UT Claiming A Profit From The Taxlsayer Bowl

[Coug]

If you have ever wondered about the ratio between bowl expenses vs money paid then this is quite the informative article. You'll want to read the whole article to understand how the numbers breakdown. LINK Below.

"Tennessee spent more than $1.25 million for expenses on the TaxSlayer Bowl but stayed within the stipend provided by the SEC to turn a small profit on the game."

"According to a financial summary obtained Tuesday by the News Sentinel through a public record request, UT is claiming a $164,811 profit from the bowl game in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 2 on top of the money that will be part of the pool for the annual conference payout."

Bowl expenses were more than $1.25 million, but UT claims profit - News Sentinel Story

 

[BearcatVol]

Cost to participate in a major bowl game - $1.25 Million. Turning the tides on bowl appearances, wins, and the future - PRICELESS

 

[walkenvol]

Wow! How can it cost $1.25 mil to attend an away game? I know the prices of airlines, restaurants and hotels are up, but I didn't realize it was that much?

 

[Volador]

Well, glad we at least won the $164,811 IRS Bowl!

 

[madbamahater]

Please breakdown how that would be over a million dollar trip.

I just don't buy it

 

[KBVol]

Please breakdown how that would be over a million dollar trip.

I just don't buy it

@JimmyHyams: $700,000 for transportation, lodging, meals; $133,299 for band travel, $55,333 for team costs, $23,134 for athlete mileage, $97,880 for tix

 

[Gandalf]

When any of you ask "what does the AD do anyway?" they should link them this article. This is a pretty good breakdown of the business of playing football in the SEC. For those of you who are asking how can it cost so much, the expenses for the trip are broken down for you in the article.

 

[salutethehill]

nb4 @SC_HBC "Vol accountants doing cartwheels"

 

[Aesius]

$700k for transportation, lodging, and meals alone blows my mind.

How many people travel as part of the official football team party? Did the entire 85-man roster make the trip? Obviously all of the coaches and support staff made it. UT athletics media crew (VFL Films) did as well. I guess in all 200 people made the trip as part of the football team travel party (not counting the band). I could be way off on that, but it seems like a fair estimate.

The flight to Jacksonville was probably $300 each way per person, so that's $120k. And they stayed for about one week, right? So we'll go with about 150 hotel rooms (some got single rooms, some shared) at maybe $200/night--that's $210k.

Meals probably average $20 per person 3x per day, so that's another $84k. Add snacks and drinks and other more expensive meals and we'll go with a total of $100k spent for food.

Bus rides to the stadium and back for practices and the game probably cost $10k total.

That's still about $450k, which is just over half of the estimated cost and leaves $250k unaccounted for. Did the coaches go wild at some strip clubs in Jacksonville after the players went to bed?

The only I see it adding up is if the actual travel party was more like 400 people and every football player's family spent the entire week in Jacksonville eating/sleeping on the UT AD's dime.

 

[Volnatic]

$700k for transportation, lodging, and meals alone blows my mind.

How many people travel as part of the official football team party? Did the entire 85-man roster make the trip? Obviously all of the coaches and support staff made it. UT athletics media crew (VFL Films) did as well. I guess in all 200 people made the trip as part of the football team travel party (not counting the band). I could be way off on that, but it seems like a fair estimate.

The flight to Jacksonville was probably $300 each way per person, so that's $120k. And they stayed for about one week, right? So we'll go with about 150 hotel rooms (some got single rooms, some shared) at maybe $200/night--that's $210k.

Meals probably average $20 per person 3x per day, so that's another $84k. Add snacks and drinks and other more expensive meals and we'll go with a total of $100k spent for food.

Bus rides to the stadium and back for practices and the game probably cost $10k total.

That's still about $450k, which is just over half of the estimated cost and leaves $250k unaccounted for. Did the coaches go wild at some strip clubs in Jacksonville after the players went to bed?

The only I see it adding up is if the actual travel party was more like 400 people and every football player's family spent the entire week in Jacksonville eating/sleeping on the UT AD's dime.

If they supplied the team with copious amounts of blow, it may explain the cost and our unusual display of speed, strength and push on those 4th and 1 stops... Although in all reality the hotel rooms may have cost more than your estimate, and I would imagine equipment shipping/transport by bus may have accounted for a significant cost as well

 

[KBVol]

$700k for transportation, lodging, and meals alone blows my mind.

How many people travel as part of the official football team party? Did the entire 85-man roster make the trip? Obviously all of the coaches and support staff made it. UT athletics media crew (VFL Films) did as well. I guess in all 200 people made the trip as part of the football team travel party (not counting the band). I could be way off on that, but it seems like a fair estimate.

The flight to Jacksonville was probably $300 each way per person, so that's $120k. And they stayed for about one week, right? So we'll go with about 150 hotel rooms (some got single rooms, some shared) at maybe $200/night--that's $210k.

Meals probably average $20 per person 3x per day, so that's another $84k. Add snacks and drinks and other more expensive meals and we'll go with a total of $100k spent for food.

Bus rides to the stadium and back for practices and the game probably cost $10k total.

That's still about $450k, which is just over half of the estimated cost and leaves $250k unaccounted for. Did the coaches go wild at some strip clubs in Jacksonville after the players went to bed?

The only I see it adding up is if the actual travel party was more like 400 people and every football player's family spent the entire week in Jacksonville eating/sleeping on the UT AD's dime.

You're only speculating and clearly don't have all the specifics of all the costs associated. If we take your assumption of 200 people and divide that into 700k, that's $3500 per person for the week. Doesn't seem unreasonable IMHO.

 

[Aesius]

If they supplied the team with copious amounts of blow, it may explain the cost and our unusual display of speed, strength and push on those 4th and 1 stops... Although in all reality the hotel rooms may have cost more than your estimate, and I would imagine equipment shipping/transport by bus may have accounted for a significant cost as well

Yeah, you're probably right. You would think a massive travel party like a college football team would pay less per person than the average joe when it comes to travel costs, but they probably get price gouged. A $300 plane ticket probably goes up to $500 in those circumstances, and a $300/night hotel goes up to $400/night.

I would love to see a full breakdown of how they hit $700k in costs for one week, though.

 

[smokeyeatsgator]

Is travel and lodging provided for the immediate families of players?

 

[OrangeDonkey]

Yeah, you're probably right. You would think a massive travel party like a college football team would pay less per person than the average joe when it comes to travel costs, but they probably get price gouged. A $300 plane ticket probably goes up to $500 in those circumstances, and a $300/night hotel goes up to $400/night.

I would love to see a full breakdown of how they hit $700k in costs for one week, though.

It was also around the holidays in Florida so that may explain some higher than average expenses

 

[Boca Vol]

The vendors that supplied these services (charter flights, bus rentals, hotels, etc) aren't doing this for free. They know UT is getting money from Taxslayer & the SEC. They're going to get paid handsomely for their services.

Think of it like, "It's on the expense account." When people are paying for things out of their own pocket they tend to bargain shop and spend wisely. When someone is picking up the tab it's filet & lobster, limousines, and golf at Doral.

 

[turambar85]

You're only speculating and clearly don't have all the specifics of all the costs associated. If we take your assumption of 200 people and divide that into 700k, that's $3500 per person for the week. Doesn't seem unreasonable IMHO.

That seems horribly unreasonable. My wife and I are going to Rome and Paris for 8 days, and with passports, airfare, lodging, and food included it is costing us less than 2k each. And we are renting an entire apartment in downtown Rome and Paris.

Edit: that also includes transportation to and from NYC.

 

[whobethis16]

That seems horribly unreasonable. My wife and I are going to Rome and Paris for 8 days, and with passports, airfare, lodging, and food included it is costing us less than 2k each. And we are renting an entire apartment in downtown Rome and Paris.

Edit: that also includes transportation to and from NYC.

How far in advance did you book this trip? How short of notice did Tennessee have in knowing they were going to Jacksonville instead of Nashville? Are you staying in a Marriott type hotel like the team does? Or is that apartment the equivalent to a 2 star hotel? All these things matter. I booked my July flight to Florida in February for $264. If I booked it in July, I can guarantee it would be about $200 more. All these things matter.

Edit: I just looked at flights from JFK to FCO for July 22-July 29. Cheapest flight is $1004. That's 3 months in advance. Imagine what it would be 1 month in advance.

 

[Probably_in_Class]

You're only speculating and clearly don't have all the specifics of all the costs associated. If we take your assumption of 200 people and divide that into 700k, that's $3500 per person for the week. Doesn't seem unreasonable IMHO.

$3500 for a week in Jacksonville isn't unreasonable?!?! I want to party with you sometime cause you must fly private jets and get bottle service everywhere you go. That's an insane per person price for a group that large.

 

[sjsmith87]

That seems horribly unreasonable. My wife and I are going to Rome and Paris for 8 days, and with passports, airfare, lodging, and food included it is costing us less than 2k each. And we are renting an entire apartment in downtown Rome and Paris.

Edit: that also includes transportation to and from NYC.

Please share how you made this happen. I've been looking into to traveling internationally but don't know how/where to start in order to find the best deals. Thanks!

 

[whobethis16]

Please share how you made this happen. I've been looking into to traveling internationally but don't know how/where to start in order to find the best deals. Thanks!

A couple years ago I was looking to go to Paris/Normandy. I found I could flights and housing for about $1200. That was a year in advance. Book as far in advance as you can. Search midweek for flights, they're cheaper then. Travel Wednesday-Wednesday if you can.

 

[Ten_Titans]

@JimmyHyams: $700,000 for transportation, lodging, meals; $133,299 for band travel, $55,333 for team costs, $23,134 for athlete mileage, $97,880 for tix

Lol. If I used the word "costs" in an expense summary, I would be told to go back and try again. Who labels something as "costs" when trying to outline all the costs?

 

[Catbone]

Lol. If I used the word "costs" in an expense summary, I would be told to go back and try again. Who labels something as "costs" when trying to outline all the costs?

Jimmy Hyams

 

[KBVol]

That seems horribly unreasonable. My wife and I are going to Rome and Paris for 8 days, and with passports, airfare, lodging, and food included it is costing us less than 2k each. And we are renting an entire apartment in downtown Rome and Paris.

Edit: that also includes transportation to and from NYC.

And your travel, your luggage, your equipment, all the events and extracurricular activities and itineraries are equal to what all they did for the week? It's apples and oranges. Neither you nor I know what all was fully involved in their weeklong stay at a major event/bowl game.

Good for you that you and your wife got a great deal. It's apples and oranges to what was involved in getting an entire football team, staff and athletic department personnel to a major event.

 

[KBVol]

Lol. If I used the word "costs" in an expense summary, I would be told to go back and try again. Who labels something as "costs" when trying to outline all the costs?

It's a summary....summarized in a tweet...he didn't screenshot the "expense report".

 

[volKano]

Please breakdown how that would be over a million dollar trip.

I just don't buy it

I would say close to 300 people went if you count the players, coaching staff, band and UT brass. Then add in all the equipment/instruments shipped. The probably had to rent out the entire hotel, which raised it rates because of the extra tourists coming in to town. Then fee those 300 people for a week and give them a little spending money. I'm suprised they came out to the good.