UGA athletic board approves ticket price increase for Georgia-Florida game, other stuff
St. Simons Island — Unless you’ve been following me on Twitter @ajcuga — and you really should — you haven’t heard much from me this morning. That’s because I’ve been covering the annual spring meetings of the Georgia Athletic Association’s executive and full board all day.
They finally adjourned for lunch and golf. Me? Well, after wolfing down a chicken sandwich I get to sit down and let you know what all happened in the Butler Room at the historic King & Prince Resort.
In two words — nothing historic.
The biggest news of the day was probably the board’s approval of Athletic Director Greg McGarity’s recommendation to increase the price of individual tickets for the annual Georgia-Florida football game in Jacksonville.
Ticket prices — which McGarity points out have been the same for the last five years — were raised from $40 to $60 for regular seats and $70 to $100 for club level seating for the 2012 season. Florida’s athletic board approved the same increase at its fall meeting.
“If you look at other schools that play this type of game, we’re way behind the curve,” McGarity told the board. “While it may cause some sticker shock today, I think we’ll always be at market or below.”
McGarity pointed out that the regular-seating prices remain below Alabama-Auburn ($65), Army-Navy ($65), Michigan Ohio State ($70), Notre Dame-Southern Cal ($70), Texas-Oklahoma ($110) and most others of that ilk.
McGarity’s motion to propose incremental increases in 2014 (to $70/$110) and 2017 ($75/$120) were tabled for future discussions. Florida is going to address a possible 2014 increase next month. The two schools were in tandem on ticket costs.
“We’re just trying to stay ahead of this and generate some more revenue,” McGarity said. “And we do feel like this is a unique game.”
*****
For me, one of the most interesting — and indirectly funny — news items of the day was the fact that football ticket contributions actually increased $300,000 beyond projections for 2011-12 ($23 million) despite the Bulldogs coming off a 6-7.
That prompted a humorous exchange between executive board member Bob Bishop and President Michael Adams.
“That really says some that we increased contributions by more than $300,000 after we went 6-7,” Bishop remarked.
“Let’s don’t test that again,” Adams quipped.
McGarity theorized that is owed in part to opening against Boise State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 3. The Bulldogs quickly sold out their allotment of 53,000 tickets for the game.
*****
The most pertinent news of the day, in my opinion, came from McGarity, who declared in no uncertain terms that baseball coach David Perno will be back for at least one more season.
“Oh, yeah, absolutely. Dave’s coming back next year,” McGarity said after the board meeting adjourned. “If there were coaching changes you would have heard them in there. The bottom line is it is what it is this year.”
Unless it wins the ongoing SEC Tournament, Georgia (28-29, 16-14 SEC) will miss out on an NCAA Tournament berth for the second year in a row. The good news is the Bulldogs made a 12-game inprovement over last season while playing the nation’s second-toughest overall schedule and finished fourth overall in the conference despite losing a starter (center fielder Johnathan Taylor) to a career-ending injury for the second year in a row. The bad news is a 12-15 mark against non-conference competition.
McGarity said Perno’s failure this season over-scheduling. He said SEC teams on average played three to five non-conference games against teams with a Top 25 RPI. Georgia, he said, played 17.
“I hate to deal with could-haves and would-haves, but it speaks to what I call ‘the art of scheduling,’” McGarity said. “We talked about this in the fall. I said, ‘Dave, next year we need to have a schedule that is totally different.’ We played 56 games this year, 28 at home and 28 on the road. That model needs to look like 37 or 38 home games and maybe 18 road games. That’s what our model will look like next year. We’ve got Tech; we’ve got Clemson; we’ve got UCLA. That’s enough.”
Perno’s current contract runs through 2015.
*****
GAA board member emeritus Sonny Seiler said the search continues for Uga IX. Uga VIII, Georgia’s English bulldog mascot, passed away this past February with lymphoma.
“Russ,” the interim mascot and a cousin in the lineage, has sired two litters, but a suitable mascot was not produced, Seiler said.
“We’re going to let Russ do Picture Day and start the season,” said Seiler, whose family has presided over the mascots since the 1956. “We hope to have one big enough maybe two-thirds of the way through t season. But Russ has a fan club of his own, you know. He can handle the job.”
*****
Other stuff: McGarity said Georgia needs to improve in all its fall sports in order to improve it’s place in the national all-sports standings. The Bulldogs are currently No. 36 but should move up considerably after all the spring sports are concluded. Georgia is still competing in track, men’s golf and baseball. But cross country, soccer, volleyball and, yes, football, must do better each fall. . . . The board approved an $89.95 million budget, up $5 million over last year. . . . Senior tight end Aron White was named a student-athlete representative to the board. White graduate last winter but is pursuing a masters in sports management. . . . The board approved a $1.61 million expenditure from is unallocated funds account. It will be used to put in a new sound system at Stegeman Coliseum and aesthetic improvements to the ceiling; to retrofit a commons room in the Rankin Smith Center for student-tutor interaction; for moving computer servers from the Rankin Smith building to the Butts-Mehre Complex; and for cleaning and painting 6,000 precast clips at Sanford Stadium.
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153 comments Add your comment
jaydawg
May 26th, 2011
8:03 pm
McGarity:”If you look at other schools who play this type of game we are definately behind the curve.”I TOTALLY AGREE!.LOSING 18 OF 21 GAMES TO ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST RIVALS IS ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY , COMPLETEY,EMBARRASSINGLY BEHIND THE DAMNED CURVE!!!!! McGarity fails to mention that not a single one of these rivalries can touch this one as far as one-sidedness.This guy better hope his Boise thing works out because the rest of the Dawg fans will(hopefully) wake up and realize this guy is continuing to accept mediocrity while insulting the intelligence of the fans that are capable of seeing the big picture.So after completing a 3rd straight disappointing season while losing the18th of 21 to Florida(2 whole wins for Richt) he keeps the coach that has proven he cant come close to consistently winning in Jacksonville,raises the ticket prices for the annual lynching in J’ville,all while telling us the logic for price increases is that prices have been the same for the last 5 years even though his “coach” has led UGA to exactly 1 win in that time period.IF MAC’S PHILOSOPHY WAS YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR HE WOULD BE SENDING OUT NICE SIZE CHECKS & BUSES TO ALUMNI’S HOUSES TO DRIVE THEM TO FLORIDA IN ORDER TO WATCH THIS SH*T WE HAVE HAD TO ENDURE FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
May 26th, 2011
8:06 pm
jaydawg
Good post
Send'em U hauls
May 26th, 2011
8:22 pm
We’ve been traveling down to Jacksonville watching our Dawgs getting their butts kicked 18 times out of the last 21 years and it has finally occurred to us that this wouldn’t have happened if we had competent coaches. Quit sending the money people and send them U hauls and get these clowns out of Athens. Paying higher tickets prices for the same results is just plain Dumb.
needums
May 26th, 2011
8:28 pm
why would I want to pay more money to watch us get our butts handed to us…… yet again
ugab
May 26th, 2011
8:31 pm
Wow!
Tom L McDougald
May 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
Screw the football fan- this is all about $. This is the Michael Adams express. Get out of the way or I will have my politicians take you down.
FLA DAWG
May 26th, 2011
9:18 pm
DAWG NATION,
Until The Dawgs and The Gators alternate Atlanta / Jax or Athens / Gainesville my money won’t be wasted in Jacksonville – especially to watch the often poorly coached Dawgs perform dismally on Duval Street.
Who wants to go to Jax., Fla, spend hundreds or thousands of dollars, watch The Gators once again dismantle our Dawgs and leave under the insults of Gator Fans.
Hey, you can watch that horror of an SEC Game on TV for almost free.
It Ain't Rocket Science
May 26th, 2011
9:31 pm
Darn, now the ticket is going to cost as much as the gas to get to the game.
UGA? R U Kidding?
May 26th, 2011
9:47 pm
Don’t worry dawg fans……one less can of skoal and a few less lottery tickets each week……..you’ll have the increase covered.
UGA? R U Kidding?
May 26th, 2011
9:48 pm
Of course….you may need to delay the purchase of new tires for the mobile home.
AltamahaDawg
May 26th, 2011
9:54 pm
If you are scared, say you’re scared.
Rabun Dawg
May 26th, 2011
10:10 pm
Just glad we quit going to this fiasco several years ago. Sitting at home during the annual beatdown, I can either cut it off, or go back to the fridge for some more beverages to help soothe the humiliation. Oh yes, give the coaches raises, screw the fans! Good PR from the AD.
ugaclassof2004
May 26th, 2011
10:15 pm
tide roll
You make valid points until the “red panties” part. If you want to bash us for our performance on the field or on the court, then that is fair. But the Damon Evans debacle was dealt with correctly by President Adams and we have moved on from it. Besides lets be careful about throwing those stones Bama! I got two words for you: Mike Price.
Zumadawg
May 26th, 2011
10:37 pm
Comparing the price of UGA and UF tickets to other inflated ticket prices is not sufficient cause to raise the price of tickets by 50%. Has the cost of fielding a team gone up 12.5% a year. We have all experienced increases in our cost of living, but certainly not this rate.
51WTGW50
May 26th, 2011
11:53 pm
Just paying more to watch A WWF type event. SO the ROCK beats Hulk Hogans but again. We have seen it a bunch and Hulk Hogan fans still think the ending will be different even if they pay more money.
51WTGW50
May 27th, 2011
12:02 am
I guess TECH will Increase the UGA ticket Package price to make the UGA fans pay more to see their win an ATL to offset the over-pricing to see the loss against the gators in Florida. Make the DAWGS pay MORE to see a LOSS and a WIN. Add in the bail money needed to get the D…nk UGA fans out of Wright Street and is will be a Great Thanksgiving Weekend.
Sorry A DREAM weekend.
sports
May 27th, 2011
12:13 am
the last time I went to the GA/FLa game I sat facing the Sun in 86 degree heat, with no wind stirring. I’ll not go again and get cooked. It just seems out of line to raise prices when the series is really one sided. This is just another home game for Florida really.
51WTGW50
May 27th, 2011
1:14 am
sports
GETTING COOKED is all UGA fans know how to do. They were cooking their brains in the smokey brain bubble bath during their high school days and have not stopped getting COOKED on something ever since.
When a Uga farts he blows smoke out his butt for a reason. The reason is because the ALUMNI and DONORS have been blowing smoke up the Football teams butt for so many years how else would it come out.
7576DAWG
May 27th, 2011
1:40 am
Slive has rewritten the rule on over signing and will propose it in Destin when the SEC meets this summer. If everything that I have read gets approved Spurrier , Saban and maybe Nut will all leave inside of 3 years.
51WTGW50
May 27th, 2011
3:44 am
7576Dawg
Those coaches will choose to leave, but Richt will be made to leave and take Bobo with him.
7576DAWG
May 27th, 2011
3:57 am
51WTGW50
As much as CMR wants Bobo to become a successful coordinator it’s not going to happen. 1-A and the SEC is just too complicated and fast for Bobo to ever catch up. CMR is a very stubborn man and is risking his career to prove everybody wrong. That is why McGarity will replace CMR as soon as the 3rd game if we start 0-2. I want CMR to stay , I think he is a great coach but if it takes changing coaches to get rid of Bobo ,SO BE IT.
Chuck P
May 27th, 2011
4:33 am
OK, so we have to pay more for Fl-Ga….does this mean that we will start getting the tickets shipped to us on time(with the rest of out tickets) or do we still have to wait an extra couple of months for them for no reason?
barrow dog
May 27th, 2011
6:13 am
SSI GATOR…. bad talk the team, coaches, even the cheerleaders… but don’t mess with RUSS . He’s not shooting blanks, his pups just aren’t that damned solid white the seilers are so hooked on. This is Russ’s year…. and at least our mascot doesn’t lay eggs to reproduce.
Gdawg
May 27th, 2011
6:44 am
S GA AU FAN , thanks for the comment. The only time I ever listen to a dumb Auburn fan is when you talk about money or when a phrase has “pay” in it. You guys have that figured out, so we all listen!
kyle
May 27th, 2011
7:34 am
Pretty stupid move by our AD…..start winning and maybe I will pay a higher price to watch this game……after this year- you can keep my tickets- easier to watch it on TV
radly dawg
May 27th, 2011
7:57 am
E-Dog…what the ^&%! was good about this story?????? I’ve been a Dog fan since1960 trip, as 6 year old, to Miami to see Georgia whip Missouri in the Orange Bowl!! Go ahead and price those seats right outta sight…sports in general has succumbed to the sickness of greed! How much does Georgia have in it’s Athletic Fund…..a gazillion bucks!!! Great! The economy sucks and now you want to kick us in the gonads with an increase like this!!!! Will probably have better things to do come this fall…..especially around the time of the annual Florida beat down!! This just plain sucks McGarity!!!!!
Radly Dawg
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
8:07 am
Why all the whining? I thought the price of Ga/Fl tickets only affected those that were buying them in the first place.
radly dawg
May 27th, 2011
9:12 am
Hey 4th In The West….hope you’re enjoying your life on Pluto…what kind of potions are you enjoying there?????????????????????
Tard Dawg
May 27th, 2011
9:13 am
That’s a lot of money for UGA fans to pay just to be let down again.
Dirty Dawg
May 27th, 2011
9:23 am
Hey barrow dog, you’re right about FOS-SSIGator;s comment about Russ. Since the brown is dominate and the all-white recessive, maybe what we need is for the Seilers, or somebody, to go for an all-black English Bulldog…of course we’d only break him out from time to time.
bitter seen to much of the world--"dude"
May 27th, 2011
9:48 am
Enter your comments here
bitter seen to much of the world--"dude"
May 27th, 2011
9:51 am
how bout a mix breed bulldog——————–at list he will not die of a heart attack at age 2
and un-like some of our recruits he will work hard and always be loyal———just saying
It Ain't Rocket Science
May 27th, 2011
9:56 am
The game will still be a sellout no matter the ticket price. It’s a party to most, not a game. If UGA fans boycott because of the higher price of tickets, the Florida fans will just get5 those tickets as well.
What does UF charge anyway? If they are lower priced, perhaps those that want to, can see if they can get a ticket from UF.
I don’t drink so my big screen provides good enough for me.
A Pretty Good Dog
May 27th, 2011
9:57 am
Will Adams paint my butt for picture day? Where the heck is PETA?
Joey
May 27th, 2011
10:01 am
If you’re in the K&P lounge, say hello to Jeorge the bartender for me. Tell him thanks again for talking me into drinking drinking dark beer instead of my usual Bud Light on my last stay. After 3 of them, I needed assistance walking back to my room . . .
Tobias Funke
May 27th, 2011
10:16 am
Thanks Chip.
Would anybody like to sell me two for face value?
I didn’t think so.
jaxdawg
May 27th, 2011
10:18 am
SSIgator, your comment at 4:26 was funny. Russ firing blanks…good one. I’d still rather be a dawg than a gaytor tho…
McGarity learned ‘art of scheduling’ well at Florida | UGA: The Junkyard Blawg
May 27th, 2011
10:22 am
[...] games against teams with a Top 25 RPI while Georgia played 17 such games this year. As he told our Chip Towers, “I hate to deal with could-haves and would-haves, but it speaks to what I call ‘the art of [...]
King Gator
May 27th, 2011
10:26 am
Talk about salt in the wounds for UGA fans… more $$, longer drive and 3-18 v. the Gators! Go Gators!
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
10:28 am
I know UF wanted to raise their price back in Feb, and McGarity told them UGA wasn’t ready to propose that yet. Not sure if they both to have the same price, or UF went ahead, or what has changed on this end.
Kind of irrelevant if UF tickets are $10 higher, or same, or less. It’ what they have to do to qualify that really matters anyway.
I can;t believe that anybody contributing 5k to even qualify, and several hundred more this year to get in line, (not to mention the planning and expense of traveling to a ball game), are actually staying home over chicken stratch 20 bucks.
Anybody openly complaining about this, are just wasting their time if they think they are fooling anyone to believe it had anything to do with them in the first place.
Coach Grohbo
May 27th, 2011
11:10 am
McGarity pointed out that the regular-seating prices remain below Alabama-Auburn ($65), Army-Navy ($65), Michigan Ohio State ($70), Notre Dame-Southern Cal ($70), Texas-Oklahoma ($110) and most others of that ilk.
Apples and oranges. Those are competitive rivalries.
At least the Florida fans will have to pay more to witness the beatdowns.
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
May 27th, 2011
11:15 am
How much are you Dawgs willing to pay to see your annual Florida beatdown.
Coach Grohbo
May 27th, 2011
11:17 am
For me, one of the most interesting — and indirectly funny — news items of the day was the fact that football ticket contributions actually increased $300,000 beyond projections for 2011-12 ($23 million) despite the Bulldogs coming off a 6-7.
Well, humans are known to gape at train wrecks.
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
11:21 am
Clearly, McGarity is confident that this will be a competitive rivalry going forward, one way or the other.
Coach Grohbo
May 27th, 2011
11:23 am
“We’re just trying to stay ahead of this and generate some more revenue,” McGarity said. “And we do feel like this is a unique game.”
Generate more revenue? LOL. UGA already runs the most “profitable” clookege athletic program in America.
How many of you UGA fans think any of this will be spent on improving the athletic performance of your teams?
Coach Grohbo
May 27th, 2011
11:24 am
“We’re just trying to stay ahead of this and generate some more revenue,” McGarity said. “And we do feel like this is a unique game.”
Generate more revenue? LOL. UGA already runs the most “profitable” college athletic program in America.
How many of you UGA fans think any of this will be spent on improving the athletic performance of your teams?
RHALL55
May 27th, 2011
11:25 am
Mail Bag?????
Coach Grohbo
May 27th, 2011
11:26 am
Michael Adams would happily go 0-12 if it meant more revenue.
Dawg
May 27th, 2011
11:53 am
Apparently the minds to be are tuned out in regards to the economy. I will have to cut back when it comes to going to the games, my wife lost her job. I took a look at the prices for the home opener and would have to go to the bank for a loan.
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
12:25 pm
So you would prefer they did not generate more revenue?