The University of Memphis is pushing to get fans to pack FedExForum. If they don’t, the school could be out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The magic number 6,666 fans needed to fill these seats, on average, the rest of the season to keep University of Memphis from financial trouble.
The Tigers get thousands of dollars if the team packs in the fans. It’s worth $800,000 to the university.
Attendance at Tigers basketball games has been on a deep decline since losing seasons in 2008.
Fans in FedExForum have gone from more than 16,000 to an average of 11,000 for 17 games this season. That’s not enough for Memphis to get the $800,000 pay out the contract with the Grizzlies calls for.
They can be any kind of tickets, paid or complimentary.
The contract says if the turnstile count averages more than 6,000, but less than 16,000 per game, that $800,000 the university gets shrinks.
After two seasons of the same low numbers of fan turnout, the Grizzlies can end the contract.
Diehard fans say more than the University of Memphis’ pocketbook will take a hit if things don’t turn around.
“It’s gonna be a big hit on our city, and there is money in this city to support the athletics because our city and the welfare of business is going to go as the University of Memphis goes,” said Tigers fan Kay Kelly.
Coach Josh Pastner made an appeal for fans to show up for this three game home stand regardless of how they feel about him.
If they don’t care for the team’s leadership perhaps fans will care about the money and home court for their team in the future.
