More on the MAC-for-a-Decade Thing

by KJ@theonlycolors on Aug 20, 2009 1:44 PM CDT in Michigan State Spartans Football

Following up on the Fanshot below, here's the official MSU release on the "Celebrate the State" series. Bullets:

Four games each against Central, Western, and Eastern. One home game per year for nine years (2011-2019). Two or three years with both a home and road game.
The first road game will be in Mount Pleasant in 2012. Kalamazoo in 2015. Ypsilanti in either 2018 or 2020.
It's been over a century since we played in any of those locations.

As to rationale for the whole thing, here's Mark Hollis' explanation:

The series provides an opportunity for competitive games, positive celebrations, and economic benefits. Coming off the 2009 NCAA Final Four in Detroit, Michigan State continues to provide positive economic stories for the state of Michigan. [Emphasize on cringe-inducing phrase is mine.]

It's still hard for to believe you don't create a bigger pot of money to make all four schools better off by playing all 12 games in a stadium that seats 72,000, rather than 30,000, people. Are the three MAC schools giving up something in return for the emotional boost for their fans and PR benefits from playing at home against an upper-division Big Ten team?

Update: As posted in the comments below, Joe Rexrode reports the financial arrangements here look pretty darn good for MSU.

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Comments

Understand the 'Zoo and Mt. Pleasant, but Ypsi??

I like that MSU is coming to the ‘Zoo b/c the west side of the state gets little if any love from the two B10 schools. It can’t hurt in recruiting and might help and gets the Spartans out in front of an alumni base who has to travel at least an hour and a half to every meaningful football and hoops game. Mt. Pleasant is good b/c it’ll shut the hillbillies who live up there up. But Ypsi? Gross. Moribound program, never has any success in the MAC much less nationally. Don’t know why State would ever want to go there when MSU plays right next door in AA every other year.

by TahoeSparty on Aug 20, 2009 2:17 PM CDT reply actions

$$ benefit

From reading one of the comments on the mlive site, it seems that MSU will keep the entire gate for their home games without any payments to the MAC teams. Typically, MSU would pay the visitor several hundred grand, but not in this case, it seems.

In exchange, the MAC teams will keep the entire gate for their home games.

Also, I do agree with TahoeSparty that there’s not alot of benefit in playing at EMU, but maybe by 2020, they’ll be a decent team and at least make a game of it.

by NoPoSparty on Aug 20, 2009 2:22 PM CDT reply actions

Two for One vs Three for One?

Are the three MAC schools giving up something in return for the emotional boost for their fans and PR benefits from playing at home against an upper-division Big Ten team?

Yes, I think it’s called three probable shellackings per team at Spartan Stadium over 10 years. Really though, don’t many Big Ten teams tend to do 2 for 1 arrangements with MAC schools? So a 3 for 1 deal doesn’t sounds too bad, in my opinion.

by Spartan-Football on Aug 20, 2009 2:29 PM CDT reply actions

The other thing

is money. If the going rate is just shy of $1M for a MAC team to come to your field to lose, I’m betting that MSU locked in those 6 or 9 home games at vastly reduced rates (if any payment at all). That makes it a great idea (assuming that you don’t slip up in one of the road contests…

The Rivalry, Esq.
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Bama Hawkeye on Aug 21, 2009 8:15 AM CDT up reply actions

MAC

I wonder if this has to do with the 15,000 average attendance requirements for fbs schools? If the MAC teams were having trouble meeting those requirements this will be a big boost for them. This will almost guarentee 2 sellouts (MSU and homecoming.) MSU gets to build a strong relationship with fans from all over the state and the MAC.

by Chris in Kzoo on Aug 20, 2009 2:55 PM CDT reply actions

Great point.

The Rivalry, Esq.
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Bama Hawkeye on Aug 21, 2009 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions

Rexrode

Details:

MSU is paying $800,000 for Western to come to Spartan Stadium this year, after both decided against the originally scheduled Ford Field game. Under this agreement, MSU will end up paying about that much to each MAC school for three visits — and then each MAC school gets the whole gate when MSU visits. In other words, MSU will pay 800K (that’s an estimate, the final numbers won’t be decided until closer to the games) for three home games that, with the way things are going, would end up costing a total of about $3 million otherwise. And MSU is doing that with each school. So in essence, MSU will save roughly $6.6 million in scheduling costs through this agreement. Not to mention lower travel costs. That’s why this happened.

OK, I’m on board.

Cheer for The Only Colors: Green and White!

by KJ@theonlycolors on Aug 21, 2009 11:06 AM CDT reply actions