Tennessee to add surcharge to football season tickets in 2025
On Tuesday, the school informed season ticket holders that ticket prices would rise an average of 14.5 percent. Increases in ticket prices are common from year to year across all sports. What makes Tennessee’s increase unique is that the majority of that increase will go toward paying players.
The 10% surcharge is called a “talent fee.” The surcharge money will go into a revenue pool for players starting next season as schools move closer to paying players directly.
“We’ve come a long way in the last few years. In this new era, everything is going to be a lot more expensive,” (Tennessee athletic director Danny) White told Knox News. “But there will also be a closer relationship between resources and competition than ever before. And our greatest asset is our fan base.”
The NCAA is close to reaching a settlement in the antitrust case that the House of Representatives has brought against it. As part of the agreement, schools would be allowed to share revenue with athletes. Since its inception, the NCAA has been adamant that players are amateur student-athletes and cannot receive direct payments from the schools themselves. All of the money that athletes have earned in recent years from their name, image and likeness has come from third parties and advocacy groups.
The deal would allow schools to pay players through the revenue-sharing fund and reduce reliance on third-party payments for athletes. All third-party payments to players could eventually require approval from a clearinghouse before player deals can be finalized.
Tennessee’s decision is likely more the stuff of an early adopter than an isolated case. Don’t be surprised if other schools follow the Vols’ lead in the coming weeks and months, especially after the House deal is finalized and schools know for certain what the revenue-sharing arrangement will look like.