Rowdy Rams membership sell out in record time

Kristopher Mason
Contributing Writer

Eleven hours and seven minutes: That’s all the time it took for VCU Athletics to sell out 1,500  Rowdy Rams memberships for the 2013-14 men’s basketball season.

This was the second consecutive year in a row that the slots sold out, and Rowdy Rams president Kevin “Swiss” Woods was impressed.

“Last season it sold out in one week, and that was amazing to me,” Woods said.

Membership prices increased to $35 this year, up from $25 last year. Only 500 additional student seats are made available for non-members each home game, so having guaranteed admittance with a Rowdy Rams card eliminates the need to wait in long lines prior to games.

Other bonuses of membership include a Rowdy Rams T-shirt, discounts at local restaurants near campus and priority for post-season tickets.

Woods points to VCU’s 2011 Final Four run as one reason for the high membership demand.

“We’re seeing now all the fans that were in high school during the Final Four coming in and wanting to be a part of that,” he said. “And after winning the 2013 (Naismith) Student Section of the Year, these incoming students want a part of the action.”

The Rowdy Rams, along with the VCU Pep Band, create a hostile environment for opponents at the Siegel Center, which has sold out 35 times in a row. That’s good for the fifth longest streak in the country.

The men’s basketball team boasted a 15-2 record at home last season.

The 2013-14 men’s basketball season may be among the most highly anticipated seasons in VCU history. The countdown to tip-off is less than two months away. VCU opens the season on Friday, Nov. 8, when it hosts Illinois State.