What would you do if you were me?

[leftyjace]

Thought I’d run a hypothetical situation past all of you and get your input in case you overturn some logic or insight that I haven’t.

I have GREAT season football and basketball tickets. Football is 50 yard line on the east side about 10-15 rows from the top, with a fantastic view, great neighbors, and sunshine during the colder day games. Basketball is 21st row (right at the price break) directly across from the visitor’s bench on the aisle. Pretty sweet tickets in both cases.

But this year… this year was very hard. I only went to 2 games. I had a knee injury that was rough and even though I had surgery I wasn’t able to attend any more the rest of the year. I basically lost out on half of the money I paid for my football tickets this year because I was stupid and held out hope that I’d be able to attend, only to find that the knee was just too sore to climb all those steps and walk around. (Knee issues are unfortunately a big deal for me. This was my 3rd knee surgery on my left knee, and my 5th knee surgery overall. I am not a small man – 6’1″, 295 lbs. Yes, a ton of it is muscle because I’ve lifted a lot of weights over the years, but I am definitely larger than I need to be.)

Basketball this year is going to be OK, but I haven’t been to a game yet. Hoping to change that next home game.

I really, truly love and enjoy both sports. Game experiences are a lot of fun. I also am a two-time alumni of the U and my love for my school runs very very deep. Getting my MBA at the U changed my life (EMBA program, I’d highly recommend it) – if I told you the percentage increase in my income from before and after, you’d faint.

Anyway…So here’s the crux I find myself in.

I am in my late 40’s. I am not getting any younger. I like having the tickets because I use them to go do things with my son (lives down in Orem), but he just doesn’t come up to go to games as much as he used to. My girlfriend/domestic partner loves to go to the games with me so I’ll always have someone to go with. The way I look at it, depending on what happens with my son in the future I could see trying to get 4 tickets and turn the events into family affairs – if not my g/f and son and his wife or g/f, grandkids (eventually).

But I also really, really want to start doing some serious world travel. I’ve only got 20-25 good years that I can do some seeing of the world, and I don’t want to do so on a nickel and dime budget. I’ve been a lot of places but there’s so much more I want to see! I finally have a great travel companion to go with me who really enjoys travel and wants to go as much as I do.

The games are televised, and always available to watch. I would keep watching the games, no doubt – I just wouldn’t be in the stands as much – and I could always just get tickets to a game here and there.

It would be a very easy thing for me to leave my budget the same way it is but just divert the funds I accrue for my season tickets and use those funds for travel. That would further enable my goals as far as the countries I want to visit as they are wide and varied and getting to some of them is pretty expensive.

I am so completely torn.

Tell me… what would you do if you were me, and why?

[EagleMountainUte]

I went to my first game this season in football and it has been a few years between because of my work. Overall the experience was fun. The U has really started to ruin the game day experience and it has become a platform for other things. I found myself watching the big ass video screen than the play on the field.  They finally improved the replays btw on that.  Like on that Utah fumble they were right there on top of it quick.  

I say travel especially if you have someone you can enjoy that with. When you are in town pick up some tickets. Getting Basketball tickets is easy enough and people are always willing to part with them. 

[EagleMountainUte]

You could keep the football tickets to and sell to get your money back for the most part. This next season you could make a killing on a few games.

[leftyjace]

Interesting you mentioned that. I had passingly thought that selling tickets for a season could be a good experiment. Maybe that’d be a way to go, sell the tickets I don’t want or can’t make on KSL.

Maybe I should do that this season for Basketball.

[EagleMountainUte]

 Basketball is tougher obviously. I always want a deal on those and Utah might become ranked next season. 

[RedLine]

Tough call.  If you’re missing Utes games regularly, even if you wish you could go, you might consider selling them.  There’s always opportunities to get good tickets in the future.  RES is expanding and hoops has more turnover of season tickets.  Doesn’t sound to me like it’s as much of a financial decision as it is utility of time and experiences.  But yes, travel is expensive.  If you can’t comfortably do both season tickets and travel, comes down to what what you’ll value more in the long term.  

[leftyjace]

A good point – what gives me the greatest long-term utility? Probably travel, as many of the places I want to go to I won’t ever return to.

I can still travel with the tickets, money isn’t THAT much of an issue. But using the money from the tickets would mean I’d travel a significant amount more comfortably, which is important to me. If I’m going to travel, I want to enjoy the experience. I don’t like travel on a shoestring. I’m a bit of a self-spoiler when it comes to travel.

[FtheY]

Travel more. I am a die hard Ute fan but I think you can achieve both, without sacrificing too much on the games. 

No matter the sports situation, you may only get to see those places you want to travel once in your entire life. You can always go to games easily enough and those are no longer once in a lifetime experiences. The TV coverage is also pretty good now. 

As for your knees, I hope they get better. Been through one acl myself and it was awful. If there’s any part of you that’s worried about pain or mobility down the road, travel now while you can still enjoy it. 

Can your family come over for games when in town? Can you hit a tailgate when you want? If it’s the comraderie or family you enjoy, there are other ways to still get that via TV or tailgates. 

I’d say keep both tickets for one more year and see what you can learn from selling them. Can you sell the games you don’t want in one transaction on KSL, instead of game by game? Do you have a coworker or family member that will buy off any basketball games off of you? Could you sell them on here? 

I guess what I’m saying is maybe there’s a way you can keep them and still go only on your terms. If you ditch the tickets, you’ll pay a lot more to go to a game here an there than if you’d just kept them, then be frustrated it now costs X amount when it used to cost Y. 

Excellent question, btw. I hope that helps. 

 

 

[leftyjace]

Thanks, it does help.

Just cartilage damage and moving a kneecap, and on one knee some micro-fracture surgery to regrow cartilage. Knee replacements are inevitable, it’s just a question of when.

I haven’t ever tried to sell my tickets on KSL. I guess I need to explore that.

[SoUtahUte]

I have four tickets of my own and then I split four tickets with another guy that can’t make it to all the games.  They are excellent seats and I pay him what it costs him including the crimson club donation.  I am sure there are others out there that would do the same as I’m doing.  

[PlainsUte]

This is what I would do, find someone to share the season tix.  Use money and time (especially in September) for travel.

Surgeon skill makes a big difference with orthopedic surgery.   Not sure what kinds of surgeries you’ve had but you might seek another opinion from a top surgeon even if you have to go out of state.  I know UU has some good surgeons but there are some world class surgeons at UCLA (e.g. Dr. Schmalzreid), NYC (Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr Su), Cleveland (Cleveland Clinic, Dr Brooks), etc.

[leftyjace]

Thanks for the surgical recommendations!

[Utahute72]

At one point in time I had football, basketball and Jazz tickets. I’m down to just football (mainly because I really like my seats), but it’s getting harder to justify the cost. Plus I’m at a point where I’d probably just as soon watch it on TV for the most part. Unless you have some other activity, like tailgating, it’s really tough to make the commitment to go to all those games. Maybe look for someone to share them with.

[Tony (admin)]

World travel trumps all for me. 

[Utah]

Here is what I would do:

All of the above. 

Keep the tickets (maybe football only, there are plenty of basketball seats available). 

Find someone who will commit to buying 2 games a year off you (draw up a 5 year contract. Pay a lawyer to do it with damages and everything). That leaves 4 games. Make a deal with the person, that you get to choose the first ticket (this is your money ticket). They get to choose #2 and #3 (but you alternate the BYU game). That leaves you with #1 game, #4, #5, #6 and sometimes #7. 6/7 will be a garbage game. Either give that away or use it. First game of the year, vs an FCS team. 

Sell the #1 game at a big profit. This will be to whatever team travels the best and you can make the most off. This covers the cost of the #1 game and the #6 game. (#1, 2, 3, 6 are paid for). 

That leaves you with two games to attend every year (4 and 5). Some years you will have three games you can go to or two games to attend and three games to sell. Or, you can sell those for as close to face value as possible. Some years, you make a little. Some years, you lose a little. Not a big deal. 

You get your tickets paid for, minus two games. You get cash to travel. And you get to keep your seats in case one year you don’t want to travel and would rather go to 4 or 5 games. 

[pedro]

I’m kind of in the same boat.  For now, I plan on keeping the my tickets.  However, after participating in the survey on stadium explansion (and having performed a lot of research in my life) it seeems pretty clear that the plan at the U is to hike the season tickets and CC donation levels up a LOT to pay for it all.  They do that, I’m gone.  Love the Utes, Love RES, but that wouldn’t be worth.

Please understand that the price is only one issue, the fact that they want to put in addtional luxury suites, restuarants, etc…  is the other.  I’m fine with more seats, but that other things detract from what I know as the college football experience.  I’ve enjoyed that experience for 30 years.  Also those things take fans out of the game and the influence of the  ’12th’ goes away.  

That’s where I stand.

[EagleMountainUte]

So very true. It will be the Amazon.com third down jump yet CC donations reach an all time high. The level of sponsorship whoring was shocking to me yet the cost keeps going up.