Colleges must balance revenue generation with fan satisfaction
The Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse team has a huge game this weekend against local rival and #1 ranked Cornell. It’s a game that could have put 15,000 fans in the JMA Dome (and possibly paired with the Spring football game), but it’s going to be played on Long Island.
Last year the two CNY rivals played a double-overtime thriller at Schoellkopf Field and with two top-five scorers in CJ Kirst and Joey Spallina facing off, this year could match or surpass what we saw a year ago.
Sounds like a must-see event for fans who won’t be in Long Island right? Well don’t look for this one on ESPN or even ACC Network Extra because you’ll have to pay to watch it online through the Corrigan Sports Network. Neutral site games can be great for athletic revenues, but are they good for the fans?
This isn’t just about one lacrosse game, it’s about the changing landscape of college sports. NIL, House, the transfer portal might be changing the way some fans view their favorite schools, but they are also changing the way schools look at their balance sheets. Schools are going to continue paying more money, so they will need to find ways to make more money.
The challenge is threading that needle so that it doesn’t drive away the fans. Moving games to neutral sites, raising ticket prices, asking for donations to go towards NIL/facilities/athlete salaries are all actions that athletic departments need to do, but when do fans turn and walk away?
Tradition has long been an important part of college athletics. As schools move to raise revenue, traditions might continue to suffer. Syracuse might spend more years in the ACC than Big East, but fans will still long for the conference they remember.
It might not seem like a big deal to move one lacrosse game a few hours away, but it’s another change and the more college sports change the more they don’t feel like college sports.