MU will officially become the 14th member of the Southeastern Conference on July 1, but official membership is only the beginning of a new era for MU football.
To usher in this era, coach Gary Pinkel called for the Missouri Tigers community to make drastic changes to the way it funds the football program. Athletic Director Mike Alden answered Pinkel’s call with a letter detailing the approved overhaul to game day operations, which included a $1.5 million renovation to Faurot Field and increases to general ticket prices.
These changes are essential to remaining competitive within the SEC, and unless our university’s aim is to join the conference and be content with membership only, these changes are necessary. To put it in Pinkel’s words, “We need to do some upgrading.”
If our athletics department continues operating within its present state, we will definitely be the little fish in a big pond.
Currently, Faurot Field has maximum capacity of 71,004, which is more than 4,000 less the average attendance of SEC football games last season. The MU football program generated less revenue than 10 of the 12 current SEC members in the most recent fiscal year published by the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, Missouri’s expense budget from the same year trailed seven of those 12 schools. If this fish is going to get bigger to compete, it’s going to need be fed much more.
Pinkel and the athletics department have recognized this and made smart business decisions, like keeping our student prices low to encourage student attendance while raising the price for the expected increase of SEC visitors to generate that additional revenue.
Unfortunately, alumni will have to foot the bill when it comes to ticket prices. The athletics department has approved of such measures as eliminating the grandfather clause, meaning donors of all tenures will soon be required to pay at minimum donation levels.
Given that donors are generally wealthy individuals and most have been donating for years, it’s not very likely they will stop because of a price increase, especially when keeping their seats gives them a view of an SEC football game.
All in all, Pinkel and the athletics department have decided to do exactly what we would expect them to. We’d be disappointed if they didn’t.
Look out, SEC.
