Getting while the getting’s good

LSU is raising ticket prices again.  When asked why that was necessary in light of the increased revenues expected to roll in from the SEC Network, here’s what the AD had as a response:

“I know there’s a lot of talk and discussion about the SEC network, however, we don’t have any idea of how much money that is going to generate,” LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said…

“It has to be sold to the carriers. It has to be sold to COX, Time Warner, and to Dish TV and satellite TV,” Alleva said. “As of right now, it hasn’t been sold. We have no idea how much revenue it’s going to bring in.”

So… you’re telling us that the SEC embarked upon a path of massive disruption to its conference scheduling – something which you and your head coach have been bitching about on a non-stop basis ever since, by the way – without having the faintest notion about how much the bank account would grow?  Yeah, sure.

But there is a consolation prize.

Alleva said if the athletic department is fortunate and the SEC network contract does generate a significant amount of money, the department already has a revenue sharing agreement with the university.

“So if that does come to fruition, the university is going to benefit significantly from that situation,” he said. “And that will alleviate the need for us to increase ticket prices in the future because our expenses continue to go up $2 to 3 million a year.”

Well, that’s a relief.  Unless state governments that don’t have a problem with starving their college systems see that new revenue stream as a great source to tap as a substitute.  Gee, I wonder where that might happen.

Don’t put that checkbook away just yet, peeps.