An editorial by the State News staff on Izzone ticket prices has been taking some major heat today by respected followers, so let’s all take a deep breath and clear the air.
MSU students paid $170 for 12 games this past season, about $14 per game. This season, the overall price will be $225 for 17 games, about $13 per game. So, no, the price has not skyrocketed.
Part of the misunderstanding, I believe, was caused by the newly incorporated $55 ‘licensing’ fee.
For big-time sports these days, licensing fees are a commonality to premium-ticket seeking fans. The $55 student price is miniscule compared to the overwhelming donations necessary for the average fan to obtain season tickets.
According to the Spartan Ticket Office, season tickets for the section directly above the Izzone are $504. But, a ‘seating gift’ must first be purchased to buy the tickets, much like the new $55 membership fee. That seating gift price is $125 to $400, according to Spartan Fund, putting the total season ticket price at $629 to $904.
But wait, there’s more.
In order to even be eligible for the seating gift fee and season tickets, the fan(s) must first donate a minimum of $50,000 for two seats.
That means, in total, the price of two lower bowl Breslin Center men’s basketball season tickets, for persons other than students, is a whopping $51,258 to $51,808.
Let me reiterate. To obtain seats farther from the court than the Izzone, it costs the average fan $51,033 to $51,558 more than two individual students.
This is my general addition to the editorial debate. MSU students are lucky to have such cheap tickets and are provided with one of the greatest basketball atmospheres in the nation for fair pricing.
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