How to End HBCU Football Dependence on Money Games

The most important thing is fans being there.

The first two weeks of FCS HBCU football were brutal.

HBCUs lost by an average of 39 points, yet some HBCUs like Florida A&M and Prairie View A&M lost to #25 Miami and #17 Texas A&M by identical 67 point margins. FCS HBCUs went a collective 1–20 versus FBS teams.

HBCU teams that played non-conference FCS opponents fared a little better. HBCU teams were outscored 363 to 203 and lost by an average of 16 Points. The results were the same as FCS HBCUs went a collective 2–8 versus non-conference FCS opponents. The lone wins came from Tennessee State, which plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, over SWAC opponents.

Save for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Celebration Bowl Champion North Carolina A&T State University’s win over Football Bowl Series (FBS and formerly 1-A) Kent State in four overtimes, nearly all of our schools felt the pain associated with money games that would see Football Championship Series (FCS and formerly 1-AA) HBCUs get outscored 1,079 to 253 over the first two weeks of the season.

HBCU fans feel discombobulated about their prospects for the future, and some are calling for the firing of their coaches after non-competitive losses. While “money” games have become necessary because of the significant revenue generated for schools that are struggling financially, many FCS HBCU fans are calling for an end to these lopsided games that leave a loss on the scoreboard and damage the psyche of our players and fans.

Many wondered how the players felt after losing to teams by such big margins, a metric which can’t be measured by points or statistics.

So how does an FCS HBCU give up $600,000+ paydays that make up a significant portion of our budgets? How does a financially struggling South Carolina State give up the checks from a brutal schedule of playing three FBS opponents this year? The answer is simple. HBCU fans will need to make up the difference, and this will require us to change the culture of support among many of our fans and supporters.

For every FBS game that we want to replace on our schedules, we must generate an additional $400,000-$700,000 in revenue for our institutions. Here’s how to get it done.

Purchase Season Tickets

Season ticket holders ensure that home games are profitable before a team ever steps on the field to play a game. HBCUs can schedule more home games if they can guarantee the return on investment for those games in terms of tickets sold, parking spaces occupied, and concessions consumed. However, most HBCUs need that FBS road game to make up for lack of investment by alumni and friends.

Win the Battle For Attendance

Plan ahead to show up for home and classic games in record numbers. Too often support for games at HBCUs is contingent upon the opponent and the decision to attend a game is made at the 11th hour. Fans must start to prioritize their attendance by booking their rooms in advance, taking time off work to drive or fly to the game, and purchasing their game tickets before the week of the game. This includes games both homecoming and non-homecoming games. HBCUs sell the majority of their game tickets the week of the game instead of pre-purchasing tickets to drive up the demand.

HBCUs Must Own the Classics

The third step to raising the level of support at HBCUs is to make Classic games profitable through ownership and support. Few neutral site “classic” games between HBCUs provide the financial windfall for the institutions that participate. Instead, third-parties receive the most substantial benefits from playing in these much-anticipated match-ups. The answer is to have more HBCU-owned classic games like the Magic City, Bayou and Florida Classics. These HBCU owned classic games provide the most financial profits for participating institutions after accounting for expenses.

However, if HBCU fans do not fill these stadiums to capacity, then the financial advantages of playing these games are minimized. This is why the FAMU Athletic Director, Milton Overton, announced his plan to introduce FAMU-owned classic games starting with the 5th Quarter Classic against Tuskegee University in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

The success or failure of this exciting new venture will depend on the support by FAMU and Tuskegee alumni, students, faculty, and staff who come out to support the game. I believe that progressive and innovative ideas like this will lead to success for our institutions.

Donate to HBCU Athletics

The fourth step to raising the level of support at HBCUs is to create opportunities for alumni to provide financial donations to the program that maximizes support for recruitment, scholarships, and facilities. While many HBCU programs utilize booster structures to provide financial support to athletic departments, most HBCUs do not require booster memberships to purchase season tickets. HBCUs may want to consider using the donor model to increase support for athletics departments.

FAMU recently implemented a donor model titled “Building Champions” that provides increasing level of benefits for donors who support the university at various levels. Benefits include football and basketball season tickets, parking, lapel pins, priority purchases to classic and MEAC Tournament games. The program also gives each donor a license plate, donor card, E-newsletter, invitations to athletic department events, an annual gift, and recognition in Strike Magazine.

The department has also created a locker legacy program that allows donors to have their names memorialized on lockers in a new field house facility. Each program allows donors to give to strategic initiatives that will advance the program, and more HBCUs need to provide these opportunities to donors.

Stop Expecting the Culture of ‘Free’

How many supposedly HBCU supporters show up to a home or away game looking for freebies? They want free access to the box suite, free food, or an all-access pass to the game, yet this type of alum does not want to purchase a ticket to the game. HBCUs need to provide more benefits to donors and less opportunities for alumni who want the benefits of donors without providing a financial benefit to their alma mater.

Win or Lose, HBCU Fans Have to Be All-In

Attendance at HBCU football games has declined, yet students and alumni at HBCUs could learn a lot from the fans of NFL teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Each of these teams has experienced at least six seasons without making the playoffs, yet each team averaged about 61,000 fans at home games in 2015. Winning cannot be the motivation for support.

Instead, support must be the motivation for winning. We must restore the pride in our alumni and students to understand that showing up and showing out at an athletic event is not about wins and losses; instead, it is an exercise in commitment and pride.

HBCUs will not develop championship caliber programs without physically and financially committed alumni and students. HBCU cheerleaders can’t accompany the team to provide moral support without our donations. HBCU marching bands cannot travel to away games without the funds necessary to cover travel, lodging, and meals. HBCUs cannot recruit the best athletes to play for our programs without investing in quality facilities.

HBCU athletes cannot be successful in the classroom without the academic centers needed to aid them. HBCUs cannot build championship programs without a cadre of alumni who will provide the level of support needed.

As Johnnetta Cole, President Emerita of Spelman and Bennett Colleges, once said, “We love our HBCUs, but love without support will not do.” If we want to see a change in FBS money games, then we must also change our collective level of support.

John Michael Lee, Jr., Ph.D., is a graduate of Florida A&M University and currently serves as an administrator at an HBCU. He can be reached via Twitter or Instagram at @JohnLeePHD.