🏈 College football's Spring games

[LBS]

I see unrealized potential.

Currently the norm is for a school to hold an intrasquad game and in most cases the home stadium might be half filled. Few school charge admission, so the benefit is primarily the local economy getting an tax revenue bumb from restaurants who serve day-trippers. A few schools get national television audiences, while others get regional. Its would be a snorefest if we were not starved for anything resembling football at that point.

What I would like to see is this.

One city in the eastern side of the conference footprint (Atlanta or Orlando) and one from the west (New Orlando or Dallas) host a spring football weekend at their otherwise unused football stadium. The east could be held one weekend while the west is the next.

Four schools from the east and 4 from the west travel to those cities, and hold their spring games there. Two games on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. For their trouble the schools are paid - turning the spring game into a money making event.

From the fan stand point, this would afford the chance to get that football fix and then some. Not only would you see your boys, but you would have the chance to see three other Division rivals. The mix of fans would be unprecidented. I envision an environment like we see during the NCAA Basketball tourney, only more passionate because it is fan bases that are rivals. This event could actually generate significant ticket sales, instead of asking for donations of canned food for the local food bank.

Passionate fans traveling to these cities for a weekend would produce a spike in the loacl revenue as hotels would fill like a regular football weekend, and restaurants would be supporting weekend visitors instead of day-trippers.

Of course events of this magnitude would garner attention nationwide and lead to ESPN providing 2 weekend-long GAMEDAY shows. And the result would be a domination of the football media during the same window of time that every other conference is trying to get attention.

If you are like me and have buddies who root for other teams, these weekends are perfect for a Guys' Get Away. Each day a double-dose of football smack talking, and every night Steaks, Beer, and Cigars. Everyone is in a good mood because no one loses a game. Turn it into a three day weekend and hit the links with your 4-some.

What do you think?

 

[TerryP]

I don't care for it.

I'd rather have our game in Tuscaloosa because we are on campus, for one. Two, there are quite a few unofficial visits that happen that weekend as well. Three, it isn't cost efficient. In fact, we'd likely lose money across the board. We don't make money when we travel for our conference games as it is. Add to that, many teams lose money even for their bowl appearances.

For a number of folks, the A-day game offered at no-charge is one of the few, if not only, time they get to take their families to events in BDS.

JMO...

 

[UAgrad93]

Don't care for it at all! The spring game in T'town gives the city a little boost to hold it over til the fall. I use it with my extended family to get together besides on holidays. We get a church bus, and aunts, uncles, and cousins, all make the 60 mile journey.

 

[doemasters]

I agree, keep it in T Town

 

[Hardkore]

Yes,keep it in T-Town.

 

[LBS]

I don't care for it.

I'd rather have our game in Tuscaloosa because we are on campus, for one. Two, there are quite a few unofficial visits that happen that weekend as well. Three, it isn't cost efficient. In fact, we'd likely lose money across the board. We don't make money when we travel for our conference games as it is. Add to that, many teams lose money even for their bowl appearances.

For a number of folks, the A-day game offered at no-charge is one of the few, if not only, time they get to take their families to events in BDS.

JMO...

Fair enough, about wanting the on campus event.

I suspect that the money issue (i.e. not making money) could be overcome. With bowls, the team, the band, and hundereds of others are housed and fed for the better part of a week. That is the major expense, and rarely does not breach 7 figures for a school. With these events it would be an over and back effort, like a road game, only the school would be paid in ways that they are not with road games.

 

[jdpas29]

Or play vs. The high school state champ team from the prev season.

 

[TerryP]

Fair enough, about wanting the on campus event.

I suspect that the money issue (i.e. not making money) could be overcome. With bowls, the team, the band, and hundereds of others are housed and fed for the better part of a week. That is the major expense, and rarely does not breach 7 figures for a school. With these events it would be an over and back effort, like a road game, only the school would be paid in ways that they are not with road games.

Where do you get the idea a school gets 7 figures for out of conference games? The bowl payouts do reflect 7 and sometimes 8 figure payouts. BUT, the school doesn't get all of that money. Just two years ago Auburn lost money when they played in the BCSNC game.

I'd have to do some research to find how we were payed when we played VA Tech a few years ago. It was the first time I had ever looked at that type of venue and how profitable it was for a school. It wasn't the cash cow some thought. The biggest benefit, by far, was exposure. Simply put, it was the only football game on TV and it had a national audience.

I'll be surprised if UT's trip to ATL is profitable. Maybe a little, but it won't be to a great extent. And again, that money goes into the SEC coffers. Sure, it's the second day of the college football season, but a Friday night neutral game with UT facing NC State? It's a nationally broadcast game that won't pull half of the SEC or SEC viewers, IMO.

 

[LBS]

Where do you get the idea a school gets 7 figures for out of conference games? The...

No. I'm speaking to the expenses of going to a road game, not the money received for playing in one. The nature of a road game, i.e. depart on Friday, movie, hotel stays, food, and return on Saturday night, keeps the cost low realtive to the week-long "reward" that bowl games have been.

Back to the original concept. I know that there are scrimmages during the Spring drills, usually closed to the public. If the last of those was made open to the public then it would become the hometown A-Day game, opening the door for the added benefit of the trip I spoke of.

Terry, you mentioned the UT trip to Atlanta, and that they may only break even. I see a school who is eager to do that game if they can have their expenses covered. That is the catch with all of this, if corperate money could be brought in, enough to pay the bills for the schools, then this would be another event where our teams can get into the public's eyes.

 

[TerryP]

If this year is anything like last year that last closed scrimmage is open to A-Club, and it coincides with the coaches clinic as well if I'm not mistaken.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I agree with Terry on the benefit of the A-Day game to the fan who may not otherwise attend an official game, or at least it provides an opportunity to bring the whole family. I see tons of fans getting pictures taken in a way that suggests it's their first time in the stadium. Recruiting is also huge that day, particularly if we pack it out.

RTR,

Tim