Use Them or Lose Them

In the past twenty years of my life, I have learned a lot of things: never cross the street without looking both ways, always wear a helmet while riding a bike, never root for a Rick Barnes-coached team, etc...  One concept in particular that has recently intrigued me is the economic definition of "scarcity." Scarcity is the fundamental problem of economics; it explains that because the world has limited resources, that the unlimited demand for said resources will lead to depletion of those resources. If you are still unsure of what that means, allow me to explain:

Say Johnny Rebel has been a die-hard Baylor fan since 1982. For the sake of this story, let’s make him a season-ticket holder as well. Johnny had box seats in FCS, which were pretty nice but nowhere near the view in the palace that is McLane Stadium. When Baylor Football moved to McLane, let’s say that the number of box seats decreased from 300 to 200. Johnny has a 1 in 3 chance that, due to nothing of his own volition, he will not have box seats in McLane. The scarcity of resources is the reason why no human can have unlimited resources.

But anyway, back to the point at hand. After the recent turn of events, many faithful Baylor alumni claim that they will not be renewing their season tickets. This should not be seen as awful for Baylor. Because Baylor has thousands of recent graduates who long to "come home" to at least one football game every year, but cannot because of the "sold out" stadium. Am I implying that because hundreds of people will not be in seats, that this is a good thing? Absolutely not. My goal is for McLane Stadium to be packed for every Baylor home game and have an excited crowd that is ready to support Baylor through athletic competition. To reiterate a point, if the season tickets have less worth to YOU than the face value price of the seats, then I would advise you not to renew.

And if the football program is a problem for you in the wake of the Pepper Hamilton investigation, let me remind you that Baylor has unblemished athletics outside of the football team. Men’s Basketball is consistently in the top 25 due to the terrific coaching job Scott Drew does. Women’s Basketball is consistently in the top five programs in the country due to one of the greatest coaches in Baylor history for ANY sport, Kim Mulkey. And any other sport (baseball, softball, equestrian, track and field to name a few) wants Baylor Nation to show up and be loud, proud, and back the Bears.

And for those of you who are season ticket holders and will hold your tickets hostage from anyone else getting to enjoy the games of a rebuilding and rebranding university, that is your prerogative. It is a selfish choice that does not make anything that has transpired any better, although it may appease your friends who go to different schools. Because there are hundreds of current students and thousands of alumni who want to be involved with Baylor, and by withholding your ticket and seat, you are cheapening the great university that Baylor is. I am not saying Baylor is perfect, but what I am saying is that in the time of crisis, she needs all the fans more than ever.

Baylor we are, and Baylor we always will be.