Bulldog Businessmen: We've outgrown away games @Podunk U- let's play in Jackson
By coach34
We played at Troy this season in front of 29,000 people. 29K. We have an away game in 2014 at South Alabama. If the crowd for the South Alabama game reached 29K, it would be a major surprise. In 2016 we go back to La Tech to play in another podunk stadium in front of another 30,000 people. Remember that kick in the nuts last time we were there? It doesnt have to be this way. I get asked by fans of other SEC schools “why are you guys playing at UAB?”, “why are you guys playing at Troy? You’re in the SEC, you dont have to do that”. I agree. We shouldn’t have to play in glorified high school stadiums in Ruston. Our football team should never set foot in Troy, Alabama ever again. We have grown up. We are one of the big boys now. It’s time to start acting like it.
I propose getting a group of Bulldog investors together to buy these games and play them in Jackson instead. Doing this has plenty of advantages:
1. It would keep the game in our state, allowing many fans in central and south Mississippi to see us play that normally wouldn’t. Some of these people might also be young recruits we are going after in the future- athletes as well as students. This move would certainly help the “OUR STATE” cause.
2. It would give us a huge crowd advantage and make it less likely for us to be upset. We need to keep winning to keep the program growing, and close calls @UAB and @Troy the last couple of years would be harder for them in Jackson.
3. It would be a money-maker for the group that takes on the project. The stadium in Jackson holds 62,000-plus. It would most likely by full, but let’s say we sell 50,000 tickets at $40 per ticket. That’s a cool 2 million dollars. It’s going to cost about a million to buy the game away from these schools, so that leaves 1 million to deal with all the other things that would need to be done for the game (lodging for teams, Jackson City Council, donation to Jackson State, etc). You would have to figure a minimum profit of 200-250K for this group of businessmen. And that doesnt even include the 150-200K that would be made in concessions. What about sponsors? Have I mentioned sponsors would surely want to be a part of this? This would also help offset cost and make this project successful.
4. It would be a boost for the city of Jackson. Hotels would be full, restaurants would be busy, and malls would be frequented. Money would be raised for the city by charging for parking. Jackson’s economy could use the boost I’m sure.
5. Playing in Jackson is greater than playing in Mobile or Ruston. We might have 7-8,000 Bulldog fans make those road trips. We’d have at least 40,000 Bulldogs watch us play in Jackson, and probably more.
I havent thought of everything, but I do think I’m on the right track with this idea. It’s time for some forward-thinking Bulldog businessmen to get together to make some money, do something that would help the University, city of Jackson, and the state of Mississippi. We are in the “Big Boy” conference, it’s time to start being a “Big Boy”
In Mullen We Trust,
Coach34