TOUGH TICKET
There are few more valuable commodities in Ohio than tickets to an Ohio State football game. Those who have them cherish them. Those who don’t seek out those who do.
For Ohio State football parents, this presents a problem. Most people assume the parents have access to a plentiful assortment of the best tickets available.
Here’s the real story: Each Ohio State football player receives four tickets for home games. It’s up to the player to decide who gets those tickets.
That creates challenges for tight-knit extended families like Tony Gonzalez’s. On football weekends, more than 30 family members and friends may descend on the Holiday Inn on Lane Avenue, the family’s de facto home during Buckeye football season. Many of those 30 people want tickets, and many end up not getting them.
“It’s hard sometimes,” said Jenna Gonzalez. “People assume you get all these tickets, and if you say no they think you’re telling them a story. We just try to do our best to get as many as we can.”
Deb Johnson, defensive lineman Jay Richardson’s mother, has dealt with similar issues.
“It seems like everyone you know knows someone who is the biggest Buckeye fan ever. I swear there’s one in every family,” she said with a laugh. “And people say, ‘It would be so great if so-and-so could get to a game.’ I sympathize, but it’s difficult sometimes.
“For the Michigan game, everyone kept calling us and saying, ‘If you hear of anyone with an extra ticket, give me a call.’ And I’m saying, ‘No, give me a call, because my mom doesn’t even have a ticket.’”
- By Jay Hansen
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