Points to ponder:
First, MTSU does a wonderful job putting on an event such as the girl's and boy's state tournament. While I can't speak for everyone, the vast overall experience of putting on a show of that magnitude has to have alot of people working. You must realize that everyone has an assigned duty. Like it or not, everyone has to do their job. Problems occur when someone, a fan, thinks they are exempt from the rules or all rules apply to everyone else but them. I have seen several fans mouth off at a door person only because they were doing their job and the fans didn't like it. As for the floor personnel, it is simple, if you don't have a pass to be there, you can't go past! That is their job!!
The tournament runs for four days, for about 12 hours a day, each week. That is alot of time and alot of people.
Second, everyone is complaining about the money. This may be hard for some to believe, but it takes alot of money to put this show on!! Expenditures to consider are hotel rooms for the teams (Wednesday teams get Tue night and if they lose Wed night and that is all. Win and you get more nights), travel for teams, hotel for referees plus expenses such as game fees and meals, hotel for people working the tournament outside Murfreesboro, paying workers with TSSAA, trophies, and most importantly, the MTSU people.
I believe MTSU hires all of the gate and ticket people, as well as security, parking attendents, stat crews, maintaince and cleanup crews, scorer's table people, and I'm sure alot more! The MTSU bill is a whopper alone. And before people start going off on that, I understand they don't make a profit at all. Everything is figuered down to the hour and /or game.
Any school can see a financial report of the state tournaments. After all, if you remember correctly, the TSSAA works for the schools and is governed by the schools. The member schools aprove it every year and have ample opportunity to question it at their meetings.
Lastly, personaly, I have never had a negative problem at MTSU. Of course I understand there are rules to follow at an event this big. I have been to the SEC, OVC, NCAA tournaments and their rules are just the same.
Sorry this post is a little long, but hopefull this sheds a little light on things. Anytime you have this many people working, you are bound to have a few bad workers however, overall everyone does an outstanding job.