Loyola has seen a 660% increase in donations after the Final Four run compared with the same period in '17GETTY IMAGES
Loyola-Chicago's popularity after its Final Four run "can be measured" with a 170% increase in season-ticket sales if last year's holders and those who put down a deposit "follow through" when the '18-19 sales open this week, according to Shannon Ryan of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Loyola Senior Associate AD/External Operations Tom Sorboro said that the school has also seen a 660% increase in donations "compared with the same time frame last year." The athletic-specific donations "were tallied from March 1 to April 2." Sorboro said that he "expects the university to see a significant boost in apparel and merchandise royalties that they'll receive from vendors in July." Loyola "added 30 retail outlets in the Chicago area during the Final Four run" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/15). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted the donation money "doesn't include additional licensing revenue, which hasn't been tallied yet" (ESPN.com, 5/14). In Chicago, Lewis Lazare noted Loyola received 31% "more requests for info about the school from March 1 through April 2 than it had gotten during that time frame last year." Loyola's social media engagement "skyrocketed during March Madness," growing 1,676% year over year. Website traffic also grew 91% year over year, and social media followers grew 34% during this year's March Madness "compared to a year ago" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 5/14).
