Akron Tailgate Lot Priority Policy

[Hilltopper]

I was in Lot 9 as a Reserved ticket holder and also got the call. In the end I payed for the new parking because I really don't no why. What cracks me up is your lot assignment according to them goes by when you renewed your tickets. Not how long you been a holder which seems silly. By the way I would be a Priority Reserved ticket holder except the fact that if you are 6'3 or bigger try getting into those seats. Your knees are jammed against the chair backs. Also what ever happened to the be a part from the start bricks? I am ranting some but Lot 9 was awesome to park in and play cornhole.

That falls right in line with their new policy of, whoever shows us the money first, gets all the perks. Loyalty means nothing, just show me the money.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Another group that was a Lot 9 mainstay was the AK-Rowdies.

I would be highly shocked if any of them... be they 4-year students... grad students... or post-Rowdy younger alumni have donated $1,000 or more to the Z-Fund. Thus they are getting the boot from Lot #9 too?

Great way to treat the most enthusiastic, loyal group of students/future alumni.

I'm 43 years old. Welcome to the club, AK's. Like Chris Berman said a few years ago "It's a GREAT time to be a Zip!"

[Dave in Green]

Other than buying tickets, I do not financially support UA. I graduated from another college and have contributed to that school. If I lived near that school and attended their sporting events, I'd expect to be treated in a manner commensurate with my contributions.

Like most of you, I have no problems with the American system of the people who pay or contribute the most getting the best seats, best parking, most amenities, etc. That's the way the free market system works. But in relation to support of college sports, the system has to be set up to fairly and equitably reward total commitment over time. Maybe there's no system that will make everyone happy all the time. But the system at least needs to be reasonable and understandable, i.e. no unpleasant surprises.

If donor support goes from enthusiasm to anger over the perception of being taken for granted and wronged, something's wrong with the system. Several people have done a nice job of describing what has been done right and what has been done wrong in this instance. I hope someone at UA reads, understands, and makes corrections on what has been done wrong.

As for Lot 9 specifically, it's one of several parking lots close to the stadium. What's unique about Lot 9 is the visibility from Exchange. It's the parking lot seen by the most people driving by who might not be attending Zips football games. It's as much a PR parking lot as it is a premium parking lot. If I'm the head PR guy at UA, I'm in the meetings arguing that this is the lot where I want to have the most loyal contributors and football fans -- the people who arrive earliest, leave latest, and tailgate with their families flying Zips flags, pennants, and banners.

Big money may still win, as it usually does in a free market system -- but not always. Sometimes someone with a larger vision sees the need to balance out the concept of the biggest current spender parking 100 feet closer to the stadium vs. the total image of UA football based on what passersby see when they drive by the stadium.

The biggest current contributors may or may not show up at games. The wealthy have many toys to occupy their time. When they do arrive, they may arrive later and depart earlier. Lot 9 will be seen by many passersby as mostly empty much of the time, and a dead parking lot full of nothing but nice cars even when it's full.

What does that say to passersby on Exchange after all the UA enthusiasm they witnessed last season?