A berth in the Sugar Bowl is Florida's reward for a successful
football season. But with it comes a likely significant financial hit
for the UF athletic department.
As part of the current bowl
system, participating schools are required to purchase a designated
number of tickets from the bowl and then sell them. Schools are
accountable for any unsold tickets.
Playing in a BCS bowl, Florida
was required to purchase 17,500 tickets from the Sugar Bowl. With the
Jan. 2 game against Big East co-champion Louisville less than three
weeks away, UF has sold only 6,500 tickets.
That leaves UF holding
11,000 unsold tickets at an average price of $165 a ticket. That adds
up to a little more than $1.8 million in unsold tickets, which would be a
significant financial hit for the University Athletic Association.
UF
is expected to sell more tickets between now and the game. The school
also will get assistance from the SEC, which has a rule where it will
purchase up to 3,000 unsold tickets from member institutions that are
unable to sell all of their bowl tickets.
UF's ticket sales also
lagged in a poor economy before the Sugar Bowl game against Cincinnati,
another Big East school, three years ago. Less than three weeks before
that game, the Gators were holding about 5,000 unsold tickets.
Even with some help from the SEC, the UAA sustained a significant financial loss three years ago.
That
hit, coupled with probably an even bigger one this year, could add up
to more than $2 million in combined losses for UF from unsold tickets in
its last two Sugar Bowl appearances.
Florida isn't the only state
school facing a significant financial setback this bowl season playing
in a non-championship game during a struggling economy. Florida State,
which plays Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl (also a BCS bowl), has
sold less than 5,000 of its 17,500 tickets even though it has slashed
the cost of bowl tickets. Northern Illinois has sold about 5,500 of its
tickets.
Along with the economy, another factor working against
schools like UF and FSU is the reality that fans can find and purchase
less expensive tickets on the Internet without having to go through the
university.
Among the nine SEC schools in bowl games, six (UF,
LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M)
remain far short of selling out their bowl tickets. Only Alabama,
Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have sold out.
Alabama is in the BCS
Championship Game, Vanderbilt is playing in its home city (Nashville)
and Ole Miss has a short trip to Birmingham for the Compass Bowl, where
tickets are only $50.
Mike Hill, UF's executive associate athletic
director for external affairs, expressed appreciation for the Florida
fans who have purchased tickets for the Sugar Bowl and are headed to New
Orleans.
“We certainly understand the financial commitment it
takes to travel to and attend a game like the Sugar Bowl, and we are
very appreciative of the support of our fans who are making their way to
New Orleans,” Hill said. “We are looking forward to celebrating a
special football season with them in the Big Easy as we bring in the New
Year and close the curtain on a very memorable 2012 season.
