Auburn has landed in another public-relations mess, and this one comes with a price tag.
On Thursday, the athletic department rolled out a commemorative ticket for the Vanderbilt game, a keepsake that costs $30. For a fan base already frustrated by everything around the program, the timing and the message did not go over well. What used to come with admission now feels, to many Auburn supporters, like one more thing being sold back to them.
The reaction was immediate and sharp. One fan wrote, “Really have no shame.
“All for Auburn! Give us more dollars!!!””
Another said, “Maybe Auburn should focus more on winning, and less on draining the wallets of Auburn’s highly supportive fanbase.”
A third posted, “Wow, this is laughable…remember when this used to be our tickets? And now it’s another money grab. IMO season tix holders should get these for every home game, every year.
This is nasty work @JohnCohenAD
Better start caring for the traditional fans before it’s too late.
WDE🦅 pic.twitter.com/IwGuDwx04l”
And another simply said, “Shameful”
The backlash only added to what has already been a rough stretch from a public-image standpoint. Auburn has had another awkward episode in the last few weeks, and the Tigers’ opener against Baylor - played somewhere other than Jordan-Hare Stadium as part of the return leg of a home-and-home series - counted as part of that string of bad optics. Before the Florida loss, fans also watched the viral FIFA World Cup traveler from Germany, Freddy, get the full rockstar treatment, which left many wondering why an anonymous die-hard from Alabama, or any American state, wasn’t chosen for the same kind of gift package and access to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Freddy is in Baton Rouge today for Texas A&M-LSU, too.
The sense among many Auburn fans is that the program keeps finding ways to irritate the people who already show up and spend. The athletic department’s commemorative ticket idea only poured more fuel on that fire.
The criticism has now turned directly toward athletic director John Cohen. Some fans are calling for him to be gone, and the anger is tied to what they see as a steady pattern: higher costs, more monetization, and less consideration for the everyday people who support Auburn.
The complaint goes beyond this one ticket. Fans have pointed to rising prices across the athletic department, especially in basketball, since Cohen took over. They also say Auburn has not done enough to fight scalpers, and that the school has leaned on NIL as a justification for asking supporters to pay more in every direction, even down to tailgating.
One passage from the source reaction captured that frustration bluntly: “He needs to be fired ASAP.”
The larger point from unhappy fans is simple. They want Auburn to invest in the product on the field and stop treating loyal supporters like a revenue stream to be squeezed. In their view, the people who fill Jordan-Hare and keep the program going are being asked to carry more and more while getting less and less in return.
That tension is why the commemorative ticket has become more than a small marketing decision. For a restless fan base, it reads like another sign that Auburn’s priorities are out of step with the people it depends on most.
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