Revenue streams from Cowboys Stadium contracts run deep
01:53 PM CDT on Monday, June 22, 2009
Contract provisions for college football games at Cowboys Stadium vary widely, allowing some teams to share ticket revenue while paying others fixed guarantees, according to copies of contracts obtained by The Dallas Morning News through open records requests.
In addition, no alcohol can be sold in the general concession areas of the stadium when Baylor plays there this fall, although it can be sold in club areas and private suites. At other college games, alcohol sales are allowed in the general concession areas, as well as club areas and suites.
The stadium rental fee for the Texas A&M-Arkansas game Oct. 3 and the Baylor-Texas Tech game Nov. 28 is $100, according to the contracts, obtained from A&M and Tech. The teams get revenue from ticket sales and from team-specific merchandise sales and game-specific sponsorship deals.
Cowboys Stadium, L.P., controlled by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, staffs and manages the games at no cost to the teams, and gets revenue from parking, food, beverage and non-participant merchandise sales. Legends Hospitality Management, the food service provider at the stadium, is owned by the Cowboys, the New York Yankees and two investment firms.
The stadium partnership also gets 1,000 club seats, among the best seats in the stadium, to each game at no cost.
In 2013, when Notre Dame plays Arizona State in Arlington, Notre Dame will be the host institution and be responsible for managing the game at its cost, according to a copy of ASU's contract for the game.
A private institution, Notre Dame is not subject to open records laws, and the school would not reveal contract details. The Cowboys also declined to discuss contracts.
Arizona State will be paid $1.4 million for the game and receive the use of two free suites, according to its contract.
Oklahoma ($2.25 million) and BYU (about $1.5 million, according to the school's athletic director) get fixed payments for their Sept. 5 game.
OU's contract says it gets 1,000 free tickets behind its bench and four free suites; A&M and Arkansas evenly split the free use of 16 suites; Baylor and Texas Tech split the free use of 22 suites, six for administrative purposes, according to the contracts.
In a side letter to Tech, the Cowboys guaranteed that gross revenue for eight of the school's suites would total at least $125,000.
The Big 12 Conference and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, which also have games this season at Cowboys Stadium, are not subject to open records laws. Their contracts could not be obtained.