Fall Semester In-person to Begin August 26 MU

[Uncle Rico]

My biggest worry is still the revenue losses. Ohio State today said they expect to be able to open with about 20-30% of seats filled. So what would that mean? Well, just in terms of ticket sales revenue, they would presumably go from $50.6 million in ticket sales in 2019 down to around $15.2 million, more than a $35M hit and that's not accounting for concessions, parking, and all the other revenue streams that come with the live gameday experience.

Ohio State will obviously draw on a breadth of financial support few others have access to, but if a school like Marquette is looking at a loss of 70% of gameday revenue, how will they make that up? How will they pay the rent at Fiserv? How will they afford to pay guarantee game opponents? How will they be able to keep other non-revenue programs like volleyball, cross country, and lacrosse afloat?

Ohio State is already claiming they lose money on athletics. They can absorb that, but they are one of the apex programs in the sport? What about those that aren't in the top 10% of programs? Not everyone can lose 70% of gameday and keep going.

Ohio State loses money on athletics is an incredible lie

[brewcity77]

Guys, basketball season is 6 months away, things could look completely different in 6 months and Full fans may be in the stands for CBB season. We just don't know.

We also don't know who will commit to Marquette in the future, but that doesn't stop us from discussing recruiting.

[MUfan12]

Guys, basketball season is 6 months away, things could look completely different in 6 months and Full fans may be in the stands for CBB season. We just don't know.

I love the optimism, but I'd be stunned if that were the case.

[muguru]

We also don't know who will commit to Marquette in the future, but that doesn't stop us from discussing recruiting.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be discussed, I was just sensing a tone that some feel no fans/limited fans for MU games is already a forgone conclusion. I'm not sure it is.

[muguru]

I love the optimism, but I'd be stunned if that were the case.

I mean think about it...if Ohio State thinks they can have 20-30,000 for football games, college arenas hold much less than that, and..CBB is still 6 months away. It MIGHT come down to people deciding individually if they want to go or not..I don't really think "social distancing" at athletic events is feasible..I mean can people not sit next to their families then?? that's not right, and people wouldn't go for that. So again, it may be a "come if you choose, you know the risks" type of deal. We'll see.

[The Sultan]

I mean think about it...if Ohio State thinks they can have 20-30,000 for football games, college arenas hold much less than that, and..CBB is still 6 months away. It MIGHT come down to people deciding individually if they want to go or not..I don't really think "social distancing" at athletic events is feasible..I mean can people not sit next to their families then?? that's not right, and people wouldn't go for that. So again, it may be a "come if you choose, you know the risks" type of deal. We'll see.

I would be very suprised, from a liability standpoint, that a "you know the risks" kind of deal would be offered.

[brewcity77]

I mean think about it...if Ohio State thinks they can have 20-30,000 for football games, college arenas hold much less than that, and..CBB is still 6 months away. It MIGHT come down to people deciding individually if they want to go or not..I don't really think "social distancing" at athletic events is feasible..I mean can people not sit next to their families then?? that's not right, and people wouldn't go for that. So again, it may be a "come if you choose, you know the risks" type of deal. We'll see.

I don't think universities can go that route. Certainly not when their largest donors are likely in the most vulnerable populations based on age. You can't just say "roll the dice, if you die you die, enjoy the game!" Pro sports can maybe do that, but universities can't wash their hands of blame like that.

I also don't think social distancing at athletic events is feasible. I don't know how you manage families or groups, how you manage concession lines, how they handle distancing at entries and exits, and how they prepare for emergency situations (on site 911 is activated probably 3-5 times per event). These are the questions that need to be answered before we go back to the world as we knew it.

[bilsu]

If they don't start responsibly, they won't finish.  I think some of the Euro soccer leagues can show people how to responsibly start sports.

I do not think it is hard to responsibly start sports. However, do you think all college athletes are going to be socially responsible in their non sports life? What they do outside of sports is what is going to derail sports.

[muguru]

I don't think universities can go that route. Certainly not when their largest donors are likely in the most vulnerable populations based on age. You can't just say "roll the dice, if you die you die, enjoy the game!" Pro sports can maybe do that, but universities can't wash their hands of blame like that.

I also don't think social distancing at athletic events is feasible. I don't know how you manage families or groups, how you manage concession lines, how they handle distancing at entries and exits, and how they prepare for emergency situations (on site 911 is activated probably 3-5 times per event). These are the questions that need to be answered before we go back to the world as we knew it.

No, but you could have people sign waivers removing the University from any liability, right??

[The Sultan]

No, but you could have people sign waivers removing the University from any liability, right??

There are also the larger public health responsibilities too. Marquette isn't going to put full crowds into Fiserv unless they find it safe to do so.

[Herman Cain]

For whatever it is worth, one of my kids plays at a P5 school , the coaches had a conference call with the parents and told us that one of the many scenarios being considered is moving the football season to spring.  I don't think it will come to that radical of a remedy, but I thought the posture was a reflection about how those schools have built their whole athletic structure around football.

One of the great assets of the Big East is not being reliant on football. Big East could restrict attendance to  students and family only and probably take the one year hit to revenues much more readily than the P5 type institutions. If that scenario happened in the Big East, I think  MU , Creighton, Xavier and Providence would be impacted the most given their large attendance and dedicated season ticket holder base. Villanova would be slightly less impacted because they already play a lot of games in their smaller on campus facility.

[muguru]

Steve Berkowitz
@ByBerkowitz
·
May 20
NCAA announces rules waivers due to pandemic:
--FCS teams will not have to play at least 50% of football games against FBS or FCS teams.
--Financial aid minimums for FBS schools were waived to permit a school to award at least 75% of maximum FBS financial aid limit for 3 yrs.

[Babybluejeans]

It MIGHT come down to people deciding individually if they want to go or not..I don't really think "social distancing" at athletic events is feasible..I mean can people not sit next to their families then?? that's not right, and people wouldn't go for that. So again, it may be a "come if you choose, you know the risks" type of deal. We'll see.

Lol. Don't forget to take your pills. This ain't happening.

[Herman Cain]

Steve Berkowitz
@ByBerkowitz
·
May 20
NCAA announces rules waivers due to pandemic:
--FCS teams will not have to play at least 50% of football games against FBS or FCS teams.
--Financial aid minimums for FBS schools were waived to permit a school to award at least 75% of maximum FBS financial aid limit for 3 yrs.

The waivers allow FBS teams to  now fill entire schedule with FCS teams if necessary. It also allows FCS teams to fill schedule with DII if necessary. I think these developments are helpful in getting the football season underway.

[muguru]

Lol. Don't forget to take your pills. This ain't happening.

What?? You don't think people are going to decide on their own whether they want to attend a sporting event or not?? You know kind of like they did anyway before Covid. Weird take. 

[The Sultan]

What?? You don't think people are going to decide on their own whether they want to attend a sporting event or not?? You know kind of like they did anyway before Covid. Weird take. 

Really?  I must have missed all the sporting events happening now. Or the ones I'm Europe with no fans. Why are you so sure things are going to change so that Fiserv will be full?

[muguru]

Really?  I must have missed all the sporting events happening now. Or the ones I'm Europe with no fans. Why are you so sure things are going to change so that Fiserv will be full?

Ohio State is talking about 15-20K for football games. I saw another Coach the other day say they also see no reason they can't have fans. CBB season is 6 months away, if football can have fans, basketball certainly will be able to. That's what will change. Look what has already changed, things are opening back up, students will be back on campuses in the fall etc.

[brewcity77]

Ohio State is talking about 15-20K for football games. I saw another Coach the other day say they also see no reason they can't have fans. CBB season is 6 months away, if football can have fans, basketball certainly will be able to. That's what will change. Look what has already changed, things are opening back up, students will be back on campuses in the fall etc.

That's not necessarily accurate. Part of the reason sports like football are believed to be safer is because they are outside and a contagion doesn't travel as well in outdoor air. Arenas being an enclosed space makes them inherently more dangerous for something like COVID.

We don't know where we will be in a few months, but it definitely stands to reason that football will have an easier time accommodating fans than basketball will. Even still, Marquette running at 30% capacity (which is more than Ohio State's most optimistic proposal) may not be tenable from a financial perspective.

[GoldenWarrior11]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/05/24/due-to-covid-19-postponements-this-fall-could-be-a-bonanza-for-major-sporting-events/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Going to need to get a bigger TV for all these sporting events this Fall.

[dad's couch]

That's not necessarily accurate. Part of the reason sports like football are believed to be safer is because they are outside and a contagion doesn't travel as well in outdoor air. Arenas being an enclosed space makes them inherently more dangerous for something like COVID.

We don't know where we will be in a few months, but it definitely stands to reason that football will have an easier time accommodating fans than basketball will. Even still, Marquette running at 30% capacity (which is more than Ohio State's most optimistic proposal) may not be tenable from a financial perspective.

It seems like there will be a percentage allowed in an arena/stadium at least at the beginning. Which is a better financially. A thousand fans in the Al or 6000 at Fiserv?

[brewcity77]

It seems like there will be a percentage allowed in an arena/stadium at least at the beginning. Which is a better financially. A thousand fans in the Al or 6000 at Fiserv?

I honestly don't know. Zero fans in the Al might be the smartest route to take.

If you pack a few into the Al, you have the concern that there is only really one entry/exit point for a lot of people. For the Fiserv, obviously the rent is a huge factor and I'm not at all convinced you can make enough to cover rent and pay the cost of a guarantee game opponent. At this point, we don't have any clear good answers. Hopefully things will clear up as we go forward, but if we see a spike in the next month or so (feels inevitable) I can only imagine it will push things further back.

[Herman Cain]

I honestly don't know. Zero fans in the Al might be the smartest route to take.

If you pack a few into the Al, you have the concern that there is only really one entry/exit point for a lot of people. For the Fiserv, obviously the rent is a huge factor and I'm not at all convinced you can make enough to cover rent and pay the cost of a guarantee game opponent. At this point, we don't have any clear good answers. Hopefully things will clear up as we go forward, but if we see a spike in the next month or so (feels inevitable) I can only imagine it will push things further back.

Some kind of accommodation on the rent at Fiserv will need to be negotiated.

[brewcity77]

Some kind of accommodation on the rent at Fiserv will need to be negotiated.

Because negotiations on rent went so well the last time...

[MUDPT]

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2020/05/25/Colleges/Travel.aspx

Thought this was interesting. Making non-revenue sports, "independent" to limit travel expenses.

[Galway Eagle]

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2020/05/25/Colleges/Travel.aspx

Thought this was interesting. Making non-revenue sports, "independent" to limit travel expenses.

They should consider this for revenue sports if it'll help schools recover from the fallout this year