Blaudschun: UConn Switching BC Home Game to Fenway?

[HuskyHawk]

For perspective, BC just a few short years ago under the former BC AD, would not agree to play Uconn football ANYWHERE. For awhile there, it looked like BC and Uconn would not play football again for years.. if ever. Now, under the new BC AD, BC has worked out an arrangement to play Uconn, back to back. Now that the game is scheduled at legendary Fenway Park, some here don't like the SETTING now ? Good grief. Given Uconn football's current state of affairs, one would think Uconn would be happy to play BC in football again, no matter where the hell the game is played. I don't speak for other BC football fans, but if an arrangement could be made for BC and ND to play only against each other, and for 12 games each and every football season, with 8 games a season played in South Bend, and 4 games in Alumni.... sign me up. Even let ND get a better payday for the arrangements in all 12 games. I wouldn't care. Sign me up. I'd be on board. Seriously.

This is absurd. I'm not one of the BC haters here, but one short year ago, UConn went to a bowl game and BC was one of the worst teams in all of FBS. They set the bar for futility in conference games. UConn in 2015 would wipe the floor with the dirty dishrag that was BC football. So your "high horse" is about an inch off the ground. It might be time to step down. Next year, there is no reason to expect that BC will be any better than UConn. We do not acknowledge or accept in any way shape or form the "superiority" of BC football. I am glad to see us playing again because we should be regional rivals. But those games must be either all neutral site or home and home. I would never accept a skewed arrangement with BC, as I might with say, Alabama.

Now, my take on the game has changed. Given that it is clearly a UConn home game, and we get the money and BC gets nothing, and we get most of the tickets, my current take is that the state of BC football in Boston is so bad, that UConn can play a home game on their turf.

 

[J187Money]

I can't believe Benedict would take 1.25 mil guaranteed when there is a chance (a pretty small one based on the past few years) that there might, maybe, possibly, be 35k in the stands at the Rent so that he could make LESS money even if that improbable event happens. He is an idiot...fire him now.

35,000 * $25 average seat price = $875,000 less some expense I assume we have to "pay" to use the Rent on a per game basis. The math works on this.

Remember - the donations per seat are for the season, and aren't actually per game. So I pay $100/seat/season for my tickets no matter if there are 6 or 7 home games. So the only thing the school loses is the variable cost of the tickets, which they charge $25 for season ticket holders, but some tickets are less.

A sellout at $25/seat = $1M (again, less expenses).

So when people beg and scream for coaches to be bought out, that costs money. The school wins here.

AND, a UCONN game v BC at the Rent? NOBODY cares other than us and BC.

A UCONN game v. BC at Fenway? Will be all over ESPN, etc - as an "event"...so we get paid a bunch of money and get a bunch of free marketing for the program.

Oh, the horror!

 

[J187Money]

And don't forget another important equation:

# of BY members > # of donors to the athletic department = LOTS of people talking a whole lot of @#$@#$ here about how UCONN makes financial decisions while...

GEICO TV Commercial, 'Alligator Arms: It's What You Do'

 

[CL82]

A lot speculation both pro/con. I'll wait to hear the justification from AD Dave. Maybe I should wander over to the CR board to see if some toothless West Virginian takes this as a sign that we joining the Big 10.

 

[Jimdish255]

I haven't changed my underlying aversion to this but I understand the business end of the "Buyout Bowl". It may or may not not work out to our advantage as a lot of assumptions are baked in. And we still struggle with the level of attendance at home games and building our SW fan base, both of which will be sacrificed here for a short term financial benefit. But if I do attend it will be because of Yawkey.

 

[BlueMAB]

I get it, I don't blame AD Dave, and I'll probably go, but I still don't like it. We have to get them at the Rent at least once in the near future.

 

[John]

For the contest, UConn will receive 22,000 of the expected 39,000 tickets to be made available for sale. Boston College will receive 7,000 to sell to its fan base and the Fenway Group will distribute the final 10,000. UConn will also receive a guaranteed payment of $1.125 million for its participation in the contest, the largest game guarantee in Husky football history. BC will not be paid any guarantee.

Huskies Announce Football Game At Fenway

 

[coachcap]

I get it, I don't blame AD Dave, and I'll probably go, but I still don't like it. We have to get them at the Rent at least once in the near future.

Ditto that. The history of this series is in a relatively short timeframe. For it to continue on a long term basis, it needs to follow a scheduling formula of:
a. home, neutral site (Fenway or Gillette), home
b. home & home
c. the Razor annually (a la the Cocktail Party)

gone are the days where a Notre Dame plays Navy annually in South Bend, Yale plays Dartmouth annually in New Haven, etc.

In the short term, UConn needs the cash to fund Difiasco's buyout. The future rests on equitable scheduling. OR, end the series & play a national team using Metrolife Yankee Stadium or Gillette on a rotating basis as a home base once each season.

 

[BHusky]

Ideally you want a true home game, but this is a good move. Based on how both teams have faired over the last 3-4 years there isn't huge regional hype for this game like there was (for us anyway) 10+ years ago. And if the teams were struggling next year, this November game would be a mediocre draw at best as a Hartford game.

Now even if the teams are not doing great, Fenway will be a big draw for fans regardless. Add in that we will make more money with this deal and get the true setup as the home team with 60%+ of the tickets allotment, UConn painted on the field (which will still drive Boston media and BC fans nuts even though we gave up our home game) and it seems like a good deal.

We also have gotten some really good talent from Massachusetts historically (Sherman, Todman, etc), so we could hopefully use this for recruiting in BC's back yard. HS kids eat this type of stuff up and UConn players will love it too.

 

[Excalibur]

35,000 * $25 average seat price = $875,000 less some expense I assume we have to "pay" to use the Rent on a per game basis. The math works on this.

Remember - the donations per seat are for the season, and aren't actually per game. So I pay $100/seat/season for my tickets no matter if there are 6 or 7 home games. So the only thing the school loses is the variable cost of the tickets, which they charge $25 for season ticket holders, but some tickets are less.

A sellout at $25/seat = $1M (again, less expenses).

So when people beg and scream for coaches to be bought out, that costs money. The school wins here.


Oh, the horror!

All this is true, but there is also the chance that we sell fewer season tickets due to the game not being included in the package. Still, I think the numbers make sense if the justification for moving the game was purely economic.

Using the original poster's scenario -- if we got 35,000 for the game at home it's $875k minus the rent for the Rent (I think the $170k number is accurate) = roughly $600k. Let's say we get an extra 300 season ticket holders if the game is in East Hartford. That's 300 x $25 x 6 additional games = $45,000, plus $30,000 in seat deposits if all the season tickets are in those areas. The comparison is $675,000 vs. $1.12 Million -- a difference of just under $450,000. And that's a comparison vs. the "best-case" scenario of keeping the game in East Hartford.

The downside for me is it hurts our negotiating position for future home and home series with established programs.

 

[CL82]

...and there are the facts. It is a reasonable decision.

The downside for me is it hurts our negotiating position for future home and home series with established programs.

I don't think so, since the deal with Fenway and not with Boston College. Besides for a million+ guaranteed, I'd be willing to take a game a year in a marquee venue, not that I'd expect that to happen.

 

[polycom]

...and there are the facts. It is a reasonable decision.

The facts were posted on page 4? maybe. People choose to ignore them and argue for 6 more pages based purely on emotion its the Yard, can't expect anything different.

 

[BHusky]

All this is true, but there is also the chance that we sell fewer season tickets due to the game not being included in the package. Still, I think the numbers make sense if the justification for moving the game was purely economic.

Using the original poster's scenario -- if we got 35,000 for the game at home it's $875k minus the rent for the Rent (I think the $170k number is accurate) = roughly $600k. Let's say we get an extra 300 season ticket holders if the game is in East Hartford. That's 300 x $25 x 6 additional games = $45,000, plus $30,000 in seat deposits if all the season tickets are in those areas. The comparison is $675,000 vs. $1.12 Million -- a difference of just under $450,000. And that's a comparison vs. the "best-case" scenario of keeping the game in East Hartford.

The downside for me is it hurts our negotiating position for future home and home series with established programs.

But even in this case I think that this is a very unique situation that only BC (or very few others) could offer us. A stadium site that is a historical landmark, in the middle of a major city which is only an hour and a half from campus. We will never have negotiating leverage with the "major" programs, but for the second tier they would not be able to position a case like this for us. This type of deal doesn't happen for a site like Gillette Stadium. It is Fenway in downtown Boston.

 

[CL82]

The facts were posted on page 4? maybe. People choose to ignore them and argue for 6 more pages based purely on emotion its the Yard, can't expect anything different.

Not that I saw, but I could have missed them. Link to post?

 

[CL82]

But even in this case I think that this is a very unique situation that only BC (or very few others) could offer us. A stadium site that is a historical landmark, in the middle of a major city which is only an hour and a half from campus. We will never have negotiating leverage with the "major" programs, but for the second tier they would not be able to position a case like this for us. This type of deal doesn't happen for a site like Gillette Stadium. It is Fenway in downtown Boston.

BCU didn't offer them to us; Fenway did. To me, at least that distinction is important.

 

[dwalks93]

Ok let's try this another way....UConn hired an AD who came from a big SEC program (Auburn.) A guy who understands what is required to compete at big time football and, with all due respect to Auburn, a guy who understands what is like to be financially disadvantaged against a regional rival. Auburn may be light years ahead of UConn in football but Auburn's financial and fan support is well behind their SEC competition. Programs like Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss have a lot more money and represent the #1 program in their state. Yet, in spite of all that, Auburn has had great success, much of it while Bendict was there.

Every move Athletic Director Dave has made so far at UConn has only provided further proof he know what he is doing when it comes to football. If ADD says playing in Boston makes sense the fans should probably listen. Now we just need to back ADD's play and pack the house at Fenway.

 

[BlueMAB]

So after ticket sales, we stand to make about $1.5 million. that's almost half of the buyout. Schedule Army at Yankee stadium in 2019 if we can, and that should nearly take care of the buyout. Or maybe a third game with Cuse at Yankee Stadium (home, away, neutral) and split the pot 50/50?

Edit: My rough guess at our revenue is based on assuming we sell 16k tickets at $25 average.

Probably a bit ambitious.

 

[Excalibur]

So after ticket sales, we stand to make about $1.5 million. that's almost half of the buyout. Schedule Army at Yankee stadium in 2019 if we can, and that should nearly take care of the buyout. Or maybe a third game with Cuse at Yankee Stadium (home, away, neutral) and split the pot 50/50?

Edit: My rough guess at our revenue is based on assuming we sell 16k tickets at $25 average.

Probably a bit ambitious.

I don't think we get the ticket sales. I think that's the trade-off, but I may be misinterpreting the deal.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I don't think we get the ticket sales. I think that's the trade-off, but I may be misinterpreting the deal.

I haven't seen it reported anywhere who gets the money from the gate.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

UConn getting over $1 million to move game to Fenway Park

Connecticut is getting the biggest game guarantee in school history to move a home game vs. Boston College in 2017 to Fenway Park.

UConn’s game vs. BC was announced Thursday along with a matchup between Massachusetts and Maine as college football games at the historic stadium of the Boston Red Sox. As part of the deal, UConn gets a guarantee of $1.125 million to move a home game and rights to 22,000 of the nearly 40,000 tickets that will be available.

“We are thrilled to take part in the continuation of what we hope will be a long-time partnership with the Fenway Group and the Boston Red Sox,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in a statement. “This game will present our players an unforgettable experience playing in one of the most-renowned venues in American sport and provide UConn fans with a front row seat. We could not be happier to take part.”

 

[uconnell]

The money is guaranteed which to me means that no matter the amoun of tickets UConn sells, + or -, that is the amount UConn will receive. Is this correct?

 

[CL82]

The money is guaranteed which to me means that no matter the amoun of tickets UConn sells, + or -, that is the amount UConn will receive. Is this correct?

Usually a guarantee means that the floor or minimum is guaranteed. So if we sell tickets and receive more than that we keep the cash and Fenway doesn't need to pay us anything. Hard to say though unless you are reading the actual contract language.

 

[BlueMAB]

@Excalibur It's reported that we're getting $1.125 million, and the rights to 22,000 tickets. I don't think we're giving those tickets away, so I think it's safe to assume we're selling them and keeping the revenues, but I could be wrong.

 

[businesslawyer]

@Excalibur It's reported that we're getting $1.125 million, and the rights to 22,000 tickets. I don't think we're giving those tickets away, so I think it's safe to assume we're selling them and keeping the revenues, but I could be wrong.

It would make no sense for Fenway to pay us $1.25M and only retain for itself the right to sell 17,000 tickets. I think the rational working assumption is that Fenway bought the revenue from the sale by UConn of its tickets (maybe with some sweetener if we do a good job selling all of ours).

 

[Pudge]

Boston College has a high water mark - it was Doug Flutie pass to Phelan. 1985? 31 years is a long time to ride that good feeling in college athletics. Sure sure. A few bowls a Matt Ryan and a NC hockey team or 2. Then, the rise to be amongst the very top Catholic colleges.

The taint of thinking BC is New England's primary college sports venue has been exposed. Streak of losing extended a full year plus with no real excellence in any one component. UConn still is the Program with the future. The academic rise is more notable than BC and steeper. The WBB and the MBB is the Brand in the Northeastern US that can draw ... and we have more that can be coming. I don't see anything but flat performance from Chestnut Hill ... and maybe more revenue in the short term. And you are vulnerable to a deep dip if the Powers decide that 65 is too Many.

 

[The Viking]

While I would have loved to play BC at the Rent - and I believe we still have a future home/away setup with them so it still may come to fruition - lets be humbled a bit by the fact that Sox/Fenway clearly appreciate UConn over BC.
Fenway wanted UConn to play ND last year until BC through a hissy fit. So Fenway gave into the school in their backyard. This year they asked BC if they wanted a game again, BC spurned them, so they turn around and give the home game to us. So back to back Fenway games where BC is the road team.

Add to that the fact that Sox president Kennedy says they want to do this every year after the baseball season and Benedicts comments about having a long relationship with Fenway, and the fact that there are only so many teams you can bring in - I'd get used to a long UConn/Fenway relationship for years to come. I get the feeling that Benedict won't be telling Fenway to F-off, and therefore we will be - if not already are - far more appreciated by Fenway.
Business partners appreciate willing partners far more than drama queens.

If we are going to talk about how we have reach in Boston/NY when it comes to conference realignment, it cant hurt when the next realigment happens in 2023-2025 to have us playing hoops games consistently at MSG and football games consistently at Fenway, packing the place each time we play there.

Let's fill Fenway and flood the bars and leave our presence in the city and in the end zones and on the Green Monster. Fenway wants us and clearly likes what we bring to the table.

 

[BlueMAB]

It would make no sense for Fenway to pay us $1.25M and only retain for itself the right to sell 17,000 tickets. I think the rational working assumption is that Fenway bought the revenue from the sale by UConn of its tickets (maybe with some sweetener if we do a good job selling all of ours).

There's that... or the folks at the Red Sox have heard about our propensity to purchase $10 beers at a precipitously high volume.

 

[jrazz12]

There's that... or the folks at the Red Sox have heard about our propensity to purchase $10 beers at a precipitously high volume.

This is the far more likely scenario. I'll be contributing my share for the team

 

[Palatine]

At this point in our journey, it's not a bad move. I am all for improving our profile in the Boston market.

I would prefer play BCU in the Rent, but if this is a money move by Benedict, I can live with it for a season.

 

[businesslawyer]

At this point in our journey, it's not a bad move. I am all for improving our profile in the Boston market.

I would prefer play BCU in the Rent, but if this is a money move by Benedict, I can live with it for a season.

To all posters up in arms about this, I would merely point out that if Palatine can take a development that no one is thrilled with calmly and you can't, you need to switch up your meds.