Without doubt I'll become enemy No. 1 of Gamecock Nation for writing this, but it amazes the amount of bitterness that Coastal's distribution of super regional tickets has created in Columbia.
Is it that illogical for a small school like Coastal to do its best from keeping a much larger, much more established fan base from destroying its home-field advantage? I understand that South Carolina fans really want to watch their team battle for a spot in the College World Series -- has anybody else heard of ESPNU, ESPN or ESPN2? -- but is it that hard to see the respect that Coastal has for the Gamecocks and their fans with its methodology?
Coastal knows that USC fans travel well and are willing to pay whatever prices to see their team in action, especially since baseball is easily their most successful sport. The school knew that a super regional against the Gamecocks would be a flashback to 2007, when Clemson fans turned BB&T Coastal Field orange and purple in the regionals, if they provided every fan with the same opportunity to purchase tickets.
Coastal doesn't have the same type of support. If USC had been a national seed, the Gamecocks could have sold out Carolina Stadium for the regional and super regionals (perhaps they did anyway) before the postseason even began. Chanticleer fans are slowly starting to show up en masse to sporting events, but the support still isn't enough to sell out a stadium capable of holding almost 7,000 people. Coastal rewarded its hard-core fans -- the ones that hadn't already pre-ordered regional and super regional tickets before selection Monday -- with the first opportunity to buy tickets after the win over College of Charleston.
It's hard for me to understand how this is unfair. Would USC not try to do the same thing against Coastal if the Gamecocks were hosting this weekend? Just because USC doesn't have to worry about extra tickets, doesn't mean the school wouldn't utilize the same methodology. I don't think Coastal meant any disrespect to USC -- the school wants and needs to get on the field regularly with the Gamecocks to keep growing and earning respect.
Plus, let's be realistic here. If the Gamecocks hadn't laid an egg in the SEC tournament, they'd be a national seed and hosting a super regional of their own right now. I think most USC fans are just unhappy that they've got to visit their much smaller and younger brother in the supers.
I know fans of SEC schools don't understand or appreciate the problems that smaller schools, the ones that sit squarely in their shadows, have to deal with to get fans to buy in to their programs. Maybe that's why I've gotten so many emails, calls and blog comments -- remember I don't' have anything to do with the ticket policy -- about how unfair Coastal's attempts to keep South Carolina out have been. Just because your team is from the mighty SEC, it doesn't mean that you are entitled or obligated to have the right to buy tickets.
How hard is it to get tickets for an Alabama home football game if you're a USC fan? How about LSU, Georgia, Tennessee or Florida? What do you do those weekends when your Gamecocks are playing away and you can't get tickets? You watch the game on ESPN's Saturday night package. The Worldwide Leader is doing a pretty good job with its broadcasts these days. You should check it out.
I imagine that USC fans will still probably fill half of the stadium. There are plenty of them in the Myrtle Beach area that had the opportunity to buy tickets Monday night and Tuesday morning. Plus, there will be Coastal fans that bought them for USC fans. And there will be some Benedict Chanticleers who will sell their tickets to the highest bidders -- and many of them will likely be wearing garnet.
Coastal will have done its best and achieved its goal if half of the stadium is wearing teal. Even you USC fans that won't get in should come down to the beach and enjoy the Grand Strand. It should be an atmosphere that everybody will remember and appreciate when the series is over and decided.
The ill will between these schools should finally end Saturday. There is no need to extend it.
Is it that illogical for a small school like Coastal to do its best from keeping a much larger, much more established fan base from destroying its home-field advantage? I understand that South Carolina fans really want to watch their team battle for a spot in the College World Series -- has anybody else heard of ESPNU, ESPN or ESPN2? -- but is it that hard to see the respect that Coastal has for the Gamecocks and their fans with its methodology?
Coastal knows that USC fans travel well and are willing to pay whatever prices to see their team in action, especially since baseball is easily their most successful sport. The school knew that a super regional against the Gamecocks would be a flashback to 2007, when Clemson fans turned BB&T Coastal Field orange and purple in the regionals, if they provided every fan with the same opportunity to purchase tickets.
Coastal doesn't have the same type of support. If USC had been a national seed, the Gamecocks could have sold out Carolina Stadium for the regional and super regionals (perhaps they did anyway) before the postseason even began. Chanticleer fans are slowly starting to show up en masse to sporting events, but the support still isn't enough to sell out a stadium capable of holding almost 7,000 people. Coastal rewarded its hard-core fans -- the ones that hadn't already pre-ordered regional and super regional tickets before selection Monday -- with the first opportunity to buy tickets after the win over College of Charleston.
It's hard for me to understand how this is unfair. Would USC not try to do the same thing against Coastal if the Gamecocks were hosting this weekend? Just because USC doesn't have to worry about extra tickets, doesn't mean the school wouldn't utilize the same methodology. I don't think Coastal meant any disrespect to USC -- the school wants and needs to get on the field regularly with the Gamecocks to keep growing and earning respect.
Plus, let's be realistic here. If the Gamecocks hadn't laid an egg in the SEC tournament, they'd be a national seed and hosting a super regional of their own right now. I think most USC fans are just unhappy that they've got to visit their much smaller and younger brother in the supers.
I know fans of SEC schools don't understand or appreciate the problems that smaller schools, the ones that sit squarely in their shadows, have to deal with to get fans to buy in to their programs. Maybe that's why I've gotten so many emails, calls and blog comments -- remember I don't' have anything to do with the ticket policy -- about how unfair Coastal's attempts to keep South Carolina out have been. Just because your team is from the mighty SEC, it doesn't mean that you are entitled or obligated to have the right to buy tickets.
How hard is it to get tickets for an Alabama home football game if you're a USC fan? How about LSU, Georgia, Tennessee or Florida? What do you do those weekends when your Gamecocks are playing away and you can't get tickets? You watch the game on ESPN's Saturday night package. The Worldwide Leader is doing a pretty good job with its broadcasts these days. You should check it out.
I imagine that USC fans will still probably fill half of the stadium. There are plenty of them in the Myrtle Beach area that had the opportunity to buy tickets Monday night and Tuesday morning. Plus, there will be Coastal fans that bought them for USC fans. And there will be some Benedict Chanticleers who will sell their tickets to the highest bidders -- and many of them will likely be wearing garnet.
Coastal will have done its best and achieved its goal if half of the stadium is wearing teal. Even you USC fans that won't get in should come down to the beach and enjoy the Grand Strand. It should be an atmosphere that everybody will remember and appreciate when the series is over and decided.
The ill will between these schools should finally end Saturday. There is no need to extend it.
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