like the negotiation angle. Don't set an absolute limit and alienate your best fans; instead find a way to work with them. They should be working individually with everybody who was in lot 9 last year, trying to work out a deal of some kind.

[RootforRoo44]

I just hope that the people who are against the road "money" games are not the same people who are complaining about this new parking policy. If so, maybe this is a wake up call that it takes a lot of money to operate a D-1A football program, and our beloved University may just be trying to find every way possible to try to increase revenue in the short term.

It isn't an either/or question when it comes to road money games or parking increases. I understand the need to make money and I encourage them making as much money as possible. How they executed this plan is wrong.

Let's say CK contributes $2,000 per year to the Z-Fund and they want $10,000 for people to park there. He is a loyal fan and owns a web page that could cause a stir (and it did...this thread is already on page 2 with page 1 including a stripper). Why not go to him and offer the same spot for $3,000? Still less than the 10K, but much more than he currently pays. The ball is in his court to accept it or walk away. If he accepts it, the Z-Fund increased a donors giving 50% and CK has made a choice he can live with. If he walks away, it was his decision to make after a fair offer and the Z-Fund can sell the spot at a higher price and save face. The appearance is much better as it is a win/win for everyone.

WHOA WHOA...too much common sense here. God forbid the Athletics department does at least one smart thing for every stupid thing they do.

This whole thing is ridiculous, and whoever stated earlier about the amount of parking spaces in that lot hit it right on the head. Are you telling me that there are that many big time donors paying that much for tickets and parking passes? If so, where are they are the games and why is there even a money issue?

Split this lot in half (more like 1/4 to these high paying people) and give the true fans their tailgate area. Problem solved.

[Bleacher Bum]

What a crock of crap. I don't care where they move me, but the lot better be open before 7AM, whether the game is at noon or 8PM. I never thought I would ever have to tailgate outside the lot before I could go in and tailgate.