Opinion by Laney Konz

It is common knowledge that the desperation for money is rampant among college students. The cost of tuition, gas, groceries, food and other expenses can add up. We’ve all had those days where a quick trip to pick up fast food is the only thing giving you the willpower to keep trudging through the trenches of a semester at Xavier. At a private Catholic institution, students are fronting a lot of money to be able to gain a well-rounded, fruitful education while also trying to navigate exterior purchases that are inherently inevitable; the least Xavier can do is offer free tickets to students for sporting events, right? 

Now, even our basketball tickets aren’t safe. Like I said, I understand that money can be tight, and selling tickets might give someone extra money to help with college expenses. However, to be profiting off other college students, who are also in tight financial situations, is blasphemous. Not only that, but to charge exorbitant prices for tickets you got for free? It is unfair, and the university needs to implement regulations to prevent this from continuing. 

In a time where ticket scalping is a bubbling issue in the U.S., threatening to boil over and burn customers while resulting in profit for big ticket corporations, it is time that Xavier sets a precedent and protects their students from being deprived of our beloved — and free — basketball games. 

Recently, this issue has made its way to the federal level as concertgoers have raised concerns over the rising trends in reselling tickets — often at outrageous prices. Most notable of these companies is Ticketmaster, who was called to the U.S. Senate in January 2023 to answer for its actions (or lack thereof). Many people were upset that Ticketmaster didn’t implement preventative measures to prohibit ticket scalping; this conflict came to a head after the disastrous debacle that was trying to secure tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. 

While there wasn’t any actionable decision made in the hearing, it does bring to light this growing issue that has left a bitter taste in concertgoers’ mouths. Many politicians, lobbyists and representatives now have this issue in the forefront of their minds, so the next steps taken by Ticketmaster must be carefully calculated. Either they work with the people to resolve these issues or face the likely possibility that government regulation will stifle their greedy rampage. 

Funnily enough, the outrage at the difficulties in securing reasonably priced tickets was bipartisan in this hearing, meaning Democrats and Republicans alike were frustrated with Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment. 

Sen. Richard Blumental (D-Conn.) even remarked, “I want to congratulate and thank you for an absolutely stunning achievement: You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in an absolutely unified cause.” 

Put frankly, this company has a monopoly in the ticketing world and any sane person can see the issue that lies in this fact. They must be stopped. 

My point in bringing up all this T. Swift vs. Ticketmaster lore is that this issue is starting to infiltrate our lovely, quaint campus in little old Norwood, Ohio. We once were equals. Nothing unites a humanities major and a sciences major like ice cold beers and three-pointers in Cintas. And now, this utopian vision is being attacked. 

We are allowing our capitalistic roots to cause us to lose sight of what really matters: The getaway that is Xavier basketball. I can’t imagine that I will ever fully enjoy a basketball game if I know in the back of my mind that I had to pay a fellow classmate for a ticket they got for free. Repeat that in your mind. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? 

So, in my concluding remarks, I’d like to call on our university to do something about this issue. Implement regulations so that it doesn’t continue. Prohibit people from posting ticket listings on CampusGroups. I’m sure everyone would appreciate not having their phone be blown up with the same “selling my ticket, dm for price” message every 15 minutes.