Ohio State's Age Discrimination Football Ticket Policy

How to buy Ohio State football tickets not among the burning issues of the day. Maybe it should be. The Alumni Association sent out its football lottery application form this week. It was a one page letter, front and back, that is the poster child for why people are frustrated in America. It is also a perfect example of age discrimination by technology.

The university made it clear two years ago that it was going to an all online system for its football ticket lottery and purchase. I have been through it at least twice now, and it is one of the most complicated and frustrating procedures I have ever had to deal with online, and I do all of my banking, bill paying, investing, and run a website online.

Let’s start with the issue that the least computer literate among us are those my age and older. My mother or father could not use a computer nor showed any inclination to use one. Many of those over eighty don’t own one. Then there are the seventy somethings…some of whom have been able to master advance useage, but for the most part use it for emails. Then there are those of us in our sixties. 40% in my age group know how to use a computer in an advanced way…and there are a few more, like me, that  have actively embraced the technology. But there are also those who despise and use it grudgingly, making big deals out of relatively routine activities to anyone under forty. Those in their fifties are the bridge generation, most of whom have some experience on the computer…but this is the AOL generation. FYI, if you are applying for a job, don’t use your AOL email address. It gives away your age, seriously. In fact, most people who have AOL email addresses are over 50. That’s how they learned the online experience, and show no propensity to move away from what works for them.

Keeping all of this in mind, the Ohio State ticket application this year started by defining what browsers would work and what browsers would not in processing their application. To get your tickets you have to first have a computer and know how to use it. Your computer must have Internet Explorer 8 or higher as its browser. It will not work with Internet Explorer 7, which is found in many computers over 2 years old. It will not work with Google Chrome, which those who use Google as their search engine on a regular basis have some familiarity because Google has tried to shove it down the our throats. It also won't work with AOL!!! So much for those over the age of 50.  I was talking about this with a friend over coffee, his response: what's a browser?

It would not be an exaggeration that those over 70 and great number over 60 probably don't have a clue what Ohio State is talking about. The application goes on from there…in great detail….more than even I want to deal with.

And the kicker is…in an attempt to appear to be concerned about those who don’t have access or unable to use a computer…they advise to find a friend or family member who can go through the process for you. Really? You can’t make this stuff up.

Ohio State and the Alumni Association should be ashamed of themselves. Perhaps a class action age discrimination lawsuit might get their attention…or at least a complaint filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Turning over this kind of an endeavor to bunch of technofreaks is exactly why so many Americans are feeling angry and disenfranchised.

Try it again next year, Ohio State. Filling out a card and putting it in the mail with a check was so much easier. If the goal is to discourage ticket applications, you certainly have achieved that. Too bad.

Go YoCo!!!!!!!!

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