Making Millions On Spring Football
posted by Scott Hood on Thursday, February 21, 2008
But get this - USC is just one of about 20 schools participating in the new event. Some of the other schools involved include Texas A&M, Penn State, Kansas State, Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Colorado and Rutgers.
An impressive list, I must say.
By the way, I’ve heard from reliable sources the band playing at Neyland Stadium is those “Dueling Banjo” guys from the movie ‘Deliverance,’ but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Phone calls to Phil Fulmer seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Here’s the nice part if you’re a Gamecock fan: USC will receive the guaranteed sum of $300,000 for participating in the Gridiron Bash and could earn a bonus if attendance at the event reaches certain levels.
USC athletic director Eric Hyman must be sitting in his office right now laughing.
Of course, it won’t be cheap for fans to enjoy themselves the night before the spring game. Tickets for the event, which went on sale Monday, cost $38.00.
A hefty sum for many people, no question. But admission to the spring game will be free, so pull out those credit cards, Gamecock fans!
The company putting on the Gridiron Bash is MLS Sports and Entertainment, which is based in New York City. Obviously, they’re investing a nice chunk of change into the event. If they’ve guaranteed all 20 schools the sum of $300,000, that’s $6 million.
When did people in the Big Apple start caring about college football so much that they’re willing to invest that type of money?
Easy, when they realized they could make a boatload of money off the sport. I can assure you MLS Sports isn’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. I’m sure they expect to make a tidy profit for their troubles.
Last year, Hootie and the Blowfish. This year, the Black Crowes. Chart-topping 90’s bands don’t fade away, they just play at college football spring games.
There used to be a time when the spring football game was just a meaningless exhibition to placate the fans’ appetite for football until the actual season began in September.
Not anymore.
What’s fueling this rapid growth? TV, of course.
When college basketball ends in early April, you have dozens of regional and national sports cable channels desperately searching for programming inventory.
For months, these channels, which include ESPNU and CSTV and the Fox regional networks, have shown little else but men’s college basketball games to viewers. All of a sudden, it’s gone until the following November.
So, spring football helps fill the void.
What else are these channels going to show that attracts the same number of viewers? Swimming and diving? Tennis? Golf? Gymnastics? Tractor pulls? You get the idea.
Here’s what puzzles me: despite all of the millions of dollars floating around (The Gridiron Bash being just the latest example), the NCAA continues to insist that paying college athletes a monthly stipend, however small, would result in nuclear war.
Why? Would the money be taken out of President Myles Brand’s salary? I doubt it.
We were talking with USC head baseball coach Ray Tanner late last week about the Jesse Barbaro situation. He’s filed for a waiver from the second transfer rule requiring a player to sit out a year.
Tanner believes strongly the NCAA should grant the request considering Barbaro came to USC for academic reasons and didn’t participate in fall practice.
Tanner wondered aloud whether the NCAA was really looking out for the welfare of the student-athlete (my preferred term is “revenue generators”) in the Barbaro situation?
My response: When did the NCAA start caring about the welfare of student-athletes?
Unfortunately, the proper response to that question is never have, never will.
The NCAA rocks on.
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For the naïve still among you who refuse to acknowledge Division I college athletics is anything but big business, I present ‘Gridiron Bash,’ a combination pep rally and concert scheduled for April 18 at Williams-Brice Stadium the night before the annual Garnet and Black game that includes a show by the rock band The Black Crowes.
But get this - USC is just one of about 20 schools participating in the new event. Some of the other schools involved include Texas A&M, Penn State, Kansas State, Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Colorado and Rutgers.
An impressive list, I must say.
By the way, I’ve heard from reliable sources the band playing at Neyland Stadium is those “Dueling Banjo” guys from the movie ‘Deliverance,’ but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Phone calls to Phil Fulmer seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Here’s the nice part if you’re a Gamecock fan: USC will receive the guaranteed sum of $300,000 for participating in the Gridiron Bash and could earn a bonus if attendance at the event reaches certain levels.
USC athletic director Eric Hyman must be sitting in his office right now laughing.
Of course, it won’t be cheap for fans to enjoy themselves the night before the spring game. Tickets for the event, which went on sale Monday, cost $38.00.
A hefty sum for many people, no question. But admission to the spring game will be free, so pull out those credit cards, Gamecock fans!
The company putting on the Gridiron Bash is MLS Sports and Entertainment, which is based in New York City. Obviously, they’re investing a nice chunk of change into the event. If they’ve guaranteed all 20 schools the sum of $300,000, that’s $6 million.
When did people in the Big Apple start caring about college football so much that they’re willing to invest that type of money?
Easy, when they realized they could make a boatload of money off the sport. I can assure you MLS Sports isn’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. I’m sure they expect to make a tidy profit for their troubles.
Last year, Hootie and the Blowfish. This year, the Black Crowes. Chart-topping 90’s bands don’t fade away, they just play at college football spring games.
There used to be a time when the spring football game was just a meaningless exhibition to placate the fans’ appetite for football until the actual season began in September.
Not anymore.
What’s fueling this rapid growth? TV, of course.
When college basketball ends in early April, you have dozens of regional and national sports cable channels desperately searching for programming inventory.
For months, these channels, which include ESPNU and CSTV and the Fox regional networks, have shown little else but men’s college basketball games to viewers. All of a sudden, it’s gone until the following November.
So, spring football helps fill the void.
What else are these channels going to show that attracts the same number of viewers? Swimming and diving? Tennis? Golf? Gymnastics? Tractor pulls? You get the idea.
Here’s what puzzles me: despite all of the millions of dollars floating around (The Gridiron Bash being just the latest example), the NCAA continues to insist that paying college athletes a monthly stipend, however small, would result in nuclear war.
Why? Would the money be taken out of President Myles Brand’s salary? I doubt it.
We were talking with USC head baseball coach Ray Tanner late last week about the Jesse Barbaro situation. He’s filed for a waiver from the second transfer rule requiring a player to sit out a year.
Tanner believes strongly the NCAA should grant the request considering Barbaro came to USC for academic reasons and didn’t participate in fall practice.
Tanner wondered aloud whether the NCAA was really looking out for the welfare of the student-athlete (my preferred term is “revenue generators”) in the Barbaro situation?
My response: When did the NCAA start caring about the welfare of student-athletes?
Unfortunately, the proper response to that question is never have, never will.
The NCAA rocks on.
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
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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 @.