USC Student Ticketing promotes online requests
USC’s making a push to get 2,000 students to request a ticket for Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Georgia, offering a slew of giveaways, but it still has a ways to go.
By Wednesday afternoon, 252 students had claimed a ticket on Ticketmaster, according to Adrienne White, the student ticketing coordinator.
But while that means no one’s yet won a giveaway, it’s an improvement from the norm, White said — about five times more ticket requests than usual.
The 500th student to request a ticket will receive a personalized, autographed basketball from coach Frank Martin.
No. 1,000 will receive an Under Armour prize pack, and No. 1,500 will get to watch a men’s basketball practice and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities, according to an email the Student Ticketing Office sent to students Tuesday.
The 2,000th student will win a free iPad, which the office has already purchased, White said.
“There’s just a big push to get students to come out to basketball games overall,” White said. “Basketball’s not as big as it used to be, even from about three or four years ago when I was a student here.”
USC has struggled to fill student seats at Colonial Life Arena in the past, and while more students have attended this season’s home games than at this point last year, relatively few have requested their tickets in advance.
“So far this season, an average of 80 to 100 students actually go online to get a ticket. The others wait to get a ticket at the door,” White said. “The main purpose of switching to Ticketmaster is convenience for students — not only for me but for them. They use it for football; I don’t know why it’s different for basketball.”
A total of 7,300 students have attended the 12 games at Colonial Life Arena so far this season, averaging 608 students per home game, up from 4,278 students — an average of 356 per game — at the first 12 home games of last year’s season. A total of 7,873 students attended the 18 home games of the 2011–12 season, according to figures provided by White.
“Since the promotions have been going on with these conference games, there’s been a huge increase in attendance this year,” said White, who added that the average attendance of the three most recent home games has been around 1,400 students.
But this year’s attendance statistics may be skewed upward because of conference games.
According to Steve Fink, a spokesman for Athletics, Southeastern Conference games usually draw larger crowds, and the Gamecocks have played three conference games so far this season (Auburn, Vanderbilt and Arkansas), while they had only played one (Vanderbilt) at this point last year.
White also attributes the higher attendance rate among students to Martin’s hiring and to the team’s improvements.
“[Martin] is more of a hands-on, people-person coach, and the fact that he can have an impromptu autograph station on Greene Street meant a lot to us and students,” White said. “He’s been creating buzz about the team and actually making appearances among students. You actually see him in person where students hang out, which is a big deal.”
All students in attendance at Saturday’s game will receive double student rewards and loyalty points, as well as free food — either pizza or hot dogs, according to White.
Rally towels and Garnet Army T-shirts will also be given away at the game, too.
USC President Harris Pastides recorded a video, encouraging students to attend the game, and a promotional booth will be set up on Greene Street Friday, where students have a chance to win more prizes.