The complex nature of what College Football means for athletic departments can easily be seen in what stands to be lost with no Clemson football fans.
Clemson football fans have heard it all by this point and the truth of the matter is that no one knows what the future holds pertaining to the start of College Football.
Some analysts predict we won’t see games at all. Others think the games won’t start until January of 2021. Others believe we’ll see games start in October. Still, many hold out hope that we’ll see the season start on time in September.
With fans or without fans? Well, that remains a question that simply can’t be answered.
The NCAA released guidelines as to what they’re looking at for the start of College Football and the organization said it was focused on testing and getting sports going again, not on pushing for fans in the stands.
That presents a major problem, though.
While College Football certainly benefits from television contracts and things of that nature, the revenue brought in from fans in the stands can’t be matched.
Take Clemson football fans, for example.
According to The Clemson Insider, Clemson brought in more than $5.5 million in revenue from the games played in Death Valley last season. That includes ticket purchases, concession stands and souvenirs bought during those seven games.
So what would happen if all of that revenue just went away? Colleges across the country are dealing with that very question. College Football pays the tab for the other sports across the athletic department.
Not only is the revenue from Clemson football games important for the entire athletic department, Tiger Town also has a unique economy that depends on games being played in front of 80,000-plus people.
Many small businesses in and around Clemson generate more revenue on those seven Saturdays than they do the rest of the year combined.
It’s a unique and sticky situation where no one has all the answers, but one thing is for certain: Clemson, along with many other colleges around the country, stands to lose millions if games can’t be played and could lose even more without fans in the stands.