LSU AD Scott Woodward "sent a letter Friday to the school's Tiger Athletic Foundation donors saying the athletic department has set up a new fund to help make up the substantial revenue loss the school will take because of the coronavirus pandemic," according to Brooks Kubena of the Baton Rouge ADVOCATE. Woodward in the letter wrote reduced capacity at Tiger Stadium during the '20 football season, plus LSU's operating costs with its COVID-19 measures, "will lead to unprecedented revenue losses in the tens of millions of dollars." Kubena noted LSU athletics brought in $157M of revenue in '18-19, with the football program making more than half of that money, totaling $91,950,610 -- a sum that "helped LSU pay for most of its other non-revenue sports." Ticket sales ($36,300,058) made up "nearly 40% of football revenue." Reduced capacity at Tiger Stadium in '20 "will cost LSU millions." The athletic department's new fund is called the Victory Fund, and it will "support with general operating revenue loss and additional COVID-19 expenses -- a list that includes scholarships, healthcare and academic support." LSU has not yet announced how many people will be allowed inside Tiger Stadium when the SEC's 10-game, league-only season begins on Sept. 26 (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 8/8).
