Okay, this one is more complex than the headline I gave it would suggest. A listener sent this email this afternoon. This is a dandy. We'll take it up on the show Wednesday.
Jerry,
I was wondering if this would make for an interesting topic.
So I, my wife, and my mother in law joined up with Squad 6. If you're not familiar, that's the fan section Andrew Bogut started up for the Bucks. He was tired of the BC sounding like a funeral parlor during Bucks games, so he bought a whole section of tickets for the season and gave them to fans who's job it is to stand and yell for the whole game, basically be like a college student section. We had to audition to get the spots, we did, and all 3 of us made it.
The rules we were given when we got the seats included, if you can't use your ticket you have to find a replacement for yourself (you get 3 "unexcused" absences), and you had to wear Bucks gear to all games.
So fast forward to last Wednesdays game. Before we became Squad 6 members, my wife had purchased court side tickets for the Lakers game, as (along with being a Bucks fan) she is a Lakers fan. This was no secret to Mr. Bogut, as both her and her mom are friends of his on both Facebook and Twitter, and have chatted with him on several occasions. So at Wednesdays game, we brought along her step brother to fill her Squad 6 seat, and she and her sister used the court side tickets. She was wearing her Kobe Bryant jersey and carrying an "I (hart) Kobe" sign, but none of us figured it would be no big deal, as she was using her own ticket.
Now move to the end of the game, the Bucks lose after the refs blow a call, the Bucks missing some free throws, and Kobe burying a jumper at the buzzer of OT. Heartbreaking loss for the home team.
Friday afternoon she gets a call from one of the Bucks reps, saying she had been seen on Wednesday night (she was sitting right next to the tunnel where the players come in and out) and would have to face "Squad 6 court" on Saturday night, where she'd be interviewed on the Jumbotron and be subjected to a vote from the fans whether or not she got her Squad 6 spot back. I thought it was messed up that it was this much of a deal (I figured maybe she'd get some crap from the other Squad 6 members and that'd be the end of it), but was like "OK sounds like this could be funny" and figured all was well.
So Friday night she looks around the internet, and we find a few threats on what has kind of become the official Squad 6 forum page. (http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=954378&start=1365 , Start with page 92)
Saturday afternoon she gets a call from the same Bucks rep that "Andrew is uncomfortable with the situation, as he doesn't want it to go bad, so we're scrapping the whole "court" idea and just pulling your tickets. Sorry. If it hadn't been Kobe, and the game hadn't ended the way it did, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal."
Obviously neither her mother or I went Saturday night (our tickets are sill in good standing) as we were disappointed in the whole situation, and I'm probably going to resign my spot in the next few days, as I'm disappointed that there was no warning and no chance for her to appeal her case or make any kind of apology.
My points in her defense are as follows: we followed the rules for the section, we hadn't missed a game thus far, she was sitting in her own seat that she paid for, and her squad 6 spot was filled. So why should she lose her spot in the section because a ref blew a call, the team missed some free throws, and the deadliest shooter in the NBA did was he does? Why does she get to be the scapegoat for the team not closing out the game, and why do I get to be like Steve Bartmann's wife?
Everyone I've told the story to keeps telling me how we were wronged (1 or 2 have said I should look into suing. We're not going down that road, because A. there was the "the team may pull your tickets at anytime" deal in the contract we signed when we were accepted and B. I'm not that kind of guy. If Brandon Jennings is the best thing to happen to the Bucks in years, Squad 6 is the second best. There's actually life at the Bradley Center during games now, and the team is showing the effects on the court. So I'm not doing anything to mess with that, I just think it's a raw deal), and It doesn't really matter as I don't think there's a way we could go back at this point, but I just want to know who's right here? Am I right that she's getting hosed, or is my bias skewing my perception here?


Comments