New rules at stadium

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

With all due respect to Flea, I'm season ticket holder at Clemson as well as Tech (wife went there and is huge fan). They don't require tickets for fans under 3 or 4, I think, and I believe they let us bring water bottles in. They also let you leave at half time so you can go back to your tailgate and refill your empties.... . Their gate staff is far superior to ours.

There is no perfect situation or "fan." I'm also a 26 year season ticket holder and a basketball season ticket holder. I've got three kids from 4 to 9. Will this policy make me drop my season tickets? Likely not. Will it make it more of a pain in the rear to not be able to bring water bottles, kids snacks, some tailgate food, etc.? Yes. If my kids were still infants and I couldn't bring in a diaper bag, forget it, I'm not coming. Why risk losing fans over a stupid policy? If terrorists are going to plan a hit on a stadium, I would think they're going after uGA, Alabama, Clemson, somewhere with a lot of people, not a GT game against USF with 20,000 fans.

I have donated to the recruiting fund. I do have a multi-year pledge with AT right now and I've donated to AT and Roll Call every year since graduation (including buying back my student years for Roll Call). I'm fairly high up in the AT Fund point list and have been going to games for 40+ years. I remember watching ELI in 78, tying ND in 80, beating Alabama in Birmingham the following year, going to the ACC Championship game vs. UNC in 85, Citrus Bowl in 91, etc., so I'm a pretty darn good fan. Stansbury just missed this one. The gate "security" in place is farcical. Bottom of the barrel. Just for show. The reason the lines are slow is because of the help and the fact that it usually takes multiple times to scan my tickets. The security staff sucks and makes it seem like they are doing you a favor by letting you in the gate.


Enough of people griping about whether someone is a good or bad fan or if there is too much griping about this policy. We are GT. We need more fans and we need to be more fan friendly. If this policy is going to cost us 2 fans or 500 fans, that is too many for us to lose. This policy needs to be corrected and quickly as season ticket applications go out next week. Stansbury usually gets it, but they missed it big time on this policy, both in actual policy and the implementation in the FAQ, as if no one would see it.

AMEN, brother. I can't like this one post enough. I am going to be calling my ticket rep next week to find out about the early purchase discount, so I'm going to ask him about all this crap while I'm at it. I'm sure he can't do anything other than pass it on to someone else, if even that, but we've got to start somewhere.

 

[iceeater1969]

With all due respect to Flea, I'm season ticket holder at Clemson as well as Tech (wife went there and is huge fan). They don't require tickets for fans under 3 or 4, I think, and I believe they let us bring water bottles in. They also let you leave at half time so you can go back to your tailgate and refill your empties.... . Their gate staff is far superior to ours.

There is no perfect situation or "fan." I'm also a 26 year season ticket holder and a basketball season ticket holder. I've got three kids from 4 to 9. Will this policy make me drop my season tickets? Likely not. Will it make it more of a pain in the rear to not be able to bring water bottles, kids snacks, some tailgate food, etc.? Yes. If my kids were still infants and I couldn't bring in a diaper bag, forget it, I'm not coming. Why risk losing fans over a stupid policy? If terrorists are going to plan a hit on a stadium, I would think they're going after uGA, Alabama, Clemson, somewhere with a lot of people, not a GT game against USF with 20,000 fans.

I have donated to the recruiting fund. I do have a multi-year pledge with AT right now and I've donated to AT and Roll Call every year since graduation (including buying back my student years for Roll Call). I'm fairly high up in the AT Fund point list and have been going to games for 40+ years. I remember watching ELI in 78, tying ND in 80, beating Alabama in Birmingham the following year, going to the ACC Championship game vs. UNC in 85, Citrus Bowl in 91, etc., so I'm a pretty darn good fan. Stansbury just missed this one. The gate "security" in place is farcical. Bottom of the barrel. Just for show. The reason the lines are slow is because of the help and the fact that it usually takes multiple times to scan my tickets. The security staff sucks and makes it seem like they are doing you a favor by letting you in the gate.


Enough of people griping about whether someone is a good or bad fan or if there is too much griping about this policy. We are GT. We need more fans and we need to be more fan friendly. If this policy is going to cost us 2 fans or 500 fans, that is too many for us to lose. This policy needs to be corrected and quickly as season ticket applications go out next week. Stansbury usually gets it, but they missed it big time on this policy, both in actual policy and the implementation in the FAQ, as if no one would see it.

Nice post. Lived in tulsa in 78. Heard the game (ELI and ND ) on car radio while waxing my cutlass convertible. That was a good day

 

[flea77]

With all due respect to Flea, I'm season ticket holder at Clemson as well as Tech (wife went there and is huge fan). They don't require tickets for fans under 3 or 4, I think, and I believe they let us bring water bottles in. They also let you leave at half time so you can go back to your tailgate and refill your empties.... . Their gate staff is far superior to ours.

There is no perfect situation or "fan." I'm also a 26 year season ticket holder and a basketball season ticket holder. I've got three kids from 4 to 9. Will this policy make me drop my season tickets? Likely not. Will it make it more of a pain in the rear to not be able to bring water bottles, kids snacks, some tailgate food, etc.? Yes. If my kids were still infants and I couldn't bring in a diaper bag, forget it, I'm not coming. Why risk losing fans over a stupid policy? If terrorists are going to plan a hit on a stadium, I would think they're going after uGA, Alabama, Clemson, somewhere with a lot of people, not a GT game against USF with 20,000 fans.

I have donated to the recruiting fund. I do have a multi-year pledge with AT right now and I've donated to AT and Roll Call every year since graduation (including buying back my student years for Roll Call). I'm fairly high up in the AT Fund point list and have been going to games for 40+ years. I remember watching ELI in 78, tying ND in 80, beating Alabama in Birmingham the following year, going to the ACC Championship game vs. UNC in 85, Citrus Bowl in 91, etc., so I'm a pretty darn good fan. Stansbury just missed this one. The gate "security" in place is farcical. Bottom of the barrel. Just for show. The reason the lines are slow is because of the help and the fact that it usually takes multiple times to scan my tickets. The security staff sucks and makes it seem like they are doing you a favor by letting you in the gate.


Enough of people griping about whether someone is a good or bad fan or if there is too much griping about this policy. We are GT. We need more fans and we need to be more fan friendly. If this policy is going to cost us 2 fans or 500 fans, that is too many for us to lose. This policy needs to be corrected and quickly as season ticket applications go out next week. Stansbury usually gets it, but they missed it big time on this policy, both in actual policy and the implementation in the FAQ, as if no one would see it.

I was just obeying the Clemson clear bag policy the two times I went thru the players gate. " No outside food or beverage ". Letting folks leave and come back, I guess thats a plus for the fans that have parking right next to the stadium. So at GT it would only benefit the folks in Peters unless you don't plan on coming back to the game. Children 2 and under don't need ticket at GT or Clemson, I expect that to change. Clemson is prob not a good example of a stadium that follows their own safety rules. They allow students to storm the field after every game before the teams meet at midfield. To me that is maybe the biggest show of unsportsmanlike conduct at any school I have visited. They do it after every game. Eventually that is not going to end well. Clemsons has policies, they just don't enforce them.

 

[flea77]

We used to take our young children to games in Athens. So its not like I don't know what that is like. We had to have a ticket for everyone and could not bring in anything to the stadium. We paid for bottled waters , popcorn, peanuts , hotdogs at the concession stand and survived for 3 hours. Since GT is installing filtered water refill stations, I don't have a problem with no outside food or beverage. Those voluntary groups working the concessions can use the extra funds.

 

[gtg970g]

They allow students to storm the field after every game before the teams meet at midfield. To me that is maybe the biggest show of unsportsmanlike conduct at any school I have visited. They do it after every game. Eventually that is not going to end well. Clemsons has policies, they just don't enforce them.

It's been a few years since I've been to Clemson but as I recall they let all fans on the field after the game. More of a social (not rowdy) atmosphere. Pretty neat tradition.

 

[tmhunter52]

Generally agree, although I had a horrible experience last year where I got called out by a "security gate guard" for having my kids' Capri Suns and mini-muffins in a non-GT Season Ticket Holder bag, but another clear bag. He said he couldn't prove I was a season ticket holder. I went to his supervisor and he said I could bring in one thing, but not both. What an idiotic thing to say. So he decided to take his stand with my kids' mini-muffins when, as noted, other people are walking in with drinks really pissed me off. Almost to the point of why are we abusing our fans, the few that we have. I emailed TS and Jeff Keisler got in touch with me and made it right and I really thought they understood the fact that we don't have a lot of fans and we need to keep the ones we have happy. I guess I was wrong.

Certainly the competence and training of stadium personnel should be within TStan's control.

 

[GTLorenzo]

Clemson is a different atmosphere, both at the game and tailgating, no doubt. The post game atmosphere, that allows fans on the field, it just amazing. Kids can meet and take pictures with the players, they can throw a football on the field with their Dad or brother, the drumline does a show (and my daughter got to lead it last year, which she loved). I wold love the opportunity to take my kids on the field at BDS/Grant Field after a game to meet TM or Flea's boys and stand with them singing Ramblin Wreck with the band. Of course, God forbid we win a big game, there will be someone in a yellow windbreaker trying to knock you down for trying to get on the field.

I have to fight to make our trips to Tech as much fun for the kids. The kids love Buzz, the Budweiser song and we now stay for the Horse at football and hoops games. While I hate Clemson and hope they lose every game, their fan base and administration get having a fun and great atmosphere at games.

And let me tell you about water fountains at Tech facilities. We were at a hoops game a few weeks ago at Alexander (won't call it McCamish, how do you take a HOF Football Coach and AD's name OFF of a building? Unbelievable) and I went to fill up my son's water bottle. The water that came out was a nasty cloudy grayish color. I had to run it for about 2 minutes to get it clear. How clean do you think the water is that will come out of 90 year old pipes at BDS?

This is just a bad call and easy to fix. Again, if we lose 2 fans or 500, is it worth it? I don't think so.

We used to take our young children to games in Athens. So its not like I don't know what that is like. We had to have a ticket for everyone and could not bring in anything to the stadium. We paid for bottled waters , popcorn, peanuts , hotdogs at the concession stand and survived for 3 hours. Since GT is installing filtered water refill stations, I don't have a problem with no outside food or beverage. Those voluntary groups working the concessions can use the extra funds.

 

[flea77]

Clemson is a different atmosphere, both at the game and tailgating, no doubt. The post game atmosphere, that allows fans on the field, it just amazing. Kids can meet and take pictures with the players, they can throw a football on the field with their Dad or brother, the drumline does a show (and my daughter got to lead it last year, which she loved). I wold love the opportunity to take my kids on the field at BDS/Grant Field after a game to meet TM or Flea's boys and stand with them singing Ramblin Wreck with the band. Of course, God forbid we win a big game, there will be someone in a yellow windbreaker trying to knock you down for trying to get on the field.

I have to fight to make our trips to Tech as much fun for the kids. The kids love Buzz, the Budweiser song and we now stay for the Horse at football and hoops games. While I hate Clemson and hope they lose every game, their fan base and administration get having a fun and great atmosphere at games.

And let me tell you about water fountains at Tech facilities. We were at a hoops game a few weeks ago at Alexander (won't call it McCamish, how do you take a HOF Football Coach and AD's name OFF of a building? Unbelievable) and I went to fill up my son's water bottle. The water that came out was a nasty cloudy grayish color. I had to run it for about 2 minutes to get it clear. How clean do you think the water is that will come out of 90 year old pipes at BDS?

This is just a bad call and easy to fix. Again, if we lose 2 fans or 500, is it worth it? I don't think so.

Letting fans on the field after the visiting team has been given enough time to get to the locker room is fine. Clemson rushes the field before the visiting team can even shake hands at midfield. It’s going to end bad one day w some students getting hurt. But hey it’s clempson. I agree the current water fountains are scary. My understanding is you can refill water battles at filtered refill stations that are being installed. I would rather refill a bottle than stand in the concession lines. Personally I think it’s a move in the right direction. I guess that’s why this is a vent . Everyone has a opinion.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

We were at a hoops game a few weeks ago at Alexander (won't call it McCamish, how do you take a HOF Football Coach and AD's name OFF of a building? Unbelievable)

Boy, do I ever agree with that !!!

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

We used to take our young children to games in Athens. So its not like I don't know what that is like. We had to have a ticket for everyone and could not bring in anything to the stadium. We paid for bottled waters , popcorn, peanuts , hotdogs at the concession stand and survived for 3 hours. Since GT is installing filtered water refill stations, I don't have a problem with no outside food or beverage. Those voluntary groups working the concessions can use the extra funds.

I never buy food at the concessions, since I eat plenty while tailgating, but if I had some kind of dietary restrictions, I sure as heck would want to be able to bring what would be "safe food" in with me. Granted the concessions staff probably need and deserve whatever they get for working those stands, but IMO allowance should be made for everyone, so that the likely few who cannot eat concession stand food don't have to go without or attempt to prove their need to already incompetent gate personnel.

 

[flea77]

I never buy food at the concessions, since I eat plenty while tailgating, but if I had some kind of dietary restrictions, I sure as heck would want to be able to bring what would be "safe food" in with me. Granted the concessions staff probably need and deserve whatever they get for working those stands, but IMO allowance should be made for everyone, so that the likely few who cannot eat concession stand food don't have to go without or attempt to prove their need to already incompetent gate personnel.

Just a guess but I bet if someone has a medical condition that won’t allow them survive 3 hours without a certain food they can get a exception.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

@GTLorenzo

If I left the stadium at Clemson, at halftime, to go to my car for a refill. I might get back to my seat for overtime.

There are far fewer fans at BDS on a given Saturday than at Sanford. But logistically, its an easier target to hit than Sanford. So it’s just as much a target for potential terrorists imo.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Just a guess but I bet if someone has a medical condition that won’t allow them survive 3 hours without a certain food they can get a exception.

Well, I ASSUME they could get an exception from the AA, but passing that info along to the gate security people, and having them actually accept the exemption are not guaranteed, based on what I have seen of the gate security people

 

[flea77]

Well, I ASSUME they could get an exception from the AA, but passing that info along to the gate security people, and having them actually accept the exemption are not guaranteed, based on what I have seen of the gate security people

It is what it is. Just like most every other school " no outside food or beverages allowed". Its not going to change. So if not being able to bring outside food into a stadium is someones tipping point, I guess they are not going to watch many live events or they can sneak in food. Its not like the security guards are patting you down looking for a snickers bar in your shorts .

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

It is what it is. Just like most every other school " no outside food or beverages allowed". Its not going to change. So if not being able to bring outside food into a stadium is someones tipping point, I guess they are not going to watch many live events or they can sneak in food. Its not like the security guards are patting you down looking for a snickers bar in your shorts .

I don't disagree with you there at all. Like I said earlier, I don't bring food in, and so it is a moot point for me personally. I also have no problem with bringing an empty bottle in, but does the empty bottle have to be an officially marked GT bottle, or will any empty plastic bottle do? I also have a problem with having to have an OFFICIAL clear plastic bag. A clear plastic bag is a clear plastic bag, with or without markings on it. I have an official bag, but what if the person with me does not? I can see doing a more thorough search of non-marked bags, but to refuse entry to the person with me if he or she has an unmarked bag the contents of which is (or should be) acceptable is ludicrous.

 

[flea77]

It does not have to be a GT marked clear bag. When we went to duke you had to purchase something in their bookstore to get their clear bag if you wanted to bring in anything inside the stadium. You also had to have the receipt showing you made the purchase at the bookstore. They have a crazy bag policy.

 

[684Bee]

It is amazing that a sports team with no history rocks Atlanta ... while our GTAA marketing team struggles with game day experience despite 100+ years of working at it.

It’s not that ATLUD did some magical marketing stuff. It’s more that the fan base would’ve shown up and cheered them on in a parking lot...and paid to do it. We seem to have a lot of “fans” that would rather analyze the ROI and complain about: game times, concessions, colors, etc.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

It does not have to be a GT marked clear bag. When we went to duke you had to purchase something in their bookstore to get their clear bag if you wanted to bring in anything inside the stadium. You also had to have the receipt showing you made the purchase at the bookstore. They have a crazy bag policy.

GTLorenzo appears to have had an experience that refutes what you said.

Generally agree, although I had a horrible experience last year where I got called out by a "security gate guard" for having my kids' Capri Suns and mini-muffins in a non-GT Season Ticket Holder bag, but another clear bag. He said he couldn't prove I was a season ticket holder. I went to his supervisor and he said I could bring in one thing, but not both..

So that begs the question, DO bags have to be marked, or did he just encounter a stupid security person? That's the kind of thing that needs to be addressed and resolved.

 

[flea77]

The bag policy is on the GT website.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

The bag policy is on the GT website.

That doesn't do us any good if the security personnel don't know the rules, which seems to have been the case for GTLorenzon. Even the supervisor there proved useless.