Tennessee raising football ticket prices in order to help pay players

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Tennessee raising football ticket prices in order to help pay players, report says

Updated: Sep. 17, 2024, 9:47 a.m.|Published: Sep. 17, 2024, 9:47 a.m.

2–3 minutes

By

Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

With a revenue-sharing model expected to be adopted by power-conference schools as early as 2025, Tennessee is passing the additional expense along to the customers.

The Volunteers have informed season-ticket holders they are raising prices for next season by 14.5%, according to a report by KnoxNews.com. Part of the extra money would go toward a “talent fee” for Tennessee athletes.

“We’ve come a long way in the last few years. In this new era, it’s going to get a lot more expensive,” Tennessee athletics director Danny White told Knox News. “But there’s also going to be a closer relationship between resources and competition than there ever has been before. And our biggest asset is our fan base.”

Schools that “opt in” to the new revenue-sharing model are expected to set aside around $22 million per year for direct compensation to athletes. An additional $5 million would be used to fund scholarships in all sports.

The revenue-sharing plan is part of the House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement, which could cost schools more than $2.7 billion in back pay to former athletes. The settlement hit a snag in court earlier this month, but could be finalized by next summer.

Tennessee is one of the few schools to announce it is raising ticket prices specifically due to revenue-sharing. Georgia announced Sept. 6 it is going to start charging $80 per game for season tickets beginning in 2025 (up from $70 per game this year), but attributed to change only to “rising operational costs.”

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