There is nothing greater than watching the Cats battle it out on the gridiron or on the basketball court, with screaming fans, blue shirts, blue hoodies and the UK fight song whistling through the air.

But wait, you could not make it to the game because buying a ticket was not worth it when you have bills to pay.

According to the UK Athletics ticket website, the cheapest ticket to the Kentucky versus Georgia football game at the time I checked was $64.

It is better if you just stay home and watch it on your TV. But the goal of UK for the football and basketball programs here is to have more people come to the games in person. However, with ticket prices being $64, people who are trying to make ends meet are not going to want to spend a lot of money on a sports ticket.

I understand that recent graduates and graduates from decades back come to UK to relive the glory days they had at this university. When I graduate, I might come back someday to visit my old stomping grounds. Nevertheless, when the average student graduates UK with $30,000 to $50,000 in student loan debt, they are not going to have the money to spend on a one-time ticket, especially when it costs $64.

That money could pay a water bill. Maybe part of an electric bill. Alternatively, it can be used to put gas in your car for two weeks. The point is that some people will not want to spend that much money on a ticket for two hours of watching sports in person when they can easily watch it for essentially free at home and be more comfortable.

READ: Despite complaints, UK sports tickets are reasonably priced

The solution for greater turnout to the UK games is to decrease ticket prices so every UK fan can enjoy the sports scene without too much financial strain. Part of the problem is the profit that the coaches make on their famous teams. 

The coaches at UK and other sports colleges make millions of dollars each year, profiting from the mania that is the college sports scene. Perhaps a solution to ticket pricing is to make coaches’ salaries more reasonable.

Until then, attendance might be a problem for some UK fans on a tight budget.