Post
by Camo_Cat » Fri Mar 29, 2024 9:24 am
I'm sure I will catch some flack for this, but here goes anyway. I think a key part of the OP's first post is not being addressed. Sure, we all know prices and inflation and demand are up, so I think most of us don't have a problem with our ticket price going up. Or the tailgate spot going up. Or concession prices increasing. But what I have found interesting is when @91catAlum said that maybe the money he had earmarked previously for another project was now gonna be spent on his tailgate increase instead.
For those that know me, I'm a rabid fan. Have had season tickets for years, through the good times and the bad. My wife complains that 80% (or more) of my wardrobe is Bobcat themed. You know what I'm saying - you're all the same way. But there are times when even I get a little ticked when MSU has it's hands out to its fans and boosters. And it's constant.
I get it - that's how the vast majority of projects are going to be funded when it comes to athletics on campus. And it's the price we have to pay for a successful program and its sustainability. But it does get tiresome when it never ends. What if there were other fans like 91 who had planned on making a contribution to the IPF but decided against it when the cost of tickets, parking, tailgates, etc. went up? And it's not just the IPF; it was the endzone, the scoreboard, the BAC, etc. Next it will be the east side rehab, north endzone expansion, additional skyboxes, etc. And all the while MSU decides to increase prices on everything else.
Yes, every program does it, or at least the good ones that want to grow and get better. But sometimes the excuse of raising prices just because "that's what the other programs do" or "this brings us in line with other programs" doesn't cut it. Why not let fans have a screaming deal on the cost of their tailgate spots? Why not give our fans the best deal around? You can't tell me that MSU is hurting in terms of it football program, and this latest cost increase is finally gonna put us over the top...
Just thinking out loud, because everything in this life is getting more expensive. Sports are supposed to be our outlet, But with rising costs, NIL money, and portal transfers, sports is just becoming a microcosm of everything else that drives us crazy. It's enough to drive the average fan away, and I fear college sports is just one more step closer to pro sports where it's all corporate greed. So let 91 express his frustrations, prop him up, and offer to buy him a beer and a brat at Gold Rush. Because you can be assured he's not the only one.
Steps off soapbox.....
"I love Bozeman. I love these people. I love the Cats. I even love this weather. You think I'm gonna pick Missoula? You're crazy - gimme the Cat head!!" -- Lee Corso, ESPN GameDay