We love USC women’s basketball. But we can’t afford season tickets anymore

We attended our first lady Gamecocks basketball game in early December 2011. We sat in floor seats near the band and cheerleaders, and we really enjoyed the game. We purchased season tickets for those seats the next day.

A lot has changed since then. Coach Dawn Staley has gone from the “Drive for 5” attendance campaign back in 2013 to winning NCAA attendance records and a national championship. The “Chicken Dance” disappeared as the stands and parking lots swelled.

Last month, we received our annual season ticket renewal notice. We were shocked to see that our seats have been assigned a $400-per-seat donation fee. Seats that once cost us $180 now cost more than $1,500.

It’s been an amazing ride to experience the magic and majesty of women’s basketball over the years, but, sadly, my teacher’s salary cannot afford the new ticket prices. We will always have wonderful memories of the teams, but we do not understand why the decision was made to increase the prices so tremendously.

“Spurs” in absentia.

The State publishes a cross section of the letters we receive from South Carolinians in order to provide a forum for our community and also to allow our community to get a good look at itself, for good or bad. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not necessarily of The State.