An Open Letter to the Longhorn Foundation

Greetings from a Fellow Longhorn-

First off, I want to thank you for your part in supporting The University and in bringing the fan base it's first National Championship in 35 years. This will never be forgotten by anyone who follows the Longhorns.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Brandon Johnson. I enrolled at the University in 1991, graduated in 1996, and joined the Longhorn Foundation in 1998. I have been to every home game since I attended my first against Auburn on Sept. 21, 1991 (a loss), with three exceptions which were all family related.

I have been to every TX/OU game for the last 16 years.

I have lived and breathed Longhorn football every fall. Sure, I complain for bad losses. 66-3. 2001 Big XII Championship. Arkansas many times.

In all my complaints, though, I have always supported the University and the Administration. I knew that persons smarter than I were on it and that things would be fixed. And they were.

However, I have noticed a pattern of conduct over the years that has culminated with changes made this year. This is a pattern of neglect and disrespect to the mid-level donors that make up a huge portion of support for the athletics department.

By mid-level donors, I am talking about the huge group that gives between $600 and $2000. This group encompasses a wide variety of people from alumni who have utilized their education to obtain a good job and make a sizable donation to the University to fans that never attended a class but grew up supporting the Longhorns and continue to love their team and support them week in and week out.

When my wife and I decided to invest in the University in 1998 by donating $1200/year to the Longhorn Foundation, we did it for several reasons. These reasons are the same that many have stated to me for their interest as well.

1. Love for the University and Longhorn Football.
2. Knowledge that our donation will benefit both the Academics reputation of the University by supporting the Athletic Department's support of many educational initiatives as well as the Sports Programs' growth.
3. Secure multiple benefits that will allow us and our friends the opportunity to more easily "Come early, be loud, stay late, wear orange": Tickets, Parking, and End Zone Club.

So, for these reasons above, I have donated around $9600 to the University. Very close to the "President's Club" level. I do pretty well for myself, and, really, this is a lot of money. This is above and beyond any tickets that I have bought. Of course, 80% of this money is tax deductible. So it's around a third less than advertised.

So let's analyze what the University has done to reward me for my loyalty, and what I now get for my donation.

• Tickets- The University has graciously allowed me to keep the same seats for the entire time for my $1200 donation. I have never complained about this because I knew the deal going in. However, OU and bowl tickets have been a completely different matter. I have been lucky enough to be at a level where I have always gotten OU tickets and tickets to bowl games, including the National Championship Rose Bowl. The level has been quickly creeping up, though. The University has devalued my donation and tickets by continually using my donations to build more seats (Upper Deck Eastside, Club Seats East Side, club Seats North Side) which require higher donations than mine to secure. This makes me continue to lose position in both OU tickets and Bowl games so that one day in the very near future I will be driven out just as the patrons who have donated $600 for a number of years have been driven out.

• Halftime Clubs - Many people will criticize me for this point, and that is fine. One of the big reasons I originally liked Longhorn Foundation is because I was able to attend the End Zone Club in the South endzone pre-game or at halftime to have a couple of beers, a bite to eat ,and to watch some other games going on. Admittedly, sometimes when it's a September 11am game and it's hot as hell and we're playing a greatly overmatched opponent, I would stay through a good portion of the 3rd quarter to watch the game while I tried not to have heatstroke. (FYI, while it's cooler at 11am when it kicks off as opposed to a 6pm game, it only gets hotter and ends in full sun, whereas it gets cooler and the sun sets as the night goes on for a 6pm game.) As I grew older, I appreciated that I was able to quickly go into the club at halftime and meet with friends while the kids played on the jumping thing and then played football.

Eventually, we were moved to the Goal Post Club. Which was great, except for several things...it was far, it was muddy when it rained, it was not a lot of fun. I called the Longhorn Foundation and was told that it was "basically the same thing, but in a different location. There were overcrowding issues." However, the higher level donors ($2000 and up) still got the End Zone Club. If it was "the same thing", why wouldn't they allocate it differently? Maybe they could put one in each corner of the stadium, and assign stuff that way? Or, better yet, set limits on how many people could come in? People would learn the patterns for attendance and when they had to arrive to get a spot. I completely understand that the End Zone Club was too crowded and they needed a solution. There were absolutely too many people trying to get into one place. My solutions were to either raise the minimum needed to access the club and let people know what the new parameters were, or create more or bigger clubs.

But, the Foundation did not do either of these things. They came up with a "solution" over the summer and didn't let anyone know. (Trust me, there's a pattern here.) The solution was to make the South End Zone Club (Easily accessible by both East and West side stands) available to only >$2000 donors, and everyone else would get the Goal Post Club on the North East side by LBJ Fountain.

That's not the only thing that was done. TV's were changed to only show the direct feed from the stadium cameras. No graphics, so if you did happen to catch some of the game in there it was impossible to know what down it was, what the timeouts were, yardage, etc... And, during halftime, they show an overhead shot of the field! No more switching to other games during halftime to catch up on what other teams across the Big XII were doing.

• Parking - This is where the average donor finally gets really snubbed. My friends and I have been tailgating in the same lot for 9 years or so. Lot 99, just south of the Mike Myers Soccer Stadium. We've always gotten our spot. Sometimes, new people have come in and everyone has always adjusted to accommodate. Sometimes, situations have changed (such as with the 2006 Ohio State Game), but we've always rolled with the punches and have done what we needed to do. The rules were very clear: you donate so much, you get these lots, first come first serve. And we donated as such.

In 2007, for some reason, the Longhorn Foundation decided it needed to change. Never mind that for the past 10 years the policy was pretty straightforward, and people knew what it was BEFORE they renewed their donation. We can only guess why it changed. My guess (and pretty much anyone else that I've talked to) is that the high level donors who want to show up 10 minutes before the game starts and park as close as they can complained. A lot. Without thinking, the Longhorn Foundation bowed to their demands and came up with the ridiculous parking scheme for this year.

Here are the results of this year's parking fiasco so far:

• Hardly anyone is happy with their parking. High level donors got moved to parking garages they didn't want. People that were happy with the garages got moved to surface lots. People who have been happy for years got punted with no apparent logic to what lot they got.
• Tailgating has been killed in several lots. Lots 70/80/99 used to be a huge tailgating lot. Opposing university fans would walk down the sidewalk on the south side of the Soccer Stadium and be welcomed by a huge crowd supporting the university. This last week, they walked by a half empty lot.
• A black market has been created where none really existed before. There were always a couple people selling passes, but never before has the market been so strong.
• It was nauseating how many empty spots were there so close to the stadium. Spots that were not used by anyone but were highly coveted by many.
• People are mad. Most are mad because they were not allowed to have any input into where they are. OU tickets and Bowl game tickets that are assigned based on strictly donor level are one thing. Fans and supporters have a lot invested in the University and would like to know upfront what they are dealing with. If this is really the new direction, treat the parking lots like tickets. Once you get a lot, you're guaranteed that lot as long as you give the same donation.

As usual, the Longhorn Foundation decided on the parking situation AFTER donations were due. This did not give anyone the chance to comment, adjust, etc... Once again, we all had to live with what was done, with no recourse.

So, now the Longhorn Nation sits in a precarious position. Many of us continue to be disrespected and discounted by the University that we so blindly support. In the past, we have not had many options. We wanted to keep our seats. We wanted to keep our parking. We wanted to continue to support the University and the Foundation monetarily because it was valuable to us as fans and alumni.

Like I said before, I have always happily paid my donation and supported the University. I have never looked at it as a value proposition. As my "value" has continued to disappear, though, I have finally had to take a hard look at what is happening.

• Tickets - I already pay full price for my tickets. Every game. Arkansas State. Rice. LA-Lafayette. Etc.... Many of those I can get better seats for cheaper. Most of them I can get better seats at face value. There are a couple of games that it is extremely valuable. Ohio State last year was one. Those type of games are not scheduled very often, however. Games like Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma may require a slightly higher price from a broker, but, in general, you could buy a whole season's worth of brokered tickets for a slightly higher price than season tickets!. Without the Donation!! Foundation Donation Value = minimal.
• Parking - I currently have a parking pass I don't want. I gave it away. A friend of ours gave us a pink parking pass. She didn't want it because she always takes the shuttle. If my wife had not talked to her, she would have THROWN IT AWAY. And her spot would have been empty. I see a problem here. Foundation Donation value = 0. (You can buy a pink pass on Craigslist for around $700. $2000 less than the increase in my donation to secure one.)
• Goal Post Club - Expensive Beer. Crappy TV situation. Kid's can't play football anymore. We will not be returning. Foundation Donation value = 0.
• Oklahoma - Every year, my seats get worse and worse. Pretty soon they will be gone. Brokered tickets can easily be bought. Foundation Donation value = moderate (current). Foundation Donation value = minimal (near future)
• Bowl Games - Rose Bowl. 2006. This is the only time where I have been really glad to be a Foundation Member. Tickets were going for $1000. I paid $175. Of course, every other bowl you can usually get tickets at or below face value. If you average the years out, the value is rather minimal.

As you can see, the value to being a Foundation member is minimal, and only getting worse. At the rate it is going, you could not donate, get better tickets and better parking, donate to an academic program, and still spend less money!

The Foundation is quickly pricing mid-level donors out of the market. I may be wrong, but, being a mid-level donor along with many of my friends, this has been a rapidly growing opinion. It may seem like I'm making a big deal out of this, and I am. Longhorn Football is something I am passionate about. Something my friends are passionate about. I have supported them blindly and will continue to support them in the future, but I cannot sit back and accept the arrogance with which the typical donor is treated. Not only the typical donor, but the typical fan! I come from the position of someone that has donated money to the University. Unfortunately, this is an extension of the way the University treats the fans. First, the non-donors. Then, the Texas Exes. Then, the T-men. Then, the lower level donors and then the mid-level donors. Where does it stop?

The University and the Athletics Department have always been beholden to the almighty dollar. We understand that and most people have accepted that and operated within the rules set forth. However, the rules have consistently been changed without warning and always in a manner which is beneficial to the University, and not to the fans.

Thank you for listening, and I hope that my thoughts at least start some conversations about how things are being done.

-b