November 13, 2003
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of LSU Athletics
FROM: Skip Bertman, LSU Athletics Director
This Week:
The excitement that surrounds our football program is something we haven’t experienced at LSU in a very long time. Not since 1961 have the Tigers been ranked No. 3 in the country, and this week we travel to the home of one of our great traditional rivals, the University of Alabama.
LSU football will be on the road for the next two weeks, so I want to address one of the questions we most frequently hear: why do visiting fans seem to get better seats in Tiger Stadium than the seats LSU fans get when we go on the road?
In reality, our visiting fan seats are similar to those offered by other schools. Some schools give visiting fans better seats than ours and others offer worse seats. The ticket managers of the SEC recently discussed this very issue, and it became apparent that LSU in fact offers less desirable seats to visiting fans than most schools in the league.
We hold 7,000 seats for visiting fans. The section that is most visible is about 3,400 seats in the southeast corner of the end zone near the visiting team’s locker room. What goes less noticed is about 3,600 visitor seats in the top rows of the east upper deck.
This distribution is similar to those of other schools. Every SEC school offers their visitors some good seats and some less desirable seats.
We will continue to monitor the seats that are offered to us by other schools and will make adjustments if we feel we are being treated unfairly. SEC schools work together closely to assure that all fans are treated equitably throughout the season at all venues.
Information and applications for tickets to the SEC Championship Game and any post-season holiday bowl were mailed to season ticket holders earlier this month. If you are a season ticket holder and have not received your application, call the LSU Ticket Office at (225) 578-2184.
Applications for postseason tickets must be submitted or postmarked by Monday, November 24. Please read the application form carefully. At this time we are putting no restriction on the number of tickets for which you can apply, but it is important to know that if the number of requests exceeds the supply available to LSU, a priority system will be used. That priority system is outlined in the post-season order form.
The BCS standings and its strength-of-schedule component has generated a lot of talk about LSU’s non-conference scheduling. It is truly unfortunate that we had to schedule a Division I-AA game this year, but we were left with little choice because of the late cancellation by Marshall last January.
Now, we are faced with replacing Virginia Tech on our schedule in 2004. We are making every effort to find a Division I-A opponent who will come to Tiger Stadium. That, too, will be difficult, but we are optimistic that the conference re-alignments that have taken place in the last two weeks may make a Division I-A opponent available.
In the future, the Preferred Seating Program that goes into effect for the 2004 season will allow us the financial flexibility to schedule only six home games in some years, which will give us the option to negotiate home-and-home series with some opponents. Those contacts and discussions have already begun.
Many of you have written and called asking for more information about next year’s new Preferred Seating Program. Season ticket holders will be receiving information later this month with more details, but here are a few dates you’ll want to know.
Invoices for the Tradition Fund Contribution will be mailed January 5. Ticket holders have until March 31 to pay at least one half of their required contribution, and until June 30 to make the entire payment. A five-month payment plan will also be available.
The Transfer Option Period begins January 5 and ends March 31. Ticket holders may transfer any number of their tickets into the name of any other person during that time. A Transfer Form, which must be notarized and signed by both parties, will be mailed with the invoice in January or will be available via LSUsports.net in late December.
As usual, ticket holders will receive an invoice for their season tickets in April with payment due by May 31.
For more information on LSU’s new Preferred Seating Program and the many benefits it will produce for Tiger Athletics, log on to LSUsports.net/vision.
The LSU men’s basketball game against UL-Monroe on Saturday, November 29, has been moved to 2 p.m. Most schedules show that game at 7 p.m. Please make a note on your calendar.
We want to hear from you. Although we can’t guarantee a response to every letter we receive, all will be read. Write to us at LSUvision@etigers.net.