MEN'S BASKETBALL | Break Puts Attendance In Doubt

As the March 9 rematch with Syracuse at Verizon Center draws closer, many students are already starting to buy and sell their seats for the big game. Some are looking to make what they know will be a surefire profit, of course, but most are simply unwilling to cut their spring breaks short to attend the matchup, which is slated to take place the Saturday before classes start up again.

The regular season finale for both teams, the game also will mark the final meeting between legendary rivals Georgetown and Syracuse as members of the Big East Conference, barring a final chance reunion in the 2013 postseason.

Even with the hype surrounding the game, though, its timing has caused concern about student attendance, especially considering the fact that Verizon will play host to ESPN’s nationally broadcast College GameDay show. Perhaps reflective of this potential issue, the Georgetown Athletic Ticket Office sent an email Wednesday to student ticket holders asking them to “pledge” to attend the game. The email linked to the Georgetown Athletics Facebook page, where students were asked to enter their emails and promise to donate their tickets if they would not attending. 

Georgetown Sports Information did not respond to an email request for comment by press time. 

Demand for Hoyas-Orange tickets — among the student body or otherwise — is normally sky-high, and, indeed, many students are turning to social media to search for a vendor. A quick survey of the Georgetown GAAP Facebook groups — especially the Class of 2016 one — shows that they have little to fear, even if it suggests that the athletics department perhaps does: On Thursday alone, seven students posted in the 2016 group about selling their tickets a little more than a week before the game.

The timing of spring break was students’ most commonly named reason for selling their tickets to what is by far the season’s biggest home game

“My train back was already booked way in advance before I knew the game was Saturday and couldn’t be changed, so I [was] stuck,” Stephanie Szakats (COL ’16) said.

It hasn’t been as nice of a process for some on the opposite end, however. 

Greg Rodarte (SFS ‘13), for one, explained he has had a hard time finding a ticket for any remotely reasonable price, and it was clear his patience is waning.

“Given that the student ticket only costs 130 for all home games, I feel it is unfair and unjust to charge fellow students up to 75 dollars for a single game. And this ‘bid system’ is just a way for people to unfairly take advantage of their peers,” he said.

Despite the high prices that some like Rodarte have come across, though, Stephanie Donahue (COL ’16) feels that most of the transactions have not been about cutthroat monetizing, a sentiment echoed by a few other freshman vendors.

“I had heard of a broad range of asking prices, anywhere from free to $60. I figured $30 was a fair price, seeing as I only paid $125 for the season ticket package,” Donahue said. “Honestly, I was just trying to make a little cash, not rip people off or try to maximize my profits.”

Zach Markell (COL ’14) experienced this lighter and cheaper side of the Syracuse market.  

Having gone abroad in the fall, Markel didn’t purchase season tickets, but next Saturday’s game marked a spectacle he knew he could not miss, even if it would cut into his break. 

“It’s ‘Cuse,” Markell explained simply.

The athletic department is hoping that the rest of the student body comes to that same conclusion.