It has been reported that the Boosters are in the process of rolling out a revamped "point priority" system to take effect this spring when we all go to renew season football tickets.
This has led me to look around the Interwebs at other big program booster setups, to informally compare what FSU does under the current point priority system that other schools do not, and vice versa.
Discussion item 1. the "Florida Legislature" bonus. Our current points system awards 4 points annually if the Booster is a member of the Florida Legislature, that is a State Rep or a State Senator. I have not found another booster program that does this, at least not overtly. Pegged at 4 renewable annual points, this bonus is equal to the 4 point bonus the current system gives to "President's Club" donors, which is a $10,000 donation to the academic fund, and is 2X what the current system gives to varsity letterwinner alums. In other words, and this is an extreme example, a legislator who is a double UF grad would get 2X the bonus that Warrick Dunn or Marvin Jones or Sam Cassell or would, were any of them to sign up for season tickets. I ask myself, should FSU continue this apparently unique practice of awarding this ratio of annual bonus points, that, perhaps unintentionally, appears to favor paid legislators over, among other groups, cherished sports alums who, unlike legislators, are not paid and travel-funded to come to Tallahassee.
Discussion Item 2. Segregation of football and basketball donations. Our current system awards football ticket buyers points for past and renewed football ticket buys but not points for past or renewed basketball ticket buys. Our system awards basketball ticket buyers points for past and renewed basketball buys, but not anything for past football ticket buys. Some other schools award points based on overall, all-sport ticket purchases. So at Michigan if you are a 10 year football season ticket buyer, another booster that is a 10 year football AND basketball (or baseball) season ticket buyer has more points than you in that category when you both go to buy football tickets.
Side Note: Michigan's system also awards points for donations direct to their marching band. That is very unusual in terms of what other schools are doing, but I personally find it a cool idea.
Discussion Item 3. FSU's current system gives you 2 points annually if you are a dues paying member of the FSU Alumni Association. Not every school does this, in fact, most other schools I looked up do not do this. Considering that an annual alumni association membership at FSU is like 50 or 75 bucks a year, this is a screaming bargain for the ticket buyer, and a very nice "tip of the cap" by the athletics arm of the university to the alumni arm.
I've always been satisfied with FSU's setup for booster points. But I realize that the success of the BTN and SECN have started a financial arms race amongst elite intercollegiate sports programs, and I understand that to survive in that arms race FSU has to get more revenue out of all aspects of "everything," including its boosters. And that means revamping the booster points policy to incentivize us to give more, and in return get more back (like enjoying watching two FSU sports programs live instead of one).
I wonder what the new system will look like.
This has led me to look around the Interwebs at other big program booster setups, to informally compare what FSU does under the current point priority system that other schools do not, and vice versa.
Discussion item 1. the "Florida Legislature" bonus. Our current points system awards 4 points annually if the Booster is a member of the Florida Legislature, that is a State Rep or a State Senator. I have not found another booster program that does this, at least not overtly. Pegged at 4 renewable annual points, this bonus is equal to the 4 point bonus the current system gives to "President's Club" donors, which is a $10,000 donation to the academic fund, and is 2X what the current system gives to varsity letterwinner alums. In other words, and this is an extreme example, a legislator who is a double UF grad would get 2X the bonus that Warrick Dunn or Marvin Jones or Sam Cassell or would, were any of them to sign up for season tickets. I ask myself, should FSU continue this apparently unique practice of awarding this ratio of annual bonus points, that, perhaps unintentionally, appears to favor paid legislators over, among other groups, cherished sports alums who, unlike legislators, are not paid and travel-funded to come to Tallahassee.
Discussion Item 2. Segregation of football and basketball donations. Our current system awards football ticket buyers points for past and renewed football ticket buys but not points for past or renewed basketball ticket buys. Our system awards basketball ticket buyers points for past and renewed basketball buys, but not anything for past football ticket buys. Some other schools award points based on overall, all-sport ticket purchases. So at Michigan if you are a 10 year football season ticket buyer, another booster that is a 10 year football AND basketball (or baseball) season ticket buyer has more points than you in that category when you both go to buy football tickets.
Side Note: Michigan's system also awards points for donations direct to their marching band. That is very unusual in terms of what other schools are doing, but I personally find it a cool idea.
Discussion Item 3. FSU's current system gives you 2 points annually if you are a dues paying member of the FSU Alumni Association. Not every school does this, in fact, most other schools I looked up do not do this. Considering that an annual alumni association membership at FSU is like 50 or 75 bucks a year, this is a screaming bargain for the ticket buyer, and a very nice "tip of the cap" by the athletics arm of the university to the alumni arm.
I've always been satisfied with FSU's setup for booster points. But I realize that the success of the BTN and SECN have started a financial arms race amongst elite intercollegiate sports programs, and I understand that to survive in that arms race FSU has to get more revenue out of all aspects of "everything," including its boosters. And that means revamping the booster points policy to incentivize us to give more, and in return get more back (like enjoying watching two FSU sports programs live instead of one).
I wonder what the new system will look like.
