Need a little pocket change? $500, say?
That's about what Notre Dame tickets were going for in the minutes before kickoff last weekend.
In one quick transaction, that money could belong to any student.
As Irish fortunes improve on the field and ticket prices rise on the street corner, the temptation for Notre Dame students, faculty and staff to scalp their tickets increases.
It's not everyone. Just look at the student section, swaying to the Alma Mater every Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame supports its football.
But nothing is perfect.
Lately, a handful of students have sold their tickets to the highest bidder. That's fine in most places in America, where capitalism rules.
But here, a different set of rules should apply.
Attending this University offers many privileges, one of those being discounted tickets. Notre Dame charged students $207 for admission to all seven home games this season. When face value for the average one-game ticket is about $60, that's kind.
So don't try to profit off the University's generosity.
Scalping tickets does not just break a University rule. It breaks a bond of trust created when Notre Dame sold the tickets in the first place.
The University doesn't have to allow every student the chance to buy tickets. Don't make Notre Dame rethink this policy.
To those considering selling their ticket for the next Irish home game - stop. Think about returning some of the respect the school showed when it sold a ticket booklet for significantly less money than the rest of the crowd paid.
Think about your life 20 years from now. Are you going to remember the extra few hundred bucks you earned selling your ticket? Or will you look back on the time you spent with your friends in the stands?
To those attending this home game weekend and looking forward to the next one - enjoy. Wearing the green is worth more than attaining the green.
