After 35 Years, I'm Out.
I became a Nebraska football season ticket holder in 1991 right after moving to Kansas City upon graduating from UNL. It's been 35 consecutive years of attending 3+ games per year in Lincoln. 119 total home games since 1979!
But after thinking about this for a couple of years, I've made the decision not to renew them for the 2026 season. This isn't a decision I've taken lightly—it represents a shift in my relationship with a sport and program I've loved for decades.
Here's why:
20+ Years of Husker Mediocrity:
Nebraska has almost every advantage a program could want—one of the most passionate fanbases in America, top-tier facilities, and significant athletic department resources. Yet we've endured two decades of mediocre football. In my view, our players have been worshipped and pampered without being held to the standards of accountability that championship programs demand. When NU players are constantly told they are elite by fans, by the local media and by athletic department officials without producing elite results and without being held accountable, complacency and inattention to detail becomes the culture and that is where Nebraska football is stuck.
My Concerns About the Direction of the Nebraska Program:
I had high hopes that Matt Rhule would be the answer. But I'm increasingly concerned that his players' coach approach lacks the discipline needed to turn this program around. The backwards hat look at last night's bowl game, the zip-lining in Vegas, the constant podcast appearances and self-promotion—these don't reflect the humble, disciplined leadership of coaches like Tom Osborne or Frank Solich who built something that lasted. We need less flash and more substance and I’m seeing the opposite from Matt Rhule. I haven't given up on him, but it is hard to see this working based on the end of season collapse.
The Nebraska athletic department also has a hand in my decision to cancel. The athletic department has paid out over $24 million in head coaches buyouts since they fired Frank Solich in 2003. And, Troy Dannen just extended Matt Rhule’s contract by two more years increasing Rhule’s buyout to over $70 million. The NU athletic department spends like they have no accountability and part of that is because fans like me just keep buying tickets tied to annual donations for an inferior on-field product.
Not me, not anymore.
The Changing Landscape of College Football:
I fully support college athletes getting compensated for their talents. They deserve it. However, the current state of unlimited player transfers and unregulated NIL has fundamentally changed what it means to be a fan. The loyalty and player development that once defined college football programs has been replaced by roster turnover that makes it nearly impossible to invest emotionally in any team year after year. It is harder for me to get invested in the stories of your team’s rosters when there is so much roster turnover every year. The game that’s been in my fan DNA for my entire life now feels almost unrecognizable.
I'll still follow the Huskers and will drive up from KC for more home games in the upcoming years. Game weekends in Lincoln have been a part of the fabric of my family’s life and I will always cherish those memories. But I can no longer support a program to the tune of a few thousand dollars a year for season tickets that has not provided a return on my investment in 15+ years or to a sport that has no rules around roster management or player compensation.
It felt good to write this as a way of memorializing this decision to not continue as a season ticket holder. Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.
