I wish!
It seems that these days, bailouts of all kinds are in vogue. The economy is in the slump, no doubt, and people are struggling to make ends meet day to day.
That's why the Washington Huskies created a unique way to help season ticket holders who are unable to renew their tickets for financial reasons, keep their tickets.
It's an initiative called "Dawgs Supporting Dawgs," and it's put on by the University of Washington Tyee Club. They are accepting donations to, in essence, sponsor a ticket holder or family.
The program is split into two tiers: a $500 donation sponsors one ticket holder with two tickets, while a $1000 donation sponsors a family with four tickets. The press release indicates they are trying to extend this program to about 100 ticket holders.
This comes on the back of athletic director Scott Woodward saying some months ago that ticket prices would not be raised this season because of the financial crisis.
The Huskies are in dire need of fan support at what is essentially a critical juncture for the team. The economic downturn has created somewhat of a perfect storm to couple with the winless 2008 season.
It really helps recruiting if Husky Stadium is rocking with some bigger crowds. The wins would be nice too, but it helps to impress a recruit if the atmosphere is there.
Look at Washington's schedules the past two seasons plus the 2009 schedule, and you see big name teams playing in Husky Stadium. The athletic department recognizes that the Seahawks have supplanted the Huskies as the football draw in town and they need to draw crowds.
Even for games that are certain losses, like Oklahoma or Ohio State the past couple of years, there have been big crowds. At least, bigger than some of the later games in the season.
This is a great idea, and it really helps the image of the program that there are people out there willing to get people excited for the Dawgs. Even Steve Sarkisian is getting in on the act, promising a $1000 donation to sponsor a family.
Some may say it is desperation because the Huskies have been so terrible and probably won't be good next year. I contend that they go hand in hand, fan support is absolutely vital to helping get things on track.
The wins will come, the economy will get back on track, and Husky Stadium will be rocking again. Until then, this isn't such a bad idea, and it helps fans to keep enjoying the Huskies.
News and Notes
The Huskies got a verbal commitment from Tevin Carter, a wide receiver from Los Angeles. He's 6'3" and weighs 190 pounds, so he fits that big framed receiver mold the new coaching staff is looking for. He also runs a 10.81 second 100 meter which helped him to an average of 29.75 yards per catch last year.
Jake Heaps has stated he will make a decision in mid-June. The nationally regarded quarterback from Skyline in Sammamish was named the MVP of the Palo Alto Nike Hot 11 Camp this last weekend, and currently has the Huskies in his top-five along with LSU, Tennessee, Cal, and BYU
Former Husky backup quarterback Johnny Durocher, who many remember had to quit football after discovering a brain tumor after getting a concussion against Stanford in 2006, is trying to make his football comeback.
No comments:
Post a Comment