The SEC is "deep into negotiations toward a 10-year deal to play the league’s football championship game in the new Falcons stadium," according to Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The proposed deal "calls for the game to move into" the $1.4B retractable-roof stadium in '17 and to be "played there annually" through '26. Saturday's Missouri-Alabama SEC Championship will "mark the 21st consecutive year the event has been played at the Georgia Dome, where it will remain" through '16. It is "no surprise that the SEC intends to move its title game next door, rather than to a different city, but a 10-year contract would be longer than sports leagues typically sign on such deals." The proposal reflects the SEC’s "desire to have its marquee events at regular sites." The league last year "agreed to play its men’s basketball tournament" at Bridgestone Arena in nine of 11 seasons from '15-25. A draft of a term sheet "left blank the amount of the fee that the SEC would pay to use the new stadium." But in an e-mail to SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay wrote “you still have my assurance" the fee will not change "in any significant fashion from your historical number.” Tucker notes the SEC will "pay a fee of $355,189 for use of the Georgia Dome for Saturday’s game." That fee "will increase" 5% annually for '15 and '16, as it "did each of the past four years." A draft of the proposed agreement showed that "aside from the seats made available to some PSL holders, 'the SEC will control all other ticket sales.'" Among "many other issues covered, the Falcons pledge to 'use their best efforts' to work with the NFL to avoid scheduling Falcons home games on the Monday or Thursday preceding the SEC game" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 12/4).
ON THE CHEAP: In Atlanta, Phil Hudson reported secondary-market ticket prices for Saturday's game "are much cheaper than recent years." The "current average price" for Missouri-Alabama is $251.46 with a get-in price of $113, according to TiqIQ. The $251.46 price is down from $508.27 for Auburn-Missouri last year, but still ranks higher than the "average prices" for other Power Five conference championship games, including Wisconsin-Ohio State in the Big Ten ($158.78), Florida State-Georgia Tech in the ACC ($129.48) and Oregon-Arizona in the Pac-12 ($123.91) (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/3).
