I just typed up this email and sent it to Plonsky. Ironically, it might fall under "Time for a change", but not really. (ha!) Dear Ms. Plonsky, I've just come back from our loss to Baylor. One of our longtime seatmates turned to me and said, "I'm not sure I'm going to renew my tickets next year." I also echoed that sentiment. This year has been very trying as a season ticket holder. We try very hard to go all the games to enjoy the atmosphere of the game as well as support the team with cheering, clapping and attendance. The difficulty this year is the thoughtlessness put into the starting times of the games. The goal of the softball program is to represent the University as well as put a product on for the fans. But when you schedule 4:00 pm or 4:30 pm games, many season ticket holders can not attend. They have JOBS during the day that require them to be there until 5:00 pm. While I am lucky enough to work from home, I have to make sure I'm at the school pickup line to get my kids so that we can navigate traffic quickly to make the 4:00 pm games. Often, we arrive mid-first inning. Your goal should be to build a growing base of fans. Our seatmates believe you agree to these game times in order to get the game on LHN. The question to you is if it's worth broadcasting a game where the stands are mostly empty? To be frank, the older patrons we've seen over the years have stopped coming to the game as they have gotten older and can not attend the games in person. You need to sell the experience of going to a game to the younger generation, which is hard if they can't drive and are still in school when the game starts! This year, my wife missed all games during the week that didn't start after 6:00 pm. Look at your ticket data? Are your season ticket sales dropping? What percentage of your season ticket holders attend the games during the week. If the goal is still getting games on LHN above all priorities, then why should I renew my season tickets? I can just sit at home and skip through the commercials. Please make a change for next year in regards to the game time. I would also like a change in the coaching staff, but I know that will never happen. You're too close to the coaches to see the quality of the product is slipping. thanks for listening,
A prompt reply from Plonsky: Thank you for your email and for your thoughts. We appreciate your sentiments. Scheduling is indeed a matrix. UT is obligated to provide 175 live events per year to our contracted partner, ESPN, for LHN broadcast. The spring schedule often overlaps with m/w basketball, baseball, track, tennis, and softball. We cannot breach our contract with LHN, but we will work harder to try to avoid 430 pm games whenever possible. We do the best we can to schedule the games, but indeed, when baseball and softball are at home, we often do broadcast doubleheaders on Friday of the required 3-game series in conference play. Our softball team definitely has had some ups and downs, but the students will finish final exams this week and contend in the Big 12 Conference tournament and try to enhance its NCAA seeding. Our program has the same goals as all others – to win Big 12 championships and to contend in NCAA national competition. We are appreciative of your longtime support, and thank you again for reaching out.
I exchanged some more emails with Plonsky. I put this out there to give her a "fair shake" as to why some game times were so odd: --------------------------------- Also, I forgot to mention that twice in April, we were asked to play softball at an earlier time due to academic reasons. One was on April 19. LHN televises the UT School of Human Ecology Fashion Show live. Because the fashion show started at 7 pm at the Erwin Center, the academic content coordinators on campus and with LHN asked softball to play Texas Southern that day at 5 pm. Also, Texas A&M Corpus Christi requested that we move the May 3 game to 4 pm so they could return home as final exams for them started the next day. We accommodated both of these requests.
Well that isn't happening Chris because another Cat is not moving into Jester because she was not a once is a decade player, she was not a once in a generation player, she was a once in a lifetime player.
They haven't contended in the Conference all year. I guess that quote means since they do not have to worry about academics during the Conference Tournament a different team will show up.
The stands will be mostly empty until there is a coaching change. This team's Legacy hopefully will be that they ushered in new leadership. Texas isn't contending for a Big 12 tournament championship nor are they making the NCAA tournament. Parents and players all know it is in fact time for a change.
In CP's defense, the fact that she reached out almost immediately to the OP with a response speaks highly of her and the department (if only in this one instance). As tone deaf as Belmont has become to it's base in recent years, that, in and of itself, gives hope. False hope perhaps, but hope. Best of luck in the Tournaments.
I was pleasantly surprised to see her respond in less than 24 hours to me. However, I suspected she wouldn't have a problem doing so because the subject, game times, wouldn't be that controversial. After all, it's easy to lump everything into "It's LHN's fault". There's no discussion about coaching changes or non-critical assessment by the AD of the softball program, so that email was literally a "softball". The irony is that I recently just received my email asking me to re-up on my season softball tickets. I really have to mull that one over - I've got until Aug 4th to decide.
