This entire week has focused on only one issue: football tickets. Students have fought through loyalty points and Internet crashes, with little hope that they would get to see their first (or second, or 10th, or 30th) Carolina game. We know how much this weekend will mean for many students: tailgating on the fairgrounds; cheering with friends in Williams-Brice Stadium; (hopefully) walking home with the electrifying feeling of victory. Every student should experience this at least once, and, after a week of pressure, USC is making that experience an opportunity for more of us.
For those without a ticket, approximately 2,000 seats have been opened up in the upper deck, which can be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis Saturday at Williams-Brice. Reservations begin at 4 p.m. and require students to bring their CarolinaCards. This number brings the total of offered tickets to 13,000 — a much better number for a university full of wild fans ready to rave to Sandstorm.
Of course, the deal is a little too sweet. These are upper-deck seats, after all; the university probably couldn't sell them even if they were giving them away (which is, of course, what they're doing now). And this quick-fix doesn't really reflect any long-term plan to solve rising ticket demands.
Student life drives Carolina football just as much as season ticket holders, and the university is finally beginning to recognize that. Showing that you want students at games, through expanded ticket numbers, inspires a sense of loyalty that creates lifelong Gamecock fans and proud alumni.
So, we encourage all of you without a ticket to go down to Williams-Brice. But be early; we're sure you won't be the only one.