Football: This season, Cajuns are bowling for fewer dollars 12/20/12

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, December 20, 2012

NEW ORLEANS — Last year, the Ragin’ Cajuns made a nifty little profit by going to the New Orleans Bowl and beating San Diego State. This year, despite selling more tickets for Saturday’s New Orleans Bowl game against East Carolina, they’re hoping they don’t lose money.

The difference rests in a recently approved change in Sun Belt Conference rules regarding distribution of bowl income. Money that would have gone to the Cajun program last year instead will help pay for bowl trips for other conference teams this year.

In 2011, University of Louisiana at Lafayette athletic director Scott Farmer said Wednesday, the Cajuns generated around $1 million in revenue with their first postseason appearance in 41 years. They incurred $750,000 to $775,000 in expenses, leaving a profit of $225,000 to $250,000.That includes half of $500,000 from ticket sales, with the other half going to the conference. New Orleans Bowl Executive Director Billy Ferrante calls the $500,000 "minimum obligation" money, generated by the sale of nearly 9,000 tickets ranging in cost from $40 to $60.

Then there is what Ferrante calls a "share over and above that."That share — profits from another almost 10,000 tickets sold through UL alone, in the case of 2011 — was split 50-50 between the bowl and the university.

This year, 50 percent of the so-called "over-and-above" sales again go to the bowl — and that is a huge reason the New Orleans Bowl, which drew a 2011 crowd numbered at 12,000-plus more than its previous record, is so happy to have UL back for a second straight time.But the other 50 percent, which all went to the Cajuns last year, will be divided 50-50 with the Sun Belt.Both Farmer and Sun Belt spokesman John McElwain said Wednesday that the new split was proposed by Karl Benson, the first-year conference commissioner, and approved recently in a vote of athletic directors and presidents from Sun Belt schools.

It helps allow the conference to pay member programs whose teams made it to bowls (the Sun Belt has four this year) .

UL and UL Monroe (playing in the Independence Bowl at Shreveport) both are busing to their bowls. Arkansas State (headed to Mobile, Ala.) and Western Kentucky (going to Detroit) are flying.

Receiving half of the over-and-above ticket-sale profits helps subsidize the conference’s payout to bowl teams, Farmer and McElwain suggested.

A six-figure BCS performance bonus that the Sun Belt receives is evenly distributed among member schools.McElwain said that if any funds are left from the above-and-beyond income after it is used to cover costs, it will be evenly distributed to the four bowl teams.

"He (Benson) wants to fund all teams that go to bowls from the conference," Farmer said."So he uses that (the 50-50 split of above-and-beyond profits) as a revenue source to help fund every single team that goes to a bowl game."

In past years, the conference funded expenditures for only one bowl program.That eventually increased to two, and later three. And now, since the split was approved, all bowl teams receive funding for their costs.

"It’s just kind of keeping up with the times," Farmer said. "And I understand that."He does, even though New Orleans Bowl ticket sales are up significantly for UL.

Last year, the school sold nearly 19,000 tickets to a bowl attended by 42,841.This year, it has sold more than 21,000, and according to Ferrante more than 46,000 tickets have been distributed.

But because it has to split the income with the Sun Belt on all tickets over the initial 9,000 or so, and even though it will be getting some costs covered this year that were not last year, UL does not expect nearly as much of a profit as in 2011.If any at all.

"This year there is less revenue coming in, so it’s our goal just to break even," Farmer said."We’re trying to make sure we don’t lose any money going to a bowl game."

If there is little or no profit to be had, then, just what the value of going to a bowl?Farmer, who suggests participants in 20-plus of 35 college football bowl games make no profit whatsoever, sees plenty.

And much of it will be reflected by the droves of Cajun fans expected to make the drive from Lafayette to New Orleans today, Friday and Saturday."I just think it’s a reward for your team for a great season they had," he said.

"It’s a big recruiting boost to say you went to a bowl, you won a bowl. It’s a building block for your program.

"I also say a bowl is supposed to be a celebration of your season, and that’s why this bowl is so good to us — because our fans can come and help us celebrate what these kids did."That," Farmer added, "is why this place is so good for us — because our fans can come and enjoy that. It’s a perfect match."