USC Fans Ticket Donations SOAR to 88 for Richmond/ECU Games

Here is the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL KIDS HAVE UNLIKELY BENEFACTOR FROM VIRGINIA FOE
Trojan Fans Donate Numerous Football Tickets to Local Charity

On August 30^th, when Virginia opens its season against national power Southern California, the Cavalier fans won’t be cheering for the Trojans, but a group of fortunate kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottesville will. It isn’t because the kids want USC to win, or because they don’t believe in Al Groh’s team this season. No, they are cheering for selfish reasons.

Trojan fans, many of whom purchased the “Season Kickoff Package” from the UVA ticket office only for the opportunity to see USC face Virginia, have no reason to keep their Richmond or East Carolina tickets; they won’t be around long enough to use them. Instead, a USC support group in North Carolina came up with the idea of donating the extra tickets to the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottesville (http://bgclubcville.org), instead of selling the seats on eBay or StubHub.

“I’m a big college football message board fan,” said Andrew Mayon, President of the Triad Trojan Club in Greensboro, NC. “I came across a site called “The Sabre.com,” which is frequented by Virginia fans. Their fans were very gracious in discussing the upcoming game versus USC, as well as providing information regarding tailgating, places to visit, places to eat, things to do, etc. It’s always great to mix it up with fans at an opposing school before a game, and the ‘Hoo fans have been a lot of fun.”

So in this day and age of the internet, a Cardinal and Gold opportunity arose.

“On The Sabre.com, there was a small ad stating that the site supported the Boys and Girls Club, so that was the impetus to offer my extra tickets to them. I knew I wasn’t going to need them, so I contacted Sabrina Grant, who is the Club’s support specialist, to offer my seats. She was very excited, and very appreciative to receive some tickets for her kids.”

So how did an innocuous gesture of goodwill grow into a full-fledged charitable campaign?

“We always refer to fellow Trojans as “Family,” so who better to ask to assist in this great cause than members of the Trojan Family? I knew there must be numerous USC fans that purchased the same ticket package as I did, so I went on two USC message boards; WeAreSC.com and USCFootball.com and presented the idea on there. There was a tremendous response to this endeavor and we’re all just thrilled that some great kids will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of a college football game.”

Grant remarked, “This is the first time a fan base from a visiting school has donated this many tickets (88 at the time of this press release) to our organization. We hope that this will be the start of an ongoing trend by future Virginia opponents in future seasons. It is a tremendous opportunity for our kids to experience such a fun event. The fact that these donations were unsolicited by us, makes it an even more selfless act by the USC fans.”

So, while packaging tickets to see one marquis program and two, regional programs may have seemed like a novel and financially sound idea, the Virginia athletic department may have stumbled onto a more significant, though unintended consequence of their actions. When those Trojans, with their fabled Song Girls, Heisman Trophies, platinum record band, iconic white horse and their storied football tradition roll into Charlottesville, that Cardinal and Gold clad fan you’re sitting next to may have given a little part of themselves to help the local community.

Whether the Cavaliers win or lose to USC makes no difference. Because the Cavaliers agreed to play this game, some lucky local kids will enjoy a wonderful Saturday afternoon this season in Scott Stadium. Certainly, Charlottesville got more than they bargained for, all because of the goodwill by some thoughtful opposing fans, who only wanted to see their team play. For its efforts, UVA is playing a great program, on national TV, sold more tickets than expected to smaller games like Richmond and ECU, and now has some new young fans to bring into the fold. I guess it could be said, the University of Virginia has already won.

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[Update 8/20/08]
100 tickets have been received so far.