Too many fans, not enough tickets: Students spend hundreds to attend UK basketball games
February 7, 2010 by News Staff · 10 Comments
Thousands of UK students will line up along the sidewalks of Memorial Coliseum on Monday night in hopes of lucking into some blue gold — UK basketball tickets for the Southeastern Conference games ahead.
Because of the dramatic increase of attendants at this year’s lottery compared to last year’s, more students have been leaving Memorial Coliseum empty-handed. The discrepancy between supply and demand has led these students to other, more expensive ways to gain access to Rupp Arena. 
At the lottery, tickets are $5 per game, but journalism sophomore Kayla Hayden spent $250 on tickets to the UK vs. University of North Carolina and UK vs. University of Louisville games combined. Even though Hayden did not enjoy paying that much for tickets, she said she would pay anything to show her Cats pride.
“I have been to every big game since I started school at UK,” Hayden said. “To me you really can’t put a price on a ticket.”
Accounting sophomore Bo Zimmerman has spent $305 on tickets this season. Scalping has become a necessary course of action for him because of his unlucky history at the lottery.
“I simply think the dispersing of tickets should be on a first-come, first-serve basis,” Zimmerman said. “This would truly separate the bleed-blue fans from the sellers.”
Unlike Hayden and Zimmerman, some see the lottery as an opportunity to make a little extra cash for gas money, groceries or a trip to the mall. Craigslist, eBay Inc. and Facebook Marketplace are all filled with students selling their tickets to make an extra buck.
Social work sophomore Laura Kosik sees the lottery as an opportunity to cover her grocery bill for the month. She sells her student tickets on Facebook Marketplace.
“I always think of the extra money from ticket sales as free groceries,” Kosik said. “After I sold two Ole Miss tickets for the eRUPPtion Zone I literally went straight to the store and got my groceries for the month. I couldn’t imagine wanting to go to a basketball game for $5 when I could have free groceries for a month. I don’t bleed blue enough to pass up free money.”
Because of the popularity of UK basketball this season, increased attendance has prompted changes to the lottery procedures. On Monday, doors to Memorial Coliseum will close once the crowd exceeds 8,000, according to a UK Athletics e-mail sent on Feb. 3.
Students will form two lines and will be let in between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Those who plan to sit together at games should line up together and have their IDs ready for when they enter the building. Lottery tickets will be distributed upon entrance to Memorial Coliseum as opposed to being distributed from the top of Coliseum ramps.
For more information on how to purchase tickets, visit (www.ukathletics.com.)
Where were these fans last year? Last season’s lottery attendance was a joke compared to this season. I am a huge Kentucky fan, but I criticize a majority of the student body for being typical “bandwagon” fans. The students that attended every lottery last season are losing tickets to these so-called “fans.” Loyalty needs to play a role in student ticket distribution.
First come, first served is the way it should be. The true fans (like myself many years ago) will find a way to be there. And the first served should get the best seats.
“Social work sophomore Laura Kosik sees the lottery as an opportunity to cover her grocery bill for the month. She sells her student tickets on Facebook Marketplace”
LOL, Isn’t this illegal? And since you have published her name shouldn’t she have her lottery privileges revolvked?
I graduated from UK in 1996 and back when I was student the lotteries were on Sunday mornings at 7:00 am. This process was a good combination of being fair, but also allowing the true fans to get tickets as it was tough to be at Memorial that early on a Sunday morning. Several thousand students always showed up, even on cold snowy mornings.
UK was rocking my senior year on its way the national title in 1996, but even with the high demand, the students who attended the lottery always got tickets and there were always some tickets in the upper arena left the next day at tickets office for the students who couldn’t make the lottery, but were early in line. I don’t know why UK went away from this model.
Back in the mid/late 70’s (early Rupp years), tickets were 1st come, 1st serve — rabid fans were where they needed to be!! Same occurred with Memorial Coliseum on game day/night. Lottery approach didn’t arrive until after I left — thank the Lord.
Students who sell their tickets for any more than what they paid should be banned, if they are caught. They are gaming the system and not helping the real fans.
Please Mitch, bring back the days when the most deserving students (those who spent their time in line) got the best tickets!! And please spare me the studying on a Saturday night / Sunday morning argument….
Build it and they(we) will come.