Mississippi State AD John Cohen said football is related to everything the school does athleticallyGETTY IMAGES
Mississippi State AD John Cohen is "very hopeful" the football season will continue as planned, but he "knows the consequences his school will face if Davis Wade Stadium sits empty this fall," according to Theo DeRosa of the Columbus COMMERCIAL DISPATCH. Cohen said football is "related to everything you do athletically," especially in the SEC. DeRosa noted that includes a "planned renovation of Humphrey Coliseum," which is "slated to begin next year." Cohen estimated that the price tag for the investments is $40-50M. Cohen: "We really need a football season next fall in order for us to engage in this project." MSU this year "would be projected to rake in" roughly $13.4M in ticket sales alone -- and that is "without factoring in an attendance increase with the hiring of Mike Leach" as coach (Columbus COMMERCIAL DISPATCH, 4/1). ESPN Radio’s Trey Wingo notes some college football towns were particularly susceptible to an economic downturn due to coronavirus, saying, “Starkville, Mississippi; Athens, Georgia; Tuscaloosa, Alabama ... these are not big places.” ESPN Radio’s Mike Golic: “When you go to these small towns to do these games, you just see how it fills. You just understand the trickle-down effect of how the town is sustained by that and how it can be so lucrative for them. And that could be gone” (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 3/31).
DRY SCHOOL: In Jackson, Tyler Horka noted while other schools in Mississippi have "followed the trend of selling beer and wine to spectators at their athletic venues," MSU "stayed dry." Cohen and MSU President Mark Keenum have "agreed that it is not yet the right move" for the school. Cohen said that he is in the "preliminary stages of asking other athletic directors within the conference about their experiences selling alcohol." But he called the sample size "too small to get a good gauge of how things have gone." Execs remain adamant that the school's venues "will remain dry until they can say with confidence that selling alcohol will not have adverse effects on the overall atmosphere of sporting events" (Jackson CLARION-LEDGER, 3/30).
