crawfish
01-21-2008, 11:58 AM
Here are a few cuts from a very good article in today's NewStar (http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080121/SPORTS/801210331/1006&GID=ooZDeTMeyL8iFjyrm7ZDpSLA5+rqQrG2ztPR79T4tAc%3D )about college football ticket prices going up up up! What's your limit on what you're willing to pay?
College football success comes at a high price
LSU's Tradition Fund is symbolic of the changing landscape of college athletics. No longer do fans just pay for season tickets. Across the country, fans are asked to make donations to groups to fund some of their school's athletic department expenses before they ever buy the first ticket.
At Auburn, fans are asked to make minimum contributions ranging from $220 to $500 to the school's Tigers Unlimited Fund before purchasing a season ticket. A $4,500 contribution to the school's Football Scholarship Fund buys you the opportunity for two seats while a $9,000 contribution buys the opportunity to purchase four seats.
It's not just the SEC where ticket prices are soaring. Ohio State's single-game ticket prices in 2006 were already at $60. And yes, the Buckeyes also require a donation for the chance to buy season tickets. The minimum donation for the Buckeye Club and the opportunity to buy two season tickets is $1,500.
The cost of the tickets, though, is reflective of the cost college athletics going up. "The money — it isn't as if it's going to be wasted," LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said after the ticket price hike was approved on Thursday. "We will continue to look for other ways to raise money. But I won't apologize for my staff and coaches who want LSU athletes to be the best. You don't have to apologize for sports. "It's tough to get where we are. It's tougher to stay there. And we can't go back." Fans can get some benefit from the system. The IRS allows those making the donations to deduct 80 percent of the donation on taxes.
Some also see the benefits from the total athletic program. LSU is expected to bring in an additional $11.6 million over the next three years because of Thursday's price hike. "Everybody in my family kind of talks about it," said LSU season-ticket holder Jed Holton. "Other than bad timing, I don't think they did anything wrong. I think it just leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth. "As far as what everybody in the SEC, LSU is below Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Alabama. Taken in context, it's not that big of a deal."
Nor should it be unexpected. College football's arms race has been going on for some time. The race, though, is funded by the fans. "You have to keep up the Joneses," Holton said. "It's one of those things LSU fans have to get used to."
College football success comes at a high price
LSU's Tradition Fund is symbolic of the changing landscape of college athletics. No longer do fans just pay for season tickets. Across the country, fans are asked to make donations to groups to fund some of their school's athletic department expenses before they ever buy the first ticket.
At Auburn, fans are asked to make minimum contributions ranging from $220 to $500 to the school's Tigers Unlimited Fund before purchasing a season ticket. A $4,500 contribution to the school's Football Scholarship Fund buys you the opportunity for two seats while a $9,000 contribution buys the opportunity to purchase four seats.
It's not just the SEC where ticket prices are soaring. Ohio State's single-game ticket prices in 2006 were already at $60. And yes, the Buckeyes also require a donation for the chance to buy season tickets. The minimum donation for the Buckeye Club and the opportunity to buy two season tickets is $1,500.
The cost of the tickets, though, is reflective of the cost college athletics going up. "The money — it isn't as if it's going to be wasted," LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said after the ticket price hike was approved on Thursday. "We will continue to look for other ways to raise money. But I won't apologize for my staff and coaches who want LSU athletes to be the best. You don't have to apologize for sports. "It's tough to get where we are. It's tougher to stay there. And we can't go back." Fans can get some benefit from the system. The IRS allows those making the donations to deduct 80 percent of the donation on taxes.
Some also see the benefits from the total athletic program. LSU is expected to bring in an additional $11.6 million over the next three years because of Thursday's price hike. "Everybody in my family kind of talks about it," said LSU season-ticket holder Jed Holton. "Other than bad timing, I don't think they did anything wrong. I think it just leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth. "As far as what everybody in the SEC, LSU is below Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Alabama. Taken in context, it's not that big of a deal."
Nor should it be unexpected. College football's arms race has been going on for some time. The race, though, is funded by the fans. "You have to keep up the Joneses," Holton said. "It's one of those things LSU fans have to get used to."