Mississippi State's athletic department "reported a record profit" of $7.8M for the '14-15 academic year, a "sign of the times at a university that has increased revenue and branding across the board in recent years," according to Brandon Walker of the Columbus COMMERCIAL DISPATCH. MSU has "turned record-setting revenue from inside its program as well as from outside sources like the SEC into visible progress, on and off the field." MSU AD Scott Stricklin said, "There are three primary ways we get revenue, and two of them are inter-connected. One is through the SEC revenue, which comes from TV and postseason play. The second is ticket sales, and the third is through donations to the Bulldog Club. All three were at record highs this year." He added, "Our fans have really stepped up and our fanbase has grown in numbers. It has allowed us to create some stability in our programs." Walker reported fans "were responsible" for $12.8M in ticket sales across all sports for MSU this year, "up $800K from last year's previous record." The Bulldog Club, MSU's fundraising wing of its athletic department, also "reported record-setting revenue." MSU's TV rights and licensing profits "brought in" $28.1M in '14-15. Stricklin said that a "big part of the financial increase from the league happened thanks to the SEC Network." Stricklin said of the network's launch, "It was more successful in year one than anyone would have guessed. I don't know if anyone had any set expectations, but they say it's the most successful launch of any cable network ever, sports or otherwise. That right there shows you how well it has done" (Columbus COMMERCIAL DISPATCH, 6/7).
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: In Columbia, Josh Kendall reported for the "first time in history," South Carolina’s athletics department is "planning to bring in more than" $100M for FY '15-16. South Carolina AD Ray Tanner told the school's BOT on Friday that he "expects to bring in" $106M in the coming year. Tanner: "It’s significant that we are going in the right direction. We’re still increasing our revenues, and certainly we need to do that. It’s important that we continue in that direction." Tanner added that the school's revenue is "expected to rank between eighth and 10th for the coming fiscal year" in the SEC. Kendall noted South Carolina's projected revenue for FY '14-15 was $94M, and now the school expects to make $101.7M, "largely because of the SEC Network." The school expects to bring in $22M in ticket revenue this year, with $18.5M of that "coming from football" (Columbia STATE, 6/6).
