2025 Athletics Update

1SEIACLONE

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Jun 2, 2024
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Someone smarter than me has surely mathed the math on

Profits from sales to whole stadium
Vs
Lost profits of people leaving Sukup if that happened
I really do not think you would see a lot of people leaving the Sukup area for regular seating if they were selling alcohol throughout the stadium. Most of the people that sit there are doing it for reasons not just the ability to purchase alcohol. The ability to get into a warm space and still watch the game, stadium seats, better food selection and quicker time and cleaner bathrooms for many are just as important as the ability to purchase a beer or five of them. Some people would leave, but not many, and those that left their seats would quickly be snatched up by others wanting those perks.
 

CyCity

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I really do not think you would see a lot of people leaving the Sukup area for regular seating if they were selling alcohol throughout the stadium. Most of the people that sit there are doing it for reasons not just the ability to purchase alcohol. The ability to get into a warm space and still watch the game, stadium seats, better food selection and quicker time and cleaner bathrooms for many are just as important as the ability to purchase a beer or five of them. Some people would leave, but not many, and those that left their seats would quickly be snatched up by others wanting those perks.
Most people I know that are in Sukup are paying the $999 a seat because of alcohol. I think a lot would leave but who knows. I do know they have done a lot of research into it and the financials of selling alcohol to the public.
 

1SEIACLONE

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Most people I know that are in Sukup are paying the $999 a seat because of alcohol. I think a lot would leave but who knows. I do know they have done a lot of research into it and the financials of selling alcohol to the public.
Don't get me wrong, the ability to purchase alcohol is a big plus, but we have friends that sit in the section, and they like to point out the ability of getting a beer is over shadowed by being able to get out of the weather and the cold. They would lose some people, but there is still a waiting list to get in, its not like everyone would drop down to the cheaper seats.
 

CyCity

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Don't get me wrong, the ability to purchase alcohol is a big plus, but we have friends that sit in the section, and they like to point out the ability of getting a beer is over shadowed by being able to get out of the weather and the cold. They would lose some people, but there is still a waiting list to get in, its not like everyone would drop down to the cheaper seats.
There’s not a waiting list to get in Sukup. You can get in for 2024 now if you want although it’s close to being full.
 
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JK4ISU

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I think this increase for donation levels is unlikely to be a problem. The increase of 50% a few years ago didn’t change CC numbers much, so I doubt this will either. The revenue that is being left on the table is having premium seating underpriced. Since there is a long waiting list for Jack Trice Club and donors who qualify can’t get seats in the lower bowl of Hilton, it tells me that those tickets are underpriced. He should double the price of JTC tickets and side sections of the lower bowl of Hilton. If you price the tickets high enough, reseating takes care of itself and then provides an incentive to make the higher donation.
 

Dgilbertson

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January 1, 2025

Dear Cyclone Fans,

We hope you had a safe holiday season and were able to share it with family and friends.

Before we begin preparing for the new year and beyond, it is important to reflect on 2024 and remind ourselves how fortunate we have been to experience the excitement and success of Cyclone Athletics.

From our football team’s most successful season ever, capped by a thrilling 42-41 victory in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, to both our basketball programs being nationally ranked, our wrestling team’s return to national prominence, our men’s cross country team finishing as national runner-up for the second time in three years, and two of our student-athletes earning national individual championships, as well as our student-athletes continuing to excel in the classroom and the community, it is a wonderful time to be a Cyclone.

None of these successes would be possible without the tremendous support from our generous and loyal alums, donors, ticket holders and fans. Your support of our program has truly been the backbone of our success. On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, I say thank you.

As we look ahead to 2025, we are in the midst of the most transformational period in intercollegiate athletics history. From the impact of conference realignment, changes to the college football playoff system, the transfer portal, and revenue sharing with student-athletes, the financial realities facing athletics departments have never been more daunting.

The financial pressure facing our athletics program is no different. The annual cost to fund our athletics department will increase by over 20% in 2025 (approximately $20M) due to sharing revenues with our student-athletes, securing Coach Campbell and Coach Otzelberger to long-term contracts, and changes to Big 12 Conference and College Football Playoff revenue distributions.

The good news is we have spent the past several months working closely with Dr. Wintersteen and her leadership team to develop strategies, all focused on creating a financial pathway forward for our athletics program. She believes it is critically important to Iowa State University for the athletics program to continue to compete at the highest level. However, in order do that, we must be willing to make difficult, and in some cases unpopular, decisions.

The purpose of this letter is to share several decisions we are making to help address the $20M increase in our department’s expenditures. Although none of us like price increases, we must make these changes. We have prided ourselves on not asking you for what we can get, but rather asking you for what we need. That philosophy has served our department, and fan base, extremely well throughout the years, and we believe that these changes are no different.

  1. We are raising the annual Cyclone Club giving levels by 20%, starting with the 2025 drive year. You will receive your renewal notice in February from the Cyclone Club.
  2. We will begin adding state sales tax on all ticket sales beginning in the Fall 2025 (currently we pay the state sale tax out of the ticket price). Adding state sales tax to all ticket sales will allow us to better align financially with those Big 12 institutions that are tax exempt in their respective states, or institutions that are already adding sales tax (K-State) or are in the process of adding sales tax (Iowa).
  3. We are increasing the price of women’s basketball season tickets from $199 to $249 to reflect demand and help fund the costs of sharing revenues with our women’s basketball student-athletes.

In addition, we are continuing to explore other opportunities to increase revenues and/or reduce expenses, including asking our coaches and department heads to reduce their respective annual operating budgets by 10%.

We could not have picked a better time for our athletics program to be faced with these financial challenges. Attendance at our athletic events is at an all-time high, we have secured our most prominent coaches to long-term contracts, and the Big 12 Conference remains committed to identifying and pursuing new revenue opportunities for the membership.

We are also excited about the progress being made on CyTown and look forward to ground being broken on the first buildings this spring. Although CyTown’s direct revenues are earmarked for enhancements in and around the Iowa State Center, the indirect revenues associated with having additional conferences, concerts, and other events in CyTown will help our athletics program.

In closing, I want to thank you once again. We would not be enjoying these successes without your continued loyal generosity.

I hope you have a wonderful 2025. Happy New Year!

Go Cyclones!
In the current world we're in, I couldn't feel better with our sly, gritty, accountant AD, and our bold and aggressive commissioner.

We (ISU & Big12) to be aggressive, creative, and cut-throat with how we proceed. In some ways, I would say let's be the first to put a major sponsor on our jerseys. It's been there for years with euro league and it's gone well and tastefully in the NBA.

Pull out some Bill Veeck promotions. Generate buzz. Be competitive. The Pop-Tarts Bowl couldn't have come at a better time as well, and is largely being lauded for bringing back the fun. It's a game. It's entertainment. It's competition between young men and women vs true professionals.

Considering what my family and I can give now.
 

cycloner29

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Dec 17, 2008
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I think this increase for donation levels is unlikely to be a problem. The increase of 50% a few years ago didn’t change CC numbers much, so I doubt this will either. The revenue that is being left on the table is having premium seating underpriced. Since there is a long waiting list for Jack Trice Club and donors who qualify can’t get seats in the lower bowl of Hilton, it tells me that those tickets are underpriced. He should double the price of JTC tickets and side sections of the lower bowl of Hilton. If you price the tickets high enough, reseating takes care of itself and then provides an incentive to make the higher donation.
So for those of us that have been there when the AD was begging for people or show up for games when they offered season tickets at $99/seat for the last 15 years or so, that are now paying $350/seat, you want to displace them?

I have no problem with the increased tickets prices every year. You put a good product on the field, I would expect increases in order to keep up, but with the way college football has changed over the last few years, you want to keep alumni, donors, students, and fans attending games at an affordable price.
 

JK4ISU

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Dec 5, 2022
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So for those of us that have been there when the AD was begging for people or show up for games when they offered season tickets at $99/seat for the last 15 years or so, that are now paying $350/seat, you want to displace them?

I have no problem with the increased tickets prices every year. You put a good product on the field, I would expect increases in order to keep up, but with the way college football has changed over the last few years, you want to keep alumni, donors, students, and fans attending games at an affordable price.
Yes. I doubt we’ll ever have so much demand that there will be no affordable tickets, they just won’t be the premium seats. The fact that you bought tickets 15 years ago doesn’t have anything to do with what the price should be today.
 
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syclonefan

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No ones really mentioned it but the Junior Cyclone Club is pretty awesome. A family of 4 can get season tickets for right around $700(no donation), so about $100 a football game. That includes admission to wrestling, wbb, volleyball etc and some mbb games.


Iowa or KSU doesn’t do that for football games.
 
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Chitowncy

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The real question for the Iowa State athletic department is who shares in the revenue? If I understand the $20 million increase / change, it is all going to pay athletes. Isn't that correct? If so, which ones? I hope it's only men's basketball, football and women's basketball. Women's basketball brings in the third most revenue. Only men's basketball and football actually make money and bring in more revenue than expenses. If swimming and diving and volleyball and women's soccer and all these other olympic sports are benefiting and their athletes are being paid, I worry the AD will view those olympic programs as expendable in the future and think a few years from now about cutting the programs entirely. That's a perverse effect of this athlete empowerment era, is that the olympic atheletes may end up losing lots of programs and opportunities. I think the concern is that Title 9 of the Civil Rights Act will be interpreted by the AD as they have to pay all athletes and not just the ones brining in revenue. Am I understanding this correctly?
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
The real question for the Iowa State athletic department is who shares in the revenue? If I understand the $20 million increase / change, it is all going to pay athletes. Isn't that correct? If so, which ones? I hope it's only men's basketball, football and women's basketball. Women's basketball brings in the third most revenue. Only men's basketball and football actually make money and bring in more revenue than expenses. If swimming and diving and volleyball and women's soccer and all these other olympic sports are benefiting and their athletes are being paid, I worry the AD will view those olympic programs as expendable in the future and think a few years from now about cutting the programs entirely. That's a perverse effect of this athlete empowerment era, is that the olympic atheletes may end up losing lots of programs and opportunities. I think the concern is that Title 9 of the Civil Rights Act will be interpreted by the AD as they have to pay all athletes and not just the ones brining in revenue. Am I understanding this correctly?
Right now I think nearly all goes to the three you mentioned. Some will hate me, but I want FB and MBB to get 90% of it, or more. They will raise the tide for everyone and then open up funds for the other sports.
 

Chitowncy

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Right now I think nearly all goes to the three you mentioned. Some will hate me, but I want FB and MBB to get 90% of it, or more. They will raise the tide for everyone and then open up funds for the other sports.
Agree completely. I think most of us rational fans - ones who understand economics - want it to go to FB and MBB. Heck, I'd say 95% of it should go to those two and only 5% to WBB. BUT, what I'm wondering about is the legal interpretation of Title 9 and how that's affecting revenue sharing with the non-revenue sports. I'm wondering what ISU's AD has concluded it's obligation is - MUST they share with all athletes, or can revenue sharing only benefit a few chosen sports. I suspect the safe choice and interpretation will be that ALL athletes need to share in the revenue, which then creates our problem for future survival of these olympic sports which will now take even more money to run...
 

1UNI2ISU

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Jan 30, 2013
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IIRC, Arizona State made their plan public and it was 75% to football, 15% to MBB, 7% to WBB and 3% to everything else.
 
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Trice

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Agree completely. I think most of us rational fans - ones who understand economics - want it to go to FB and MBB. Heck, I'd say 95% of it should go to those two and only 5% to WBB. BUT, what I'm wondering about is the legal interpretation of Title 9 and how that's affecting revenue sharing with the non-revenue sports. I'm wondering what ISU's AD has concluded it's obligation is - MUST they share with all athletes, or can revenue sharing only benefit a few chosen sports. I suspect the safe choice and interpretation will be that ALL athletes need to share in the revenue, which then creates our problem for future survival of these olympic sports which will now take even more money to run...

How long until one of these schools goes directly at Title IX? In this, ahem, climate I can't imagine it standing up to a real challenge from someone with the commitment and resources to see it through.
 

scottwv

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How long until one of these schools goes directly at Title IX? In this, ahem, climate I can't imagine it standing up to a real challenge from someone with the commitment and resources to see it through.
Any school going after Title IX will lose...its federal law with teeth not an NCAA rule.
 
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Nor'MidWester

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The title IX sports already don't get nearly the same amount of funding as football/mens basketball so it's already not "equal". How much funding do those sports need to keep in line with the law?
 

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