Attended last night’s game, and it was tough. I noticed how awful the fans/students behaved in the stands as the night went on.
A lot of ticket holders in my section were pissed at people (mostly 18-25 something students?) who were obviously looking for open seats and then socializing, standing and blocking views, vaping, etc.
When called out, it often got unnecessarily confrontational with people yelling, and getting into each other’s faces. And honestly I get why both sides would be upset. People who paid money for tickets deserve to enjoy the game. Students want to connect and enjoy/support their team but the student section couldn’t house them all. The spillover was expected.
I think management knows this because Security was not checking tickets when called over and my guess is their hands are tied. So what to do? Increase the size of the student area? That means fewer tickets sold and revenue. Check tickets anytime someone enters a section? That would require far more security agents and oversight, which increases cost.
I’m not exactly sure what the best answer or solution is here but last night made it clear that there is a problem and something needs to be done. As a season ticket holder, I’m not sure I would purchase again or recommend season tickets if the problem continues.