Students say they won't pay full price for Quick Lane Bowl ticket
UPDATE: CMU Athletics makes 200 more student discounted tickets available: http://bit.ly/1Ne8I5V
Within five hours, the Central Michigan University Athletics Department sold about 40 percent of its 500 discounted student tickets for the football team's bowl game against Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 28 at Ford Field in Detroit.
When the $20 tickets sell out, students must either purchase an $89 ticket through CMU or go through the Ford Field Box Office.
As students waited in line Wednesday – some sitting on the floor, many were disappointed that only 500 tickets were available at a student discount. Some students said they are unwilling to pay nearly $100 to see the Chippewas play in the Motor City.
"Everyone wants to go, but no one want to give an arm and a leg to go," said junior Autumn Killop. "For sideline student tickets, $20 is pretty reasonable. We are all poor college students."
Killop was one of the first 500 students to buy her ticket at the reduced rate of $20. CMU is selling tickets to the game at two other rates: $65 for members of the Chippewa Athletic Fund and $89 for the public.
CMU received 3,500 tickets from the Quick Lane Bowl. The remaining 3,000 will be given to CMU's pass list, sold to Chippewa Athletic Fund members for $65 and the public for $89.
Tickets are also available through the Ford Field Box Office for $89, $65, $39 and $29, depending on seating locations. A deal is also available offering a free ticket to the Detroit Lions game on Dec. 27 with an $89 ticket from the Ford Field Box Office.
Minnesota is not offering ticket discounts.
Athletics Director Dave Heeke said CMU will receive a $250,000 stipend from the Mid-American Conference for playing in the game. The institution expects to spend all of it.
When CMU last played a bowl game in Detroit in 2012, the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl gave CMU 10,000 tickets, which were sold for $10 to students and $25 to the public. CMU received no stipend for playing in that game.
"We're just trying to do the best we can with the inventory (of tickets) we have," Heeke said. "Fans can fit in where they need to fit in. Our goal is if there are 5,000 students that want to go, we want to get them there somehow."
On Monday, MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said although CMU's stipend from the conference is smaller than what the school received last year to travel to the Bahamas, he believes the revenue CMU will make through ticket sales will be "fairly significant."
On Tuesday, the Chippewa Athletic Fund sent an e-mail to alumni stating CMU "will not receive sufficient revenue from its appearance to cover all of its travel expenses for the football team and marching band."
The department will use the MAC stipend to pay for a block of hotel rooms, meals and other "pre-bowl" costs. CMU's bowl game budget is expected to be submitted to the President's Office by the end of the week, according to Associate Athletic Director Brad Wachler.
Still, many students say with limited income, they cannot afford the full ticket price.
"For $89, I could get a textbook," said freshman Carlos Salcido. "Being a student, $20 is really reasonable. If it was $89, I don't know if I would have gone."
His friend Aaron Tracey called the decision to sell just 500 tickets at a discounted rate a miscalculation.
"It would be free if it was here," Tracey said. "Given the population at CMU, I think 500 is a little weak."
Kenneth Tiseo drove from his home in Caro to purchase four tickets for his family, including a $20 ticket for his daughter, who is a sophomore at CMU.
"She texted me almost immediately saying like it or not, we are all going to the game," Tiseo said. "I think for a sideline ticket, $89 is pretty reasonable. I probably wouldn't have gone if my daughter wouldn't have wanted to go. But it's a family event, everyone is home for Christmas and it is something to do together."
