Johnathan Walker:Tennessee is adding a 10% fee on football game tickets next season to pay players

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has announced a price hike for football tickets starting in 2025 with most of the increase going specifically to help pay players.

The increase announced Tuesday morning in an email to season-ticket holders notes a new 10% talent fee for all invoices to “help fund the proposed revenue share” for athletes and help Tennessee attract and keep the best talent. A video link features athletic director Danny White explaining the reason for the price hike per seat across Neyland Stadium.

“As the collegiate model changes, we have to remain flexible,” White said of the price hike, which includes a 4.5% increase on top of the 10% talent fee. “We have to continue leading the way. That connection between resources and competitiveness has never been tighter. Only now we have the ability to share these resources with our athletes. We can generate revenue that will go directly to our players. This will give our teams the best chance to be successful and bring championships home to Rocky Top.”

The increase comes with Tennessee off to a 3-0 and ranked sixth in the AP Top 25.

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The announcement also includes a link to updates on talks between the NCAA and major college conferences trying to settle three antitrust lawsuits related to athlete compensation for name, image and likeness. They have a settlement agreement in place to pay $2.78 billion in damages to hundreds of thousands of college athletes, dating back to 2016.

At a hearing last week, the federal judge overseeing those cases declined to grant preliminary approval of the deal and kicked it back to attorneys to address her concerns with certain aspects of the agreement.

The NCAA changed its rules in 2021 to allow athletes to cash in on their fame through sponsorship and endorsement deals after decades of prohibition.

Tennessee has been working to be at the front of the changing landscape supporting athletes. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was a prized recruit who signed with the NIL collective supporting Tennessee athletes, the Volunteer Club founded by Spyre Sports Group. It was among the first and most well-organized to emerge around the country after the NCAA lifted its ban on athletes making money off their fame.

That deal prompted a meeting between NCAA investigators and Tennessee officials in January followed by a scathing letter from Chancellor Donde Plowman to NCAA President Charlie Baker. She ripped the NCAA for creating “extraordinary chaos” by failing to provide clear rules for name, image and likeness for both universities and athletes.

The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA a day after Plowman’s letter was released. A federal judge granted the AGs a preliminary injunction Feb. 23 barring the NCAA from enforcing NIL rules.

White cited NIL for creating an even closer connection between resources and competitive success. Tuesday’s announcement notes the current settlement projections could take effect as early as July 1, and the athletic director said Tennessee wants to be as transparent as possible with a fan base that has helped build the nation’s best athletic department. White said the ticket fee is a big key to continuing that success.

“We want to be a leader in college sports. that means we want to be a leader in revenue sharing,” White said. “We want to have the very best experience for our athletes right here on Rocky Top.”

White, whose latest contract extension was announced in August, credited fans for selling out 102,000 seats at Neyland Stadium for a third straight year with a waiting list of 15,000 for season tickets. He said that comes as other programs around the country are talking about downsizing stadiums that they can’t fill. Tennessee fans can start renewing tickets for 2025 on Thursday with a deadline of Feb. 27 with the option of a 10-month payment plan to handle the cost.

Tennessee won the SEC regular-season title in men’s basketball and the program’s first national championship in baseball in June.

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