Obviously the big news Wednesday was the VT-Tennessee matchup at Bristol Motor Speedway (http://blogs.roanoke.com/andybittervirginiatechfootball/2013/10/09/repor...), but we also talked to coordinators. Here are a few takeaways:
Roanoke: http://blogs.roanoke.com/andybittervirginiatechfootball/2013/10/09/foste...
Norfolk: http://hamptonroads.com/2013/10/foster-doesnt-think-exum-will-play-loeff...
Forums:
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Comments
Someone tweeted this picture of the only other football game ever played at the racetrack, an NFL exhibition in the 60s:
Are... are they racing during a football game?
Imagine a baseball and football game double booked for the same field...at least Bristol has the space.
nah, I think the field was set up for the game, but a race was taking place either before or after the game.
I'm just amazed with how we're able to pass the ball so fluidly now.
O_O it's about time Logan actually had some actual progressions, that'll serve him well in the NFL.
I think the run game will continue to struggle because A) our Wang is limping right now and we'll have to have some personnel shifts and B) Aaron Donald is a force to be reckoned with. I imagine we'll try it to pound the rock anyway, but it won't be pretty. This should be a blue collar game for both teams and I'm looking forward to it.
Ok, I read this when you first posted it and was waiting for someone else to post it but +1 for the our Wang is limp(ing) comment.
AB, time to sign that extension through 2016! I doubt you want to miss covering that game.
$20 million per school? Good god. Not only is the recruiting pitch gonna be so easy based on that game, but you get a bowl game caliber payout to start the season. I'm out of the VT4SEC thing if we keep getting these big OOC games.
Edit: I should learn to read. That was the offer from 2005, which means this game is probably even more lucrative.
I think the $20 Mil payout was just a rumor. I doubt that we will get paid anywhere close to that amount. I certainly wouldn't complain if we got even a quarter of that though. Andy goes on to say in the comments that he thinks it will be less too.
But, still, it will make a huge dent in that Beamer Fieldhouse cost.
BCS championship = $23.6 million for SEC
Chick-Fil-A kickoff = $2.5million for VT and Bama each
The CFA Kickoff is in my mind the more appropriate analogy for the hype surrounding this game and potential revenue streams. The novelty will give a bump to marketing potential, granted. But I don't see how going from a 71,000 seat Georgia Dome to 160,000 seat BMS takes you from $2.5million (or $3mil or $4mil) to anywhere near $20million.
Just to be clear, the $23.6M is split up among all of the member institutions in the league...right?
so you're looking at close to $2M per team.
Does the $2.5M for the kick off go only to the participating teams or does it also get split up among each conferences member institutions?
$23.6million is split among all schools...$2.5mil from CFA goes to VT only.
My point though, was that it took the BCS national championship to raise a kitty that was that large, even if it was going to be split eventually.
Bruton Smith has deep pockets. It won't be just tv money that is being divided up. He doesn't need to rent the stadium like the CFA game and the Ga Dome or the Boise game at Fed Ex. There's money to be made with 70k seats, but the seats over that amount provide a greater % of profit. Plus, Bruton will have rights to shirts and concessions at the game.
I'm hoping because of the larger seating capacity, the tix will be in the $40-$50 range.
I respect your opinion, but I just don't think the math works. If you acknowledge that the CFA game is comparable, then we are talking about going not from $2.5mil to $20mil, but from $5million in payout to $40milllion in total payouts- $35million extra...that's a little ridiculous. Also there is a cost to turn the lights on even if you own the place which is probably not a whole lot less than just renting a facility like the Georgia Dome.
I would be shocked if the payout is that high. $35million more is a lot of beer and hot dogs. If he wants to make what they made at CFA (assuming all else near equal) then he needs over $200 pure profit per head at a sellout crowd of 160,000 people.
But the rich can be eccentric so it may happen yet.
I had heard way back when this game was being offered first that the Bristol Motor Speedway guy was offering so much because he wanted his venue to get a reputation for being a great place for football, leading to more neutral site games, and Tenn/VT was the most logical choice.
Having said that, I can't see $20M being offered, but with the number of spectators that will be there and the guaranteed television coverage, I could see numbers higher than the CFA kickoff game.
not to be a dead horse...sorry couldn't resist...
totally agree, just trying to build the bridge from the 5 to 40 million and seats alone don't do it...definitely will be higher than CFA and of course the owner is probably making an investment/play for the future.
I was for the VT4SEC thing about 2-3 years ago when it made sense. But to join the SEC we would have to relocated about 4 of our athletic programs since the SEC won't support them. Also, each year the ACC has gotten better at football and forced us to get better at basketball and baseball. Lastly, with the conference realignment, I like what the ACC did. I feel like the SEC is already tipping and it is time for a new conference to take its place. It probably won't be the ACC, but there will undoubtedly be a day when the SEC is getting thrown around, and I can't wait for that day.
In any case, I doubt 20 mil per school, but I would expect it to be high since it's ACC vs. SEC and the stadium alone can hold 160,000 without temporary seats, which there will be. If that game sells out which would be mind boggling, you are looking at the potential of 180,000 in tickets alone. I think pay outs could be 4-5mil, but time will tell.
I wouldn't be so sure about that...I don't think they'll actually use all of the 160k seats around the track. The field will take up probably half (maybe less) of the infield. They'll probably push the field all the way to one end and use part of the stands around the track as a horseshoe. They'll probably put up temp seats on the other end of the football field inside the infield to close it in. I would imagine that one of the turns will be completely empty. Based on pictures, it looks like if the field was in the center of the infield, you're looking at probably about 70-100 yards between the endzones and the stands in each turn. That would be pretty miserable. I think that it will be close to 140-150K seats once they shift the field to one end of the infield and build up stands at one endzone.
If they do it that way, you could be right--I was just looking at the photo from the skins/philly game and using that to estimate.
I agree that the ACC is the place to be. I don't have a link to the article, but I remember reading that the ACC was the most profitable conference until the early 2000's. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the SEC is even the most profitable conference right now; I think it's the Big 10...
No doubt football is the biggest revenue source, but the ACC offers the most sports and attracts viewers from some of the largest metropolitan areas in the nation (or at least the east coast). I do think that one day the ACC will return as the most profitable athletic conference.
So, back to your comment re VT4SEC, I agree that we should stay. I've said it many times, but if FSU, UM, VT and Clemson can all play competitive football in the same season, the pollsters will view the ACC as a top 3 conference.
ACC is definitely the place to be. While football is always the main draw for revenue, I like having a competitive league for all sports. Just look at women's soccer this year, Tech is ranked #10 in the country and is only the 5th best team in the ACC according to RPI and Coaches poll. 8 ACC teams are in the top 25. Men's soccer has 6 ACC teams in the top 25 and Tech is finally headed in the right direction.