College football has kicked off, tailgate parties are on and school is back in session – but not without its share of drama. What’s hot? What’s trending? What’s, you know, new in the sports space? It’s time to find out.
Oh, and while it’s still too early to make ironclad championship forecasts, there are plenty of other factors to consider. Spoiler Alert: Don’t say we didn’t warn you about this stuff because it’s all absolutely real and absolutely newsworthy.
Just as a side note, Forbes says the following:
“With a presence at more than 60 collegiate and professional stadiums nationwide, game day experience company REVELXP is expanding on the turnkey tailgating concept this season and fans are responding enthusiastically. In fact. REVEL says it has sold more than 90 percent of its inventory for the following games:
- Auburn @ Penn State - Sept. 18
- Florida State @ North Carolina - Oct. 9
- Miami @ North Carolina - Oct. 16
- SMU @ TCU - Sept. 25
- Alabama @ Texas A&M - Oct. 9
- Georgia @ Auburn - Oct. 9
- Alabama @ Auburn - Nov. 27
- Alabama @ Florida - Sept. 18
- Nebraska @ Oklahoma - Sept. 18
- Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game – Alabama @ Miami in Atlanta – Sept. 4
In addition, all full season tailgating packages at University of Georgia have sold out.”
Tailgates are a massive money-maker: The parking lot parties, with their drinking, eating, grilling and cornhole, amount to something between $500 million to $5 billion per year) so moving a party or a game is NOT insignificant.
The list in the Forbes/REVELxp list above, which includes a lot of games in the target area, could be threatened and organizers are being warned to make alternative arrangements.
ONE high-profile event makes a big difference: The 2024 Rose Bowl Parade and Game generated more than $245 million in economic impact. (That’s just immense. Anyone else want to jump in with a note about the NFL? We’re ready.)
Even more specific: HBCU homecoming competitions are some of the most respected in the sports event space. Six (and likely more) events are planned for football alone in 2025 (and other sports will bring more impact to the table. And that doesn’t include regular season events (see them here).
In fact, HBCUs generate more than $14.8 billion in economic impact overall, and generate 134,090 jobs for their local and regional economies; that’s equivalent to the number of jobs provided by Oracle, one of the nation’s largest private employers.
Other HBCU Sports: The National Collegiate Intercollegiate Athletics (NCAI) 2024 basketball tournament in Baltimore made headlines in a big way, with 19.6 million in participant and spectator off-site spending, with $5.8 million spent in the food and beverage sector, $4.7 million in lodging, $3.9 million in entertainment and attractions, $3.6 million in retail spending, and $1.7 million in transportation and local rideshare companies.
Stormy Weather is Threatening Sports: Hurricanes are on the rise and could threaten everything from tailgate parties to games – all of which factor into economic impact.
Guardian Cap Use is on the Rise: More colleges are using Guardian Caps, the padded helmet covers designed to provide more head protection than ever before. The NFL has begun using them and so have youth teams.
Corporate Logos Are Allowed on Fields: This year, for the first time, NCAA is allowing corporate logos on DI football fields. So far, that is the extent of the change but in the future, it may well be the use of logos could be expanded to other levels and other sports. It has been theorized that the change was spurred by a need to have institutions make money in the face of NIL.
Heat Safety: More stadiums are taking care to protect players (and spectators as well) from dangerous heat conditions, whether in pre-season practices, or in onfield practices after the school year has started. The recent death of a Maryland high school student while practicing for an opening-season football game has reigned the debate over student safety. Expect to see this move from the high schools to the colleges.
It Might Be WAY too Early to Predict Winners But… That hasn’t exactly stopped anyone. Here’s an early forecast.
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