Playing that one game in the Al per the attached tweet...

[duanewade]

Potentially pulled us outside the Top 10 in national attendance rankings and put us just below Wisconsin to boot! 

It was a great atmosphere and fun to watch, however probably also cost the MU Athletic Department an extra $300,000 to $400,000 in net revenues as well.

I don't know the economics of MU's lease at the Fiserv but based on the reports that MU is consistently in the top 10 money earners in all of college basketball (#7 in 2023 per the link below, making close to $25M annually).  Therefore, I'm guessing MU gets about 50% of any gross revenues for every home game at Fiserv.  So if the average person pays $100 per game for ticket, parking, concessions, merchandise and we get 10,500 fans for the CMU game then that is $100 * 10,500 * .5 = $525,000.  However we probably have to pay CMU some money for accepting the "buy" game so the net is closer to $300,000 to $400,000.  The $100 per person is based on the courtside seats, skyboxes, and lower bowl patrons paying way more than $100 per person to offset the much less paying students and upper bowl patrons who pay less than $100. 

Hence why it was a unique game to watch and something we haven't seen in the previous ten years and probably won't see again as it was a big hit to the lucrative MU money making basketball wallet.   

https://twitter.com/Bachscore/status/1637557636949331969?s=20

https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/schools-that-make-the-most-money-off-college-basketball/

[wadesworld]

They should play all their buy games there.

[MUfan12]

They should play all their buy games there.

Lol

[Lennys Tap]

Lol

Wades slept through his Economics classes.

[MUfan12]

Outside of knocking the average attendance figure down that game this year was a huge success. Looked awesome on TV, students had a blast with it.

But part of the charm is that it was (likely) a one-off.

[MU82]

Can't wait for MU to play Northern Illinois at the Old Gym!

[mu_hilltopper]

100%  50% of the years MUBB plays a regular season game at the Al, the team wins the Big East, make it to the NCAAs, and the coach is COY.

So, yeah, do that again.

[Jay Bee]

100% of the years MUBB plays a regular season game at the Al, the team wins the Big East, make it to the NCAAs, and the coach is COY.

So, yeah, do that again.

#FakeNews #Lies

[Nukem2]

100% of the years MUBB plays a regular season game at the Al, the team wins the Big East, make it to the NCAAs, and the coach is COY.

So, yeah, do that again.

Tell that to Wojo about his first year at MU when we played Alabama A & M at The Al. Season ended up 13-19, 9th in the BE, and not one vote for Wojo as coy.......as JayBee says....

[StillAWarrior]

100% of the years MUBB Shaka plays a regular season game at the Al, the team wins the Big East, make it to the NCAAs, and the coach is COY.

So, yeah, do that again.

FTFY

[The Equalizer]

Potentially pulled us outside the Top 10 in national attendance rankings and put us just below Wisconsin to boot! 

It was a great atmosphere and fun to watch, however probably also cost the MU Athletic Department an extra $300,000 to $400,000 in net revenues as well.

I don't know the economics of MU's lease at the Fiserv but based on the reports that MU is consistently in the top 10 money earners in all of college basketball (#7 in 2023 per the link below, making close to $25M annually).  Therefore, I'm guessing MU gets about 50% of any gross revenues for every home game at Fiserv.  So if the average person pays $100 per game for ticket, parking, concessions, merchandise and we get 10,500 fans for the CMU game then that is $100 * 10,500 * .5 = $525,000.  However we probably have to pay CMU some money for accepting the "buy" game so the net is closer to $300,000 to $400,000.  The $100 per person is based on the courtside seats, skyboxes, and lower bowl patrons paying way more than $100 per person to offset the much less paying students and upper bowl patrons who pay less than $100. 

Hence why it was a unique game to watch and something we haven't seen in the previous ten years and probably won't see again as it was a big hit to the lucrative MU money making basketball wallet.   

https://twitter.com/Bachscore/status/1637557636949331969?s=20

https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/schools-that-make-the-most-money-off-college-basketball/

Your math only works if season ticket holders value each game the same. You're paying for the whole package at what the market will bear--not 16 individual equally valuable games. Wisconsin, Baylor and all Big East games are highly valued.  The buy games are worth practically nothing.

Playing the game at the Al didn't cost them any revenue, and probably saved MU one games' worth of rent at the Fiserv, thus a net improvement on the team's financial performance.

[The Sultan]

Do people really care where we finish in average attendance each year?

[Pakuni]

They should play all their buy games there.

Until they build a football stadium, anyhow.

[Lennys Tap]

Do people really care where we finish in average attendance each year?

I don't, but maybe some of the athletes that the basketball program subsidizes do.

[MUfan12]

The gate from 10k non-student season ticket holders far exceeds one game's rent at Fiserv.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the start of a new tradition. I think most who matter considered it a huge success.

[Dr. Blackheart]

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the start of a new tradition. I think most who matter considered it a huge success.

STHs were still charged for the event, so it was also financially a huge success. 

[The Sultan]

I don't, but maybe some of the athletes that the basketball program subsidizes do.

Doubtful. Their financial aid and/or operating budgets aren't going to be impacted by playing a game at the Fiserv.  It's just a rounding error budget wise.

IMO, if the athletic department finds that the atmosphere that's created by playing one of the buy games at the Al is worth the cost and "falling out of the top 10 in national attendance," that is a completely defensible position.

[The Equalizer]

The gate from 10k non-student season ticket holders far exceeds one game's rent at Fiserv.

There would have been zero incremental gate from non-student season ticket holders had the CMU game been played at the Fiserv.

[duanewade]

There would have been zero incremental gate from non-student season ticket holders had the CMU game been played at the Fiserv.

What you're trying to convince yourself of makes no sense but I'd still like to hire you as my accountant as maybe you can create the same misdirect in convincing the IRS I actually had no income and owe no taxes. 

[The Equalizer]

What you're trying to convince yourself of makes no sense but I'd still like to hire you as my accountant as maybe you can create the same misdirect in convincing the IRS I actually had no income and owe no taxes. 

It makes complete sense.  You just don't understand how season tickets work at MU.

As others have pointed out, season ticket holders paid their bill before the schedule was finalized. Only after the season tickets were purchased did Marquette announce that the CMU game was going to be played at the Al and not included for season ticket holders. 

Had MU played the game at the Fiserv, they wouldn't have collected any more revenue because they already sold the season ticket packages and collected the revenue. 

[cheebs09]

Do people really care where we finish in average attendance each year?

My experience has lessened now that we are no longer setting the "Largest crowd to ever see a basketball game in Wisconsin" record.

[Lennys Tap]

Doubtful. Their financial aid and/or operating budgets aren't going to be impacted by playing a game at the Fiserv.  It's just a rounding error budget wise.

IMO, if the athletic department finds that the atmosphere that's created by playing one of the buy games at the Al is worth the cost and "falling out of the top 10 in national attendance," that is a completely defensible position.

I don't disagree. One game a year is fine. All buy in games, though (Wade's suggestion) might be a little more problematic.

[wadesworld]

It'd be great if all the buy games were at the Al.

[The Sultan]

Yeah, I think that's a bad idea.