Wisconsin Rose Bowl: Badger-Herald Publicly Shames Student Scalpers

Apparently, when it comes to coveted Rose Bowl tickets, common standards of media decency become null and void -- at least according to the Badger-Herald, one of the University of Wisconsin's student newspapers.

In a Dec. 5 editorial titled "The Worst People on Campus," the Herald listed the full names of more than thirty Wisconsin students who had put their Rose Bowl tickets up for bid on Facebook marketplace shortly after they went on sale Sunday. The school's alotted 5,800 tickets sold out in 20 minutes.

Below the list of names, the Herald's editorial board wrote:

Truly, there is a special place in Hell for people who buy Rose Bowl tickets with the sole intention of profiting from them. It is entirely unfair to those who actually love this football team and were counting on a cheap face value ticket in order to make the trip to Pasadena an economic reality.

We'll keep printing names of those we catch on Facebook marketplace. And feel free to send an email to [e-mail] if you know of anybody whose name should be added to the list -- particularly the 100 people who have already made a listing on Craigslist.

They solicited names of more people to add to their growing list, saying that their deed was "the Lord's work."

An editor's note added to the post -- which has more than 600 comments -- implored commenters to be respectful.

What do you think? Do you find this funny, or totally out of line? Weigh in below.

Comments

[JStading]

11:30 PM on 12/07/2010

How dare students who are forced to subsidize a multimillion dollar athletic program with inflated tutition bills that is part of a private, national organization attempt to profit from that program! Don't they know that making money is evil?

[Sheepieluv]

10:16 PM on 12/07/2010

You forgot to mention the part where they encouraged the rest of the studen body to "humiliate the living shit" out of the people on the list. While I do think scalping the tickets is wrong (at cost they were 145 for season ticket holders and they were going for 300 on marketplace) I think that a newspaper calling for the harrassment of students is worse.

Originally the article also said that the only way for those students to get their name off the list was to give their tickets back to the Badger Herald so that they could "redistribute" them. Which is essentially extortion. Give us your tickets or we will incite others to harrass you.

The article has since been edited and now has a disclaimer that it was not intended to call students to action and the Editer in Chief of the BH issued a statement claiming the article was just to draw awareness to the issue of ticket scalping. He also claimed that it was a success.

I guess an article is not a success at drawing attention unless it is mean spirited, irresponsible and ultimately leads to death threats directed at the subjects.

[yohuntsy2]

03:02 PM on 12/07/2010

If you can make some money to help pay your tuition costs, and be able to financially cover the costs involved in serious study, by scalping tickets more power to you. The football apes and their goony fans and the administration that supports them do nothing to help your intellectual life. You are obligated, as a serious student, to buy those tickets and scalp them and advance your knowledge. The baboon that buys the ticket at the scalped price is helping your education, rather than local bars on State Street and online pay porn sites.

[scat]

02:48 PM on 12/07/2010

so what, they sold their tickets.

Who really cares? How much do they charge for admissions. You should be yelling about that. Not some kids making a buck for beer money.

[kv3854]

01:26 PM on 12/07/2010

I don't think publicly calling out or shaming these kids is the right thing to do either. While some people selling the tickets may be jerks- what does naming them going to do?

[TStringfellow]

12:59 PM on 12/07/2010

Oh please.

Anyone who can fly to California from Wisconsin to watch A FOOTBALL GAME is not being seriously harmed by a jump in ticket prices due to some students hoarding tickets. Good for them.

Whose side are you on, rich people who don't want to pay extra money for the incredible luxury in question or broke college students trying to claim a small economic gain (in the midst of a corporate scramble for the revenue being produced by their college's sporting events).

[themightylemur]

02:21 PM on 12/07/2010

the jump in ticket price is basically the cost of the flight

i'm on the side of college students not screwing their fellow college students

[TStringfellow]

12:44 PM on 12/08/2010

Again, if you can pay for a cross country flight to watch a sporting event you probably aren't economically disadvantaged enough for this to really affect you.

Who said they're "screwing" anyone? We live in a Capitalist society, these people excersized their rational self interest in order to produce a profit, how are they any different from a store owner raising prices due to supply and demand? What you're telling me is that standard economic practice for business owners becomes immoral when undertaken by individuals.

In my opinion, Capitalism is a predatory system which is full of this kind of "advantage taking", i'm glad to see that you're in agreement. Welcome to Anti-Capitalism.

[amanda can]

12:37 PM on 12/07/2010

I had no idea football was that serious

[Quasi Libertarian]

11:59 AM on 12/07/2010

I am sure the the University isn't sticking it to their students with ridiculous fees, book costs, lab fees, etc......If this paper is going to call out some students for trying to make a few bucks then make certain you seek everyone that is getting ripped-off...there is plenty of love to spread around

[Mary Karius]

11:27 AM on 12/07/2010

RIGHT ON!

[Chicago Barrister]

11:23 AM on 12/07/2010

Excellent! I love college newspapers that aren't owned by some big corporation and aren't afraid to take a stand on an issue they believe in. Much better than some of the watered down "news" on the big networks...

[themightylemur]

09:00 AM on 12/07/2010

I think they're spot on. It always bothered me that so many students would buy tickets just to sell them. They had no intention of going to the games, they just wanted to profit. On the other hand, there were always a lot of students that wanted to go to the games, but weren't able to get tickets. They had to then either hope the game was televised or pay up to 2000% face value to go.

[Quasi Libertarian]

06:53 AM on 12/07/2010

This may come as a bit of a shock, but not every student is a rabid college football fan and could care less about going to the game.  Furthermore, some students may be up to the neck in debt and the extra money can be helpful.  It is their tickect and they can do whatever the heck they want with it.  To trave to California, stay in a hotel cost money and  some students just to want to shell out the money for a football game. 
 
Those fans that are hardcore fans will go.  But for those who are taking advantage of a an extreme rare chance to put a few Benjamins in their pockects I say go for it.
 
It is so amazing how people are constantly griping about others good fortune.

[themightylemur]

08:58 AM on 12/07/2010

"Furthermor­e, some students may be up to the neck in debt and the extra money can be helpful."

and some of those same students who may be up to the neck in debt were looking for face value tickets so they could afford to go

[Religulous24]

11:48 AM on 12/07/2010

While I may be a rabid football fan, I totally agree. Sometimes, for some reasons, the tickets are better off sold. It's ridiculous to lump in every one of the students who are selling their tickets, as jerks.

I've had to give up sweet tickets (both as a student and as a non-student) before and don't doubt that it broke my heart, but it happens.

It sucks when people do buy them for the sole purpose of re-selling and that should be in the paper. I do doubt however, that everyone on that list really wanted to sell their tickets for that reason.

[RohitKhanna]

03:53 AM on 12/07/2010

Those who present student tickets should be asked to produce student ID for admission...

[genrel1248]

08:13 PM on 12/06/2010

Capitalism Baby! Capitalism!

[corwin]

08:43 PM on 12/06/2010

You seem to be disapproving.I don't mean to be condescending,but were you a Liberal Arts major?

[genrel1248]

09:50 PM on 12/06/2010

Double major physics and mathematics. I know inequalities when I see them.

[Alex Brousseau]

08:06 PM on 12/06/2010

Point of order: the paper is The Badger Herald...no hyphen. And it's an independent newspaper.

[Chicago Barrister]

11:24 AM on 12/07/2010

Good form.