Opinion Article

Bulldog Club Scholarship Fund and Ticket Policy

This past week Mississippi State’s fundraising arm of the athletic department released the policy and guidelines regarding football and basketball tickets and seating. The new plan involves re-seating of priority seats within the Bulldog Club. It also entails new giving guidelines which coincide with an individuals annual giving to the program.

The Bulldog Club is vital to the success of the entire athletic program. The organization is responsible for paying tuition for the student-athletes, which is rising across the board in collegiate sports.

So how has the response been to the changes in ticket priority? Early indications seem positive from the Bulldog nation, but some see it as a negative. The ones in the minority need to realize that championships aren’t just built in one day – there is a process to the ingredients of championship programs. This new type of policy is nothing new to intercollegiate athletics. MSU is just doing what other schools are doing to compete at this level.

I applaud State’s athletic administration to make changes in the policy that have been way overdue. Yes, people are going to complain, but when do people don’t complain about anything. The people that are complaining and not wanting this new policy in place will not get tickets – it’s that simple. There are plenty of people that would take that ticket and put it to good use.

The views expressed in this opinion column are not associated with MSU Athletics ... Schmidt is a graduate student in sports administration.