College athletics fans have started bidding in online auctions for packages that promoters bill as "experiences," and winners "have watched from seats in the press box, sat behind the team bench or stood just outside the end zone for the final minutes of a football game," according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Some "have toured arenas and broadcast booths," while others "have arranged for their children to retrieve the tee after an opening kickoff or to serve as a ball girl or ball boy at a basketball game." Some of the auctions "have been won for less than $100, others for thousands of dollars." Prices for the experiences "can fluctuate based on a team’s on-field performance, the number of bidders aware of the auction, and the particular experience and sport." CBS Interactive Advanced Media GM Patty Hirsch said, "What’s appealing to fans is they feel a part of the institution and the team, even if they don’t know the outcome of the game." However, she conceded, "Awareness of the auctions is not as high as it should be." Still, she added that the average number of experience auctions "involving the most active colleges and universities had doubled" from '08-13, to 15 annually. Sandomir notes although most experiences "revolve around football and basketball, Rutgers has tried to diversify its offerings." RU Senior Associate AD & CMO Geoff Brown recently "initiated a program to create experiences in other sports." Among those "currently accepting auction bids: a swimming lesson from that team’s coach, Phil Spiniello; a ride with the women’s rowing coach, Max Borghard; a private hitting lesson from the softball coaches; and a one-hour practice run with the women’s soccer assistant coaches" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/13).
