January 29, 2009

Cocks fans won't take it lying down

Get ready, Mr. Hyman. You're about to learn first hand that Cocks fans won't take it lying down.

If you haven't been following this saga - South Carolina has decided that it is going to institute a seat-licenscing fee. In order to purchase season tickets in the future, USC fans will have to pay a fee above and beyond the ticket price for the "right" to purchase those seats every year - above and beyond any booster contributions or other donations.

This has some Cocks boosters very upset. They've tried to meet with USC AD Eric Hyman and now they're suing South Carolina over the fees.

“I went to great lengths to avoid this,” Lee says. “I made every effort not to do so.”

Lee’s recently filed suit stems from his Lifetime Membership status in the Gamecock Club. He is among about 230 USC fans who purchased lifetime memberships in 1990. Under that contract with the Gamecock Club, Lee claims he never should be required to pay the annual seat-license fee USC will implement beginning with the upcoming baseball and football seasons.

As Doug Llewelyn might explain - the plaintiff in the case has already paid for season tickets for 50 years AND a $100,000 Lifetime Membership in the Gamecock Club. His contract says nothing about having to pay any additional or prevailing fees, so he's not taking the law into his own hands - he's taking them to court.

This could be a critically important development for season ticket holders. Personal seat licenses have been implemented at many universities, but it is far from the norm just yet. If USC prevails, PSCs could easily become the next mandatory fee for college football fans.

Comments:

Cocks fans won't take it lying down
Get ready, Mr. Hyman. You're about to learn first hand that Cocks fans won't take it lying down. If you haven't been following this saga - South Carolina has decided that it is going to institute a seat-licenscing fee. In order to purchase season tickets in the future, USC fans will have to pay a fee above and beyond the ticket price for the "right" to purchase those seats every year - above and beyond any booster contributions or other donations. This has some Cocks boosters very upset. They've tried to meet with USC AD Eric Hyman and now they're suing South Carolina over the fees.
“I went to great lengths to avoid this,” Lee says. “I made every effort not to do so.” Lee’s recently filed suit stems from his Lifetime Membership status in the Gamecock Club. He is among about 230 USC fans who purchased lifetime memberships in 1990. Under that contract with the Gamecock Club, Lee claims he never should be required to pay the annual seat-license fee USC will implement beginning with the upcoming baseball and football seasons.
As Doug Llewelyn might explain - the plaintiff in the case has already paid for season tickets for 50 years AND a $100,000 Lifetime Membership in the Gamecock Club. His contract says nothing about having to pay any additional or prevailing fees, so he's not taking the law into his own hands - he's taking them to court. This could be a critically important development for season ticket holders. Personal seat licenses have been implemented at many universities, but it is far from the norm just yet. If USC prevails, PSCs could easily become the next mandatory fee for college football fans.