Canes Fans Winning with the U
By David Villavicencio
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Some were skeptical and others confident, butthe 15 fans who purchased Miami’s “We Win, You Win” promotion can all agreethat they made a great decision.
The deal, offered prior to Miami’s Jan. 13 homecontest against Maryland, allowed fans to purchase premium seats at theBankUnited Center for $75. But if Miami won, fans would receive premium seatsfor the next Hurricane home game for free!
Mari Gallet was looking for tickets to theMaryland game when she came across the “We Win, You Win” promotion and sheinstantly was interested.
“Wewanted to go to the Maryland game,” Gallet said. “When I saw the promotion, Ithought ‘what a great way to support the U!’ The team had been doing sowell, the seats were premium seats and I wanted the thrill of winning, thenwinning some more and continuing to see them.”
Gallet is glad she purchased the deal becausethe Canes beat Maryland and that group of lucky fans got to witness Miami’s historic90-63 victory over No. 1 Duke free of charge.
“Ialways felt strongly that we would win the games,” she said. “And it was fun totake the risk that my team would keep winning.”
The win over Duke made the deal even better forthe group who purchased the “We Win, You Win” promotion, as they enjoyedMiami’s triumph over in-state rival Florida State for free, as well. Thepotential value of the deal made it irresistible to Gallet and her intuitionwas correct.
“I just knew we would win,”Gallet said. “So the value of amortizing the cost over three games was great.We had given up our season tickets last year and have wanted to keep going eversince. This gave us the opportunity to do that.”
Tory Fatjo of Pembroke Pines, Fla., said thethree-game stretch was one of the most enjoyable for her as a Canes fan.
“After watching three gamesfrom great seats and seeing that Duke win, we obviously made a greatinvestment! UM basketball is having some exciting times. We’re glad we were apart of it.”
That same group of fans will be attendingTuesday’s match-up against Boston College without spending an extra penny.Miami, who has yet to lose at home this season, has given the lucky 15 fans anopportunity to see at least four games for the total cost of $75 dollars a seat.
Should the Canes beat Boston College, the lucky15 will get their seats for Miami’s Feb. 9 game against North Carolina forfree. The pattern will continue until the Hurricanes drop a home game.
Alex Soria was a season-ticket holder for a fewyears before he gave up his seats prior to this season. But Soria jumped at thechance to see his Canes from great seats and he is glad he did.
“Iwas planning on going to the Maryland game anyway,” Soria said. The pricedifferential over the single game ticket was reasonable so I bought it. I’vehad a great time and plan on purchasing season tickets for next year.”
While the “We Win, You Win” promotion hashelped reinvigorate several Miami fans, it has also helped create two new ones.
Jeff Grajewski is a Michigan State alumnus, whoattended his first Miami game on Dec. 28, when the Canes hosted his alma materat the BankUnited Center. The experience Grajewski had was enough to get himinterested in Coach Larranaga’s team and his love for ‘The U’ has grown exponentiallysince.
“Ilooked online for tickets for the Duke game and came across the promotion,”Grajewski said. “Given my belief in the team’s talent, I thought this wasa great way to possibly see two games. I expected the Canes to be competitiveagainst Duke, but I certainly did not expect the blow out win! I trulybecame a real fan of this team following that game. I completely lost my vocalchords for a day after the game. The atmosphere was so charged and the studentsare all terrific.”
Grajewski also shared theexperience with his 13-year-old daughter. The two are relatively new to Miamiand have adopted the Miami men’s basketball team as their first local team tosupport.
“Both of us have thoroughlyenjoyed going to the games,” Grajewski said. “Being new to the Miami area, thishas given both of us the opportunity to identify ourselves with the area andfeel part of a great groundswell. I had a similar experience when we livedin Houston during the 1990s and the Rockets won two championships. Thecommunity really came together, and the same feeling seems to be happening inMiami.”
The “We Win, You Win” promotion has gotten somuch attention since its initial offering that the Hurricanes have decided tooffer it again, beginning with Tuesday’s game against Boston College.
Just like the initial promotion, fans canpurchase premium tickets at the BankUnited Center for $75 per seat. Should theHurricanes win, they will get tickets for the game against North Carolina forfree and that will continue until Miami loses a home game.
Many of the 15 fans that purchased the initialoffering have said that they would encourage others to take advantage of thesecond chance to support the Canes.
And if there are any doubts about purchasingthe new offer, Gallet, who predicted that the Canes would beat Duke and FloridaState, has another bold prediction for Miami hoops that should encourage hoopsfans to join her in the “We Win, You Win” club.
“I’m so happy for this groupof young men right now and for Coach Larranaga,” Gallet said. “He’s beento the Final Four but this time he’s going to go with the best team and bestuniversity!”
