I want to echo the sentiments of Henry Copier (Forum, March 20) about ticket prices to the WAC basketball tournment. Copier was asked to shell out $280 to get his family into a couple of games. He wisely declined.
My 12-year-old son and I attended the Friday night session of the WAC basketball tournament to see BYU and Utah play other conference opponents. The best seats we could get were in the upper deck of the Delta Center - two seats for $50. My son has a paper route so he wanted to buy his own ticket. It takes him two weeks of delivering papers to make $25.Why is the WAC gouging us in Salt Lake City just because we have the best facility (the Delta Center) to hold a conference basketball tournament? Out of the nine games played in the tournament, only four games involved either BYU or Utah. There was no TV coverage locally, although WAC fans in other areas of the West could view the games on local TV channels.
The WAC apparently expects the people of Salt Lake City to support the other WAC teams by blacking out TV coverage here and hiking ticket prices while allowing other fans to sit at home and watch the games on TV.
The WAC needs to establish an equitable TV policy for the tournament games and get realistic with the price of tickets. If our area is to be blacked out for TV coverage, then the entire WAC area should be blacked out. An alternative is to send the WAC basketball tournament to Albuquerque and let the fans there endure TV blackout and outrageous ticket prices while we enjoy the games on TV.
Garth S. Limburg
Cottonwood