Red Scare Point System Revoked

By: JIM VOGEL – Staff Writer

Red Scare is introducing major changes to student ticket distribution for men’s basketball games.

Ryan Phillips, Red Scare president and junior sports management major, said the old Red Scare student ID card swipe system that tracked attendance at UD home sporting events as a way to determine the quality of seats for men’s basketball games has been eliminated completely.

Under the new system, swipes will not be collected from students during the fall sports season.

“Student seating to men’s basketball games will be determined on a first-come, first serve basis. Student tickets will no longer be numbered for specific seats. If a student purchases men’s basketball tickets, they will be granted a ticket to the student section. Students will be able to stand in line before games and fill the student section on a first-come, first-serve basis,” Phillips said.

The Red Scare executive board and UD Athletics began evaluating the spirit point />system for assigning men’s basketball seats during the last men’s basketball season. The joint effort was an attempt to make the basketball games more accessible to students, said Phillips

“The Red Scare executive board turned over with its new members in March and we were immediately charged with talking to students across campus about Red Scare. We talked to students of all grade levels and of various levels of engagement in Red Scare and asked them how Red Scare was working for them. Overwhelmingly, we heard that the spirit point system was cumbersome and that it prevented students from supporting the men’s basketball team because they didn’t have time to attend fall sports season events,” Phillips said.

After spending the summer finalizing the new mechanics behind Red Scare, each of the 20 members of the executive board signed off on all the changes, Phillips said.

In response to concerns that Red Scare’s move away from the spirit point system will deter students from attending other sporting events, Phillips said he is confident the momentum that Red Scare has built over the years for all of the UD sporting teams is strong and based on a lot more than spirit points.

“We really think that students will still come out to support their favorite sports teams without the incentive for spirit points,” Phillips said. “Obviously there is some level of negative pushback with any major change but we are confident that this is the best way to enable students to support all of the UD athletic teams.”

Phillips stated that the new system of student ticket distribution is consistent with other major universities with comparable men’s basketball programs.

According to Adrienne Ross Green, advisor of Red Scare, general admission tickets include sections 100 and 200. Once those are filled with student fans, the remaining students will be assigned to the 300 and 400 sections.

“The sooner you get to the arena, the closer you will be,” Phillips said.