August 13, 2003
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of LSU Athletics
FROM: Skip Bertman, LSU Director of Athletics
Today an important announcement was made about the future of your athletics program. I have proposed a plan that would secure the future of LSU Athletics by allowing us to address all of our facility needs by the end of the decade, and at the same time establish financial stability for the LSU Athletics program.
The plan consists of three parts, all of which would go into effect for the 2004 season:
First, all current surcharges on football tickets would be eliminated and a single ticket price of $36 for every seat in Tiger Stadium would be established.
Second, the plan would create a Preferred Seating Program. A contribution that would go directly to LSU would be required of approximately 45,000 seats in Tiger Stadium for the right to purchase tickets. The contribution would be separate from and in addition to the cost of the ticket. The better the seat, the higher the contribution required.
And third, LSU would enter into lease agreements that would facilitate the construction and renovation of athletics facilities on the LSU campus.
You may hear a lot about this plan from the media the next several days, so I hope you will take time to carefully study the plan and digest the information presented. We’ve launched a website at www.LSUsports.net/vision to provide all of the details. The plan is subject to approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors.
I’m excited about this plan because it would give LSU the resources to realistically pursue our goal to be among the top five athletics programs in the nation.
During the last year, we met and corresponded with hundreds of fans, athletics administrators at other schools, legislators, decision-makers and focus groups. That feedback enabled us to develop a set of standards which we followed to develop this plan.
First, we were committed to removing no one from their seat. Everyone has the right of first refusal to renew their current season tickets. If they choose not to pay the required contribution, we will work with each ticket holder to find a seat with a lower contribution required, or one with no contribution required at all.
Second, we were committed to giving season ticket holders ultimate control over their seats. Season ticket holders will determine who will sit in their seats with a one-time Transfer Option Period. If someone chooses not to pay the required contribution, he or she can transfer the ticket into the name of another person.
Over the course of the last year, a prevailing concern was that we would change the culture of Tiger Stadium if we increased the cost of attending football games. With the one-time option to transfer tickets, this allows the culture of Tiger Stadium to sustain itself. Who better to decide who sits in Tiger Stadium than the fans themselves?
Third, we were committed to establishing realistic financial and facility improvement goals that in turn would allow us to create realistic and affordable contribution amounts for existing season ticket holders. For instance, under this plan the highest contribution would be $400 per seat, per year for lower sideline seats, and over 30,000 end zone seats would require a contribution of only $85 per seat, per year.
Fourth, we were committed to generating enough revenue to allow LSU to reach a certain level of improvement in facilities and financial stability for the long-term prosperity of the athletics program.
And, fifth, we were committed to establishing University control of all new revenue generated by a seating contribution plan. All monies from the contributions will go directly to LSU Athletics, and may be 80 percent tax deductible.
Your correspondence through these Cyber-side Chats played an important role in the plan that was presented today. I was buoyed by the support expressed by so many of you as I have outlined our challenges and our plans for the future. I have taken to heart the comments from those of you concerned about where these plans may take all of us, particularly how season ticket holders could be affected.
Some decisions in this process were easy to make. Others were grueling. In the end, we believe this plan is fair and equitable, and in the best interests of the future of Louisiana State University.
The most gut-wrenching aspect of this plan is the realization that some season ticket holders who truly cannot afford to make the financial commitment for the right to purchase their seats will choose to give them up, some after many years of attending LSU football games. For those people I am heart-broken and I express my sincere regret.
To compete at this level of college athletics, there is a certain market place in which we must participate. Many schools made these decisions many years ago, and now have moved on to much higher contribution levels than what we have proposed today. I hope you have the confidence in us to know that these decisions were made for the greater good of the University.
Thank you again for reading these Cyber-side Chats. I encourage you to continue to send your feedback to us at LSUvision@etigers.net. Although I cannot guarantee a response to every e-mail, please know that they will all be read. Thank you for your continued support of Tiger Athletics.
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