A notable change to tailgating was made public last week when season ticket holders and other Mustang fans received mail from the athletic department informing them of significant price increases on the Boulevard.
Spots in the center median of the Boulevard that are south of Binkley cost $80 for the 2006 season. In 2007 that spot will cost $480. Prices north of Binkley will be $725 with an adjacent parking spot and $675 with a remote one.
Associate athletic director for Marketing and Public Relations, Richard Sweet, said the cost to have a “highly coveted spot on the Boulevard was ridiculously undervalued.”
“Like any business, you don’t provide a winning production on the field without paying for it,” Sweet said of the price increase.
He said it’s the responsibility of the athletic department to increase revenues in order for its teams to be competitive. The Boulevard price increases were the first and most logical place because of supply and demand, Sweet said.
In a post on his official blog, athletic director Steve Orsini said the decision to increase the prices was tough, but had to be made.
“The revenues we generate will be invested in the programs you support and love,” he wrote.
Sweet said there is a list of people who would like to have spaces but currently do not. He also cited a survey sent out by the department earlier this year that asked fans how much they would be willing to pay for their tailgating spot. The results indicated that people were willing to pay more than they were.
The survey also asked if fans believed success on the field is related to success in raising revenues. Fans overwhelming responded yes.
Sweet said feedback to the changes has been mixed. Some have called to express their unhappiness with the choice while others have said that they understand why the decision was made.
Sweet equated the price hike to a person working with a personal trainer. He said you don’t pay after you lose the 40 pounds and get the results you want, you have to pay up front.
“If you are going to be top 25 you have to position yourself as top 25,” Sweet said.
He and Orsini cited recent coaching hires by the football team and the ability to market athletics effectively for the need to find new sources of revenue.
Orsini said that the price increase comes with the guarantee that all sold tailgating spots will be protected from squatters by SMU Police and gameday security.
The other change is the addition of a new tailgating area by Doak Walker Plaza. Sweet said the area was created because SMU will begin winning and the main area of the Boulevard will not be enough for everyone. He said that the area is priced less, so younger graduates will be able to afford it and possibly start a new tradition in the plaza.
Eventually, Sweet said, the department wants to create a large circle of tailgaters from Doak Walker, up to and through the Cox School of Business complex and back down Bishop Boulevard.
Sweet said he did not know how popular the new tailgating area at Doak Walker would be.
“The marketplace will decide,” he said.
