BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst isn't a big numbers guy, so when you hear him refer to one as "powerful" you take notice.
Chryst had just heard that 85 percent of Badger football season ticket-holders had re-upped for the coming six-game schedule at Camp Randall Stadium in the fall.
For a program that's had a renewal rate of 93 percent or better every year since the late 1990s, that number would typically qualify as a disappointment. But when you consider the extraordinary circumstances affecting this process, the number is enough to coax superlatives from the normally understated Chryst.
"That's amazing," he said.
It's a tribute of sorts to a unique, enduring relationship.
"Our culture that we have throughout our athletic department runs through our fans," said Barry Alvarez, the UW director of athletics. "There's a trust and a loyalty and a belief."
The latest demonstration came to life over the last two months, beginning in early March when the Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office began processing renewals and interacting with existing customers both online and over the phone. About a week after that process started, the COVID-19 pandemic began to flex its deadly muscles, forcing all sorts of abrupt lifestyle changes around the world.
Major sporting events, college and professional, were not only cancelled, their futures were thrown into question because of the uncertain effects of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, colleges like Wisconsin sent their students — including 850 student-athletes — home to finish out the semester taking virtual classes, and the NCAA called off the spring sports seasons and cast doubt on what would happen in the coming school year.
On a larger scale, the health crisis has caused more than 100,000 deaths in the United States, record-setting unemployment and a financial downturn that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression in 1929.
Brian Moore, the assistant athletic director for ticket operations, said he was "very worried" about the impact it would all have on football ticket renewals. That apprehension gave way to a plan that he said was designed "to do right by people."
The first thing UW officials did was move the original renewal deadline from April 20 to May 11. Then they got creative, building several payment options for Badgers fans. Those options were presented through hundreds of phone calls between athletics staff and fans looking for alternatives.
One was a three-part payment plan. Fans could pay a $30 deposit by May 11 and then make three equal credit card payments on June 1, July 1 and Aug. 1.
Another called for a $30 deposit by May 11 and the party could wait until July 10 to pay in full.
The most inspired plan allowed for a gap year. If a season ticket-holder simply couldn't afford their seats this year or had reservations about attending games due to health concerns, but wanted to hang onto them, they could pay a $50 deposit and reserve them for 2021.
Approximately 500 people took advantage of that offer. If those numbers were included in the renewal rate it would be nearly 88 percent.
If there are no games at Camp Randall in 2020, Moore said season tickets will be refunded in full. If it's a shortened season, the payment will be prorated to the number of home games.
"We're not in the business of losing people, so we wanted to be as flexible as we could," he said.
Alvarez said he got an email from a longtime fan with four season tickets whose household income had been affected by a layoff related to the coronavirus. He didn't want to lose his tickets.
"Helping our fans find a way to make things work has been our priority," Alvarez said.
Additional questions linger about what the 2020 college football season will look like. If games are played, will fans be allowed in the stands? And if so, how many?
The Badgers' 85 percent renewal rate equates to approximately 39,000 tickets, almost half of Camp Randall's capacity of 80,321. And that doesn't include the student ticket allotment that is annually gobbled up within hours of going on sale.
With a nod to that uncertainty, an email was sent Monday to all season ticket-holders informing them that the single-game ticket request process, including for the highly-anticipated game against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, has been put on hold "until more clarity is provided regarding the 2020 football season."
Alvarez said the department continues to work on plans for a number of different scenarios, staying true to the principal that has guided them throughout the process.
"Our people are very sensitive to our fans," he said. "There's been an empathy about what people are going through and we try to be as accommodating as possible."
Chad Kimmel, the UW assistant athletic director for development, said the 85 percent renewal rate is a major statement by Badgers followers.
"The biggest message we're hoping to send is our gratitude for our fans and donors," he said. "It's been really impressive how they've responded."
Chryst, about to enter his sixth season as coach at his alma mater, was thoroughly impressed by the 85 percenters.
"It says a lot about their support for everything," he said. "We like to think we've got great fans that care and see a little bigger picture. To me, that's a statement by them.
"A lot of people will talk it, right? A department, a football coach will say, 'We've got the greatest fans.' Our fans are showing that in their actions at a time that's uncertain. They're showing their true support. That's pretty powerful. Now you want to deliver for them."
Chryst can't wait for his first team meeting with all student-athletes and coaches present and accounted for.
"It's something I look forward to sharing with our players," he said. "We all say that the best thing we can do is be people of action, driven by the right things. What the people are doing — the fans, the season ticket-holders — is a powerful statement and I want our players and staff to know that."
