Modern Realities of College Athletics Hit Home
posted by Scott Hood on Saturday, August 18, 2007
How do I know? The school and its officially recognized booster organization, the Gamecock Club, have been sued by a group of irate fans forced to pay for parking at the State Fairgrounds this season.
When a school and its fans are fighting over money, that’s a strong signal the modern realities of college sports have finally come home to roost.
No pun intended.
It could be that Joseph B. Rosen, his father and niece are entitled under the written terms of their “lifetime membership contract” with the Gamecock Club to free parking in perpetuity at home football games.
It all depends on what the contract says. The court will interpret the contract as written and render a ruling one way or the other.
But that’s all legal mumbo jumbo.
The more intriguing aspect of this case is that, in my opinion, it’s the first volley of gunfire in what could be a prolonged and expensive battle between the university and its multitude of fans over the highly charged and volatile issue of how much they should have to pay to attend Gamecock home football games at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Not so long ago, the best way to obtain tickets to USC football games was joining the Gamecock Club. That membership typically entitled you to priority status in buying tickets. Most fans who wanted tickets got them.
But now the Gamecock Club wants its members to pay handsomely for the right to park their vehicles. I’m sure most fans took a deep sigh when they got the bill, pulled out their checkbook and mailed it back, albeit reluctantly.
Some fans probably took the time to call the Gamecock Club and complain.
A few, like the Rosens, took matters into their own hands and filed a lawsuit.
If fans are going to sue the school over parking, what’s going to happen in a couple of years when USC starts imposing seat licenses and changes the seating priority at Williams-Brice Stadium?
I shudder to think.
If nothing else, the lawsuit in a way represents a clash between the old world and the new world of college athletics. Many schools, not just USC, are facing the same challenges.
Here’s the modern reality: Division I college athletics is a multi-million business run by CEO’s. The only difference is the NCAA likes the media to refer to them as athletic directors.
So, think of the USC athletic department as a $60 million corporation. Because that’s exactly what it is.
It’s not just a business, it’s big business.
I sympathize with older fans who grew up watching the Gamecocks play in the 1950’s and 60’s when Williams-Brice Stadium was little more than a bowl and sat about 20,000 to 30,000 fans.
Oh yeah, tickets cost just a few bucks too.
Those were the innocent days when Johnny Athlete left his hometown and went off to play at USC for the love of the game and for his school, and to make his family proud.
Those days are long gone.
Today, Williams-Brice Stadium can squeeze nearly 85,000 fans into its cavernous surroundings. Fans pay $40 and up to watch the Gamecocks play.
You do the math. Millions of dollars change hands for each and every USC home game.
And that doesn’t even figure in the television rights fees paid by ESPN or one of the networks, merchandising, concessions, advertising and, yes, parking.
When you calculate the amount of money involved, frankly there’s very little difference between major Division I college athletics and professional sports.
The only difference is the players in college don’t get a paycheck every two weeks.
Eric Hyman may not think of himself in this role, but he’s in the entertainment business. Because that’s what college sports at the SEC level is: mass entertainment.
In a capitalistic system, businesses typically take a free market approach towards their product. They want to charge a price they think is fair in the marketplace.
When it comes to Gamecock Club dues, tickets and parking, that’s the approach USC is using. And they’ll take the same approach when the time comes in the not too distant future when they start charging for seat licenses.
Welcome to the 21st Century, college sports fans.
In a sense, USC is playing a game of chicken with their fans. Hyman and others within the athletic department believe if a few fans drop out because of the higher prices, that’s OK because there are eager fans behind them ready to take their place and open their wallets.
In my opinion, as long as the Gamecocks keep winning under Steve Spurrier, they’re probably right. If USC returns to its downtrodden ways, watch out.
So, my best advice to USC fans is this: save your pennies.
You’ll need them.
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South Carolina has finally taken a seat at the table of big time college athletics.
How do I know? The school and its officially recognized booster organization, the Gamecock Club, have been sued by a group of irate fans forced to pay for parking at the State Fairgrounds this season.
When a school and its fans are fighting over money, that’s a strong signal the modern realities of college sports have finally come home to roost.
No pun intended.
It could be that Joseph B. Rosen, his father and niece are entitled under the written terms of their “lifetime membership contract” with the Gamecock Club to free parking in perpetuity at home football games.
It all depends on what the contract says. The court will interpret the contract as written and render a ruling one way or the other.
But that’s all legal mumbo jumbo.
The more intriguing aspect of this case is that, in my opinion, it’s the first volley of gunfire in what could be a prolonged and expensive battle between the university and its multitude of fans over the highly charged and volatile issue of how much they should have to pay to attend Gamecock home football games at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Not so long ago, the best way to obtain tickets to USC football games was joining the Gamecock Club. That membership typically entitled you to priority status in buying tickets. Most fans who wanted tickets got them.
But now the Gamecock Club wants its members to pay handsomely for the right to park their vehicles. I’m sure most fans took a deep sigh when they got the bill, pulled out their checkbook and mailed it back, albeit reluctantly.
Some fans probably took the time to call the Gamecock Club and complain.
A few, like the Rosens, took matters into their own hands and filed a lawsuit.
If fans are going to sue the school over parking, what’s going to happen in a couple of years when USC starts imposing seat licenses and changes the seating priority at Williams-Brice Stadium?
I shudder to think.
If nothing else, the lawsuit in a way represents a clash between the old world and the new world of college athletics. Many schools, not just USC, are facing the same challenges.
Here’s the modern reality: Division I college athletics is a multi-million business run by CEO’s. The only difference is the NCAA likes the media to refer to them as athletic directors.
So, think of the USC athletic department as a $60 million corporation. Because that’s exactly what it is.
It’s not just a business, it’s big business.
I sympathize with older fans who grew up watching the Gamecocks play in the 1950’s and 60’s when Williams-Brice Stadium was little more than a bowl and sat about 20,000 to 30,000 fans.
Oh yeah, tickets cost just a few bucks too.
Those were the innocent days when Johnny Athlete left his hometown and went off to play at USC for the love of the game and for his school, and to make his family proud.
Those days are long gone.
Today, Williams-Brice Stadium can squeeze nearly 85,000 fans into its cavernous surroundings. Fans pay $40 and up to watch the Gamecocks play.
You do the math. Millions of dollars change hands for each and every USC home game.
And that doesn’t even figure in the television rights fees paid by ESPN or one of the networks, merchandising, concessions, advertising and, yes, parking.
When you calculate the amount of money involved, frankly there’s very little difference between major Division I college athletics and professional sports.
The only difference is the players in college don’t get a paycheck every two weeks.
Eric Hyman may not think of himself in this role, but he’s in the entertainment business. Because that’s what college sports at the SEC level is: mass entertainment.
In a capitalistic system, businesses typically take a free market approach towards their product. They want to charge a price they think is fair in the marketplace.
When it comes to Gamecock Club dues, tickets and parking, that’s the approach USC is using. And they’ll take the same approach when the time comes in the not too distant future when they start charging for seat licenses.
Welcome to the 21st Century, college sports fans.
In a sense, USC is playing a game of chicken with their fans. Hyman and others within the athletic department believe if a few fans drop out because of the higher prices, that’s OK because there are eager fans behind them ready to take their place and open their wallets.
In my opinion, as long as the Gamecocks keep winning under Steve Spurrier, they’re probably right. If USC returns to its downtrodden ways, watch out.
So, my best advice to USC fans is this: save your pennies.
You’ll need them.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.