The most amusing part of yesterday’s announcement that Georgia Tech will play five “home” games in the friendly confines of Mercedes Benz Stadium is the squirming attempt by the parties involved to spin the decision as something other than what it obviously is, a necessary move by an athletic department in desperate need of funds.
That’s why you get laughable statements about non-monetary benefits like these:
Coach Geoff Collins has a bauble that he can dangle in front of prospects – a home game every year in the stadium that has hosted the Super Bowl and the College Football Playoff Championship game.
“We see our location as being an asset that cannot be duplicated by our competitors,” Stansbury said.
Tech fans can watch their team in the opulence of MBS. And Tech can further connect itself to the city of Atlanta, which has been an objective of Stansbury’s since his hire and has likewise been a priority for Collins.
If MBS is such a fantastic asset, then why doesn’t Tech go ahead and move all of its home games there?
“I think Georgia Tech’s done a great job since Todd has come here, and coach Collins, of really breaking through the clutter, and this is another example of that,” Peach Bowl CEO and president Gary Stokan said. “Out-of-the-box thinking in a marketplace that’s tough.”
The clutter of playing home games in your own stadium clutter? WTF, Stokan? How out of the box is it to play a game at a place that regularly hosts kickoff classics and championship games? It’s not like playing at MBS is some unique, never to be duplicated happening.
This is the only brand that matters.
For the four games besides the Clemson game, Tech will rent MBS and collect gate receipts. Stansbury was particularly excited about the large volume of private suites that can be sold for those games. At Bobby Dodd Stadium, there is a waiting list for premium seating.
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, over five days between 2020 and 2024, that’s revenue that’s waiting to be collected.
It’s a money grab, plain and simple. You know it. I know it. Gary Stokan knows it. Todd Stansbury sure as hell knows it. Even the folks at Stingtalk know it.
Get The Picture 
They can play in MBS all they want, it still won’t change the fact that they suck. This guy is delusional. I’ll be surprised if they break even money wise.
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They’ll make out fine, financially. Kickoff Classic alone will be a much bigger payout than a home game.
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Because Clemson fans will descend on Atlanta like locusts. MBS as the venue just means 20000 more of them are getting in than at the Joke. If one relied on GTU fans, they’d probably have a hard time drawing enough fans to fill a MARTA bus. What few show up will be gone by halftime, when Dabo will be up by 4 scores.
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That’s not why. They get a guaranteed payout from the KC, unlike the other games where they’re renting out the stadium and taking the attendance risk.
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I guess it’s not DIRECTLY why, but the KC wouldn’t invite Tech if it wasn’t sure of a sellout. Maybe the Atlanta Sports Council threw Tech a bone by letting them play Clemson there, but they wouldn’t have done it if they weren’t sure Clemson would buy up all the tickets. Clemson would sell out MBS if it was playing Georgia State, or Mercer, or Marist HS (who might give them a better game than Tech, and which certainly has a larger, more enthusiastic fan base)
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You don’t think Clemson fans will buy every ticket available to them, and Notre Dame will fill the place? Every ticket dollar will go to Tech, which will price the tickets at an amout to more than cover the rent.
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I’m assuming Clem’s Son will fill up the place. I’m not sure about Notre Dame.
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If sellers sitting a row in from of me expects to get 10 times face value on stubhub for ND in Athens I expect there is demand for ND tickets in Atlanta. I bet a lot of sports fans will pay a more reasonable price to see Notre Dame.
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ND fans used to show up strongly when they played Tech yearly in the 70s. There should be plenty of them at MBS, surely more than the few nerd fans who will show to chunk bottles and frozen fish at the Irish players. Stay classy, nerds!
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The Clemson-GT game is scheduled on a Monday night.
With the newness of the stadium gone, it’s not a guaranteed sellout.
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There’s also the chance that they don’t sell all those four game ticket packages they used to sell to Clemson fans who might have just been buying to get the one game and selling the rest (for a loss) on the open market. In summary, Tech still sucks.
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No – they won’t sell all the tickets. TECH can’t sell out Bobby Dodd for big games. Who is showing up at MBS on Thursday night? Some fans will show up from other teams but not 70,000. It is going to be hilarious to see a half full MBS with Tech on Thursday night….
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Stansbury said in the article Old Fashioned Hate should be played on campus. I think he knows he can’t move that game to MBS even if the money is too good to pass up.
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Another way would be to play a game every year at Kennesaw and a couple more home games at Georgia State stadium, which is nicer than BDS anyway. Hell, if they want to really connect to the city if Atlanta, why not a game at Grady stadium or Piedmont Park!
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They might fill up Grady. Kennesaw or Georgia State is a bridge too far.
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Good point. 🙂
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Most recent home football game attendance (regular season):
Georgia Tech 37K
Georgia State 20K
Kennesaw State 17K
Morehouse 7K
Clark Atlanta 4K
#STILLWINNINGTHEATL
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Average attendance of Georgia’s last two games in Atlanta: 77,285
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If they really want to give these a Tech home game feel, then all of the games should be played on Thursday night, preferably on a weekend where UGA hosts a huge conference game to show who runs this state.
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What difference does it make if they call it a neutral site or home game, they are still going to lose.
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How is Tech playing in MBS for cash any different than us playing in Jax? Oh, tradition is on our side you say? I retort with hog wash. When the money from Jacksonville dries up, so will our “tradition” of playing in Jacksonville. Tech wins in this game of money grab…their deal is only 5 home games.
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Only in your mind is a series played since 1933 worthy of being called a tradition in quote marks.
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..but to his point: the day UGAA does the math and hosting Florida in Athens every two years is a bigger payday than playing in Jax every year, that game gets moved to home-and-home.
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When Notre Dame or Clemson agreee to play their home game with Tech at MBS, then you can make that comparison. Otherwise that’s apples to oranges.
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Beer Money, you are 100% correct. Notre Dame nor Clemson are dumb enough to give away a home game every other year. Why on earth would a university willing hamstring itself by giving up a home game every other season?
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ND regularly plays a “home” game at a neutral site location, really nothing new here to see.
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In two seasons, GT has played five games in NFL stadiums.
Lost them all.
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Tradition!
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This is like “Rocky”, a down on his luck fighter getting a shot at the champ, a gritty underdog trying to make ends meet standing up for the little guy on the big stage….
Aw hell. Who am I kidding…
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I clicked on the link to st and read page 17. Man, those are some delusional punks.
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Did you see the comment on their winning the 2021 National Championship and having 45,000 season ticket holders by 2024? Maybe they ought to win a couple games first.
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Stansbury should request StinkTalk’s return to the registration wall.
No one wants to sit next to those petty nerds.
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Is Tech getting a discount on the rent or will the tickets be astronomical? They better start winning, and quick, to sell that place enough for a huge profit.
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Well, if I understand it correctly, they didn’t discount for Uncle Arthur when United played in BDS. Uncle Arthur does not forget.
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You thought BDS looked empty for GT home games? Just wait till they play in MBS. It’s going to look cavernous. The only difference this move will make in their attendance is that the students will be even less inclined to attend the games than before.
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Scrolled through ST. When you’ve lost the StingTalk ‘faithful’, you done effed up.
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Will this make them finally shut up about not being able to afford to fire their garbage coaches in the future?
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Of course, if the players were any good they could come to Georgia and play in MEANINGFUL games in MBS.
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Seems to me that opponents will be lining up to play gtu. Its like having a series with a neutral field and home game for them. They never have to play in Mark Richt Field, not that it was such a tough place to play for gtu’s opponents. Plus, they can probably arrange to have their local recruit targets attend. Also bring all the fans for a road trip to ATL, not having to worry about excessive ticket prices.
Other than what they hope will be a bigger payday, I can’t see how this works very well for gtu.
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Who really cares where they play?
GT thanks you for pimping the move.
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First and foremost, when tech is drowning we should “put our foot on the head and shove a waterhouse in their mouth.”
That said, this is exactly what they need to do to try and find some relevancy and some cash. At this point, whether they win or not isn’t the question. It is can the other program fill the Benz and put money in their pockets. Of course, the one game they host every other year where that is guaranteed they won’t dare move to the Benz, but that’s fine with me.
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The question that has not been asked yet is: Will Tech be able to afford 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 cokes at MBS prices?
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I actually thought about that considering they will need an additional 150,000 hot dogs and cokes (+ – ).
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Has anybody heard just how much $$$ they will get?
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I think the $$$ they get that day against clemmons will be discounted due to nerds not leaving campus to go the 1.6 miles, and that their season ticket holders will get pissed off by not getting prime seats. This will lead to apathy for alumni as well as inmates..ah students. As I mentioned on the Senator’s Embrase the Suck thread….
Leaving your campus to go to a NFL stadium does not work. Ask Tulane. The best Jeoff and GTU can hope for is demolish Grant’s tomb, then build a 35,000 seat stadium for home games on par with Duke and Wake Forest.
UGA, clemmons, and ND can play the chumps in MBS.
The legend lives….
TECH STILL SUX!!
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What if they scheduled DragonCon at MBS the same day as the Clemson game?
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I guess the “premium” seats at Bobby Dud comes with 8 cokes and 8 hot dogs instead of 4.
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