In order to further solidify its place as the Big Ten team in the New York City market, Rutgers is cutting a six-figure check to move a football home game to Yankee Stadium in 2017.
While Rutgers will retain all ticket and school merchandise revenue generated, it will pay $750,000 to the Yankees for usage of the ballpark to host a Nov. 4 wrestling and football doubleheader against Maryland, according to a document obtained by NJ Advance Media through an Open Public Records Act request.
General terms of the agreement — including its inclusion in Rutgers season ticket package — were negotiated by former athletics director Julie Hermann with former football coach Kyle Flood’s support.
Though successors Pat Hobbs and Chris Ash long ago agreed to uphold a verbal commitment, the financials were signed into place in November and just became publicly available for the first time.
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Hobbs — who has faced backlash because of the game’s unpopularity within a vocal portion of the fan base — cites brand association between Rutgers and the Yankees as well as helping build the Big Ten’s budding presence in New York City market as primary benefits.
But there is an opportunity for Rutgers to make money on the game dependent upon attendance.
Rutgers earned an average of $1.495 million for its seven football home games in 2015, according to the athletics department’s annual NCAA fiscal report.
Rutgers-Maryland — played as the season finale each of the last three seasons — has not been a hot ticket and thus results in less than the average revenue.
In 2015, Flood and Hermann were fired the day the game between two non-bowl-bound teams. The 2016 meeting drew an announced crowd of 30,220 to College Park, Md.
For the Yankee Stadium game to be as profitable as a regular home game, Rutgers must sell at least 35,000 tickets, according to sources. That number does not include free tickets distributed to students in exchange for student fees.
Rutgers football had 28,478 season tickets from 6,511 accounts in 2016.
The average attendance for Rutgers’ last three appearances in Yankee Stadium — 2013 Pinstripe Bowl against Notre Dame, 2011 Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa State and a 2011 regular-season game against Army — is 38,492.
For an outdoor wrestling match at High Point Solutions Stadium in November, Rutgers had a school-record crowd of 16,178 fans.
There are 83,000 Rutgers alumni living in the New York City metropolitan area, according to school officials.
Hobbs added the wrestling component in an effort to build a more unique event and respond to the complaints of Rutgers fans, especially because of limited tailgate options. Open-flame tailgates are prohibited in the garages at Yankee Stadium.
Sources indicate the athletics director also pitched the idea of an Under Armour Trophy Game between Rutgers and Maryland during his apparel negotiations.
Because it is a single-admission doubleheader, the wrestling match is an opportunity for Rutgers fans to maximize tailgating hours indoors, with a window — likely about 90 minutes, insiders say — between games.
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In currently on sale 2017 season ticket packages including six games at High Point Solutions Stadium plus the Yankee Stadium game, fans have the option to choose their seats in the Bronx from tickets ranging in price from $40 to $65, with an average of $50. Athletics officials are looking into teaming with public transportation outlets to ease the commute, sources said.
Under the agreement, the Yankees will promote at their cost the doubleheader through various channels, including in at least one New York City newspaper, on YES Network, WFAN and other television and radio during game broadcasts, on stadium video/LED message boards during games and in certain issues of Yankees Magazine.
The agreement states that Rutgers will receive 100 percent of revenue from admission charges and sale of its team merchandise.
For its home games in 2015, Rutgers earned totals of $11.8 million in ticket sales, and $1.8 million in program, novelty, parking and concession sales, while incurring $3.2 million in gameday expenses.
Concessions revenue and the sale of Yankees merchandise is kept by the Major League Baseball organization. The Yankees are assuming typical expenses stemming from hosting a gameday, such as staffing.
“Jim Delany, the commissioner of the Big Ten, thinks it’s tremendous for Rutgers University,” Hobbs said earlier this month. “I believe in the end everybody will see it that way.
“I understand the frustration on some folks’ part, but my hope is we pack that stadium, we have an amazing day there, and then we say, ‘You know what? This was pretty good. Maybe we should think about doing this.’ But I do understand the hesitation on some folks’ part.”
Rutgers fans who remain resistant might be wise to root for the Yankees to win the American League pennant and for a delay in the MLB calendar.
The Yankees reserved the right to make the stadium unavailable without penalty due to a conflict with a MLB postseason or regular-season game scheduled at the ballpark. The 2017 World Series is slated to begin Oct. 24, with a possible Game 7 on Nov. 1.
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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