Calling all Gamecock boosters! Are there any?

[18IsTheMan]

Are Gamecocks booster meetings just 3 or 4 guys at a table at Applebees? We've been a university for over 220 years. How is that we haven't produced much in the way of wealthy donors who care about football? Obviously, academic endeavors are what's actually important, but it would be nice if there were a couple deep pocket guys who were highly invested in the football team. We have Joe Rice. Is there anyone else? And Rice doesn't even seem to support NIL, which is now the lifeblood of programs (per article linked below).

This article also gives a decent history of our pretty spotty past in financial support for athletics. Eric Hyman notes that they were not permitted to ask wealthy alumni for financial support for athletics. Bob McNair was a billionaire, and also an NFL team owner, so we can assume a sport enthusiast, but it doesn't seem like we ever tapped into that. Now, why a billionaire graduate who owned an NFL team never voluntarily gave (or gave much) to support athletics is a different question.

https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/university-of-south-carolina/usc-football/article312833279.html

Nevertheless, boosters are the driving force in today's game. They've always wielded a heavy hand, but in the NIL era, they are basically in charge. "Don't fire an underperforming coach? Fine, you won't get any NIL support from us." In a way, that can be good. You don't have nosy boosters always butting in and sticking their noses into things. On the other hand, boosters can be effective at forcing reluctant administrations to make necessary changes.

It's not a fixable problem as you can't just conjure billionaire alumni out of thin air. I guess we're just stuck.

 

[18IsTheMan]

When you look at it from the revenue angle, combined with our lack of powerful boosters, what motivation does the BOT have to make any serious football moves?

We were 4-8 (1-7) this season and we sold out every home game. I can't say for sure, but I'd wager we were the only, or at least one of very few 4-8 teams In P4 to sell out every home game. No matter the record, you can't do any better than a sellout. So what motivation is there for the BOT to do anything. I bet a half empty stadium for the CCU and Clemson games would have sent a message.

Bottom line: as long as fans continue to pack the stadium without regard for the quality of the product on the field, the BOT has no reason to change anything. There are no boosters there as backups to wield their checkbooks.

 

[sclawman77]

Even though the boosters have money to burn, I wish they would cut off the funds until the administration makes a serious commitment to winning.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Even though the boosters have money to burn, I wish they would cut off the funds until the administration makes a serious commitment to winning.

But I don't think there are enough boosters giving enough money for that to be a real threat to the BOT.

 

[JohnnySolo]

We sold all the tickets to each game. That classifies as a sell out. Most of those tickets were then resold on Ticketmaster for a profit. Even I did it for games I did not attend. Bob McNair passed in 2018. His estate and surviving family members give zero shts about Carolina sports. The BOT is voted on by the general assembly with one at-large appointed by the Governor. Not all members of the BOT give a sht about Carolina sports.

Currently the University is eliminating 4,100 west seats which is approximately 2,000 ticket holders. That doesn't include the members like myself that are being asked to double my giving in order to have a chance to keep my seats in the west lower. This will either create much more giving and donations for NIL or eliminate it. It will eliminate mine.

USC football will continue to compare to the Chicago Cubs. No need to spend to win because it is not needed to profit. Every so blue moon you will have a winning season. Fortunately for the Cubs they were world series champions in 2016, which I think is easier to do than USC winning in football. The Cubs will either win it again or play for it again before SC ever plays for it.

 

[sclawman77]

But I don't think there are enough boosters giving enough money for that to be a real threat to the BOT.

I think we still have a few huge donors but no doubt we have very few compared to other schools. Then fans need to stop donating to the Garnet Trust too.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Then fans need to stop donating to the Garnet Trust.

Problem is, much of our fan base can't make the emotional break.

 

[4toTampa]

Investing in 18-22 year olds, well 18-26 yo now, is a loser.

 

[JohnnySolo]

Investing in 18-22 year olds, well 18-26 yo now, is a loser.

Living in mom's basement. Maybe they can donate some of mom's meatloaf.

 

[Uscg1984]

I don't know what our contingent of "wealthy boosters" looks like or how that term is defined, but SC consistently ranks in the top 25 in revenue (despite rarely generating top 25 results), so I doubt that's the problem. Presumably, the university is confident there is a market for all those Williams-Brice suites they are building to the tune of $350 million. Maybe all of those folks hang out on the pay-side of the forum. lol

 

[Dabo's Weenie]

I don't know what our contingent of "wealthy boosters" looks like or how that term is defined, but SC consistently ranks in the top 25 in revenue (despite rarely generating top 25 results), so I doubt that's the problem. Presumably, the university is confident there is a market for all those Williams-Brice suites they are building to the tune of $350 million. Maybe all of those folks hang out on the pay-side of the forum. lol

I'd love to see the financials and how they project making a profit on an investment of over one-third of a billion dollars in a college football stadium - just for renovations - so this would need to be revenue generated in addition to what they would have made without changes.

The interest alone on that amount is staggering - more than enough to pay for the highest paid coach in CFB every year (and then some).

Not sure there are a lot of sound business and financial decisions in practice nowadays. But if it's other people's money, hey, that makes the process a whole lot easier.