Dumb question time: How much $$ does a non-con home game bring in for Michigan?
Assuming a typical September home game against one of our friendly in-state MAC opponents (EMU, CMU, WMU, pick one, doesn't matter to me). Assume a typical crowd of 110,000, and a typical payout to whatever cannon fodder we have scheduled for that afternoon. Roughly how much does Michigan net out of one of these games, all things considered?
I have no agenda. I have no axe to grind. I'm having a discussion on another board and I'm looking for a rough idea.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:02 AM ^
The net profit is something like $4M.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:03 AM ^
Thank you. That's actually less than what I thought. I was thinking in the neighborhood of $5 million.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:09 AM ^
Actually, now that we have the boxes and club seats, it might be closer to $5M. I remember hearing the $4M figure a few years ago.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:57 AM ^
Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a heist! To the lair!
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:32 AM ^
On the flip side, how much does the other team make out of the game. For instance UConn...
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:55 AM ^
If you just take the average ticket price and concessions and multiply it by number of seats, maybe you get to the $4-5 million range, but there is an offset in that people would actually pay more for tickets (including season tickets) if the non-conference games were against better opponents. For example, if having two high quality BCS opponents each year allowed UM to raise all ticket prices by $2.50 that would be an additional $17.50 per seat per year, or just shy of $2 million total, assuming 7 home games. $2 million is obviously less than $4-5 million, but that means they are really only making $2-3 million more by playing Delaware State or Toledo than teams like Alabama and Texas and Georgia, etc.
Also, playing Alabama or Texas would generate much greater PR value, have a positive impact on recruiting and possibly even result in increased merchandising dollars over time. It would make it easier for the Athletic Department to sell luxury suites and club seating and get longer contracts and/or higher prices when they do. The true cost of MAC-heavy and baby seal scheduling by the top tier teams in the B10 is much greater than just the cash payment they have to make to get a "no-return" game.