Thank goodness it’s basketball season! I don’t know about y’all, but I am tired of losing football games. It is time for Wake Forest to put money where its mouth is and prove that we are in fact the basketball school we claim to be.
The new lottery system
Screamin’ Deacons Rewards is Wake Forest’s Athletics official app that allows students to attend sports events and earn points and prizes for their attendance. Unlike several larger schools, Wake Forest students do not have to enter a lottery to get tickets for home games. Tickets to basketball and football games were simply one click away and rarely ran out.
On Monday, Nov. 4, students were notified that a new lottery system will be put in place for the two biggest basketball games of the year versus the UNC Tar Heels and then the Duke Blue Devils. The email reads “With limited ticket inventory available, tickets for the Wake Forest men’s basketball games against UNC-Chapel Hill (Jan. 21) and Duke (Jan. 25) will be issued via lottery.”
The email further explained that “all students will be able to enter the lottery system one time each,” however, the lottery favors students to attend more basketball games and will give them “priority status.”
And finally, there’s the condition that has Wake Forest students spiraling — the rule for lottery eligibility. In order for Wake Forest students to gain priority for the UNC-Chapel Hill ticket lottery, they must attend four out of the six following home games:
- Coppin State (Nov. 4)
- North Carolina A&T (Nov. 7)
- USC Upstate (Nov. 13)
- Western Carolina (Nov. 19)
- Detroit Mercy (Nov. 23)
- Boston College (Dec. 7)
For Wake Forest students to gain priority for the Duke ticket lottery, they must attend five out of the seven following home games:
- Coppin State (Nov. 4)
- North Carolina A&T (Nov. 7)
- USC Upstate (Nov. 13)
- Western Carolina (Nov. 19)
- Detroit Mercy (Nov. 23)
- Boston College (Dec. 7)
- Stanford (Jan. 15)
The UNC-Chapel Hill ticket lottery opens on Jan. 13 and winners will be drawn on Jan. 15. Additionally, the Duke ticket lottery will open on Jan. 17 and winners will be drawn on Jan. 22.
I get why students aren’t happy
The announcement of the new lottery system led many students to panic. First of all, a perk of attending a school the size of Wake Forest is that you are almost guaranteed tickets to any home sports events you would like to attend. This new lottery system undermines this inside promise of Wake Forest Athletics.
Second of all, the majority of the games listed above are on weeknights. Even if students wanted to go to these games students have labs, late-night classes, piles of homework and never-ending exams.
Work Forest is the biggest obstacle between basketball fans and tickets to the UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke basketball games.
Third of all, the new lottery system immediately counts out students who are abroad. The Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill basketball games are set to take place early in the second semester when students currently abroad will return to campus. Currently, there is no way for study abroad students to gain enough points for the two biggest home games of the season as six of the seven games listed above occur before the first semester ends.
While I can understand how this new lottery system can be frustrating — quit your whining!
A note to fake fans (boo hoo)
As someone who goes to almost every basketball game, it is nice to receive a reward other than those useless Screamin’ Demon Reward points. Like why are all the prizes always sold out?
Last year, the basketball game against Duke had the greatest attendance Wake Forest has ever had! It was incredible! While it is unrealistic for that atmosphere to be recreated at a weeknight game, I think this lottery system is a good incentive for students to fill the Joel.
It is embarrassing for our school and our team to have an empty student section on live television. The fan section creates a positive atmosphere that encourages our players to bring home a win. I know they make dumb mistakes (Cam, it wouldn’t hurt you to pass the ball), but they should be able to rely on fan support.
So, if you are only excited about attending the big games against the Tar Heels and Blue Devil and not any other games, I don’t feel bad for you regarding the “inconvenience” of gaining priority in the lottery.
Good luck with the lottery ya posers! I’ll send you photos from the lower bowl.
Go Deacs!
Editor’s Note 10/11: The version of this article that is in the Old Gold & Black’s Dec. 2 print edition did not include edits from an executive editor. The online story has been updated to reflect these edits.
