Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Football Ticket Frustrations

Keri S.

October 25, 2009 - 6:30 PM

When I was a freshman (way back when), I remember waking up at 6:00 on Monday morning to go stand in line at the EMU in order to secure my football ticket for the big game that weekend. It became something that you scheduled your classes around-fall term classes could start no earlier than 10:00 or else you wouldn't be able to get your ticket at 9:00 when the ticket office opened. I remember pitching a tent with friends during my sophomore year before the Civil War game and spending the night outside Autzen stadium. There was a strong sense of pride you got every time after receiving your ticket-being able to hold it in your hand and admire it. You did it!

However, starting my junior year, all student tickets are now distributed online. You simply log onto the goducks.com website, insert your student ID number, and then get your ID card scanned on game day to gain admittance. The system is completely electronic, and you never receive a physical ticket.

This move has frustrated many students. Personally, I will miss the traditions that came with the old system, but enjoy the new system. Hours spent in line in the pouring rain trying to get a ticket can now be spent doing other things. You can now get your ticket in your PJs while you are doing your homework. I have never had a problem with the online ticket distribution until today.
To fill you in, all student tickets become available at 6:00 in the evening. Tickets have sold out in as quickly as 15 minutes, so logging into the website early is a necessity. As you sit at your computer, refreshing the page every 30 seconds until the tickets become available, you start to freak out and play the "what if" game: "What if my internet connection gets lost right at 6:00?" "What if I don't get a ticket?" "What if I get a ticket but ALL my friends can't get a ticket?" (I think you get the picture).

I went through my normal steps this evening. I was starting my homework that I had procrastinated all weekend, and around 5:30 logged onto the website. However, this time I got a new message saying the server was busy. Since I had always logged into the website early, I had never experienced this message before. I became a little scared, but realized I still had some time to spare.

5:55 PM rolled around, and I began to panic as my situation did not change. This is when the "what if's" set in. I was convinced that I the system was down, until I logged onto Facebook. All of my friends' status updates were dedicated to their current football ticket standing. One friend said "just got a USC ticket!! and was able to log in for 3 of her friends and get them one. HAHAHA". Another said "I hate this f---ing ticket system!!!!!!!!" The comments flooded my Facebook homepage over the next twenty minutes, including people giving tips "if u are having troubles with a ticket, click home, click student tickets and go through it all, it just worked for my roommate in like 30 seconds" and people giving a sigh of relief "don't worry---I was able to get a ticket! USC baby!!"

Although I stressed and sweated for 15 minutes, I was finally able to get into the system and secure my ticket! I then, of course, got back onto Facebook to brag about my victory.

This weekend's game will be full of excitement. For starters, it is the Pac-10 game of the season! ESPN College Game day will be filming their show here! USC is ranked number 5 and Oregon is ranked number 10 in the nation! The game is on Halloween night (night games are my favorite at Autzen!) The game is also the classic "Blackout" game where everyone wears their black and dark Oregon gear.

I am proud of my ducks so far this year. Although you started the season off rough with a loss to Boise State, you have showed that we don't give up easy here in Eugene. Keep playing hard and kick some butt next weekend against USC-it's your game baby!