It's All About The Benjamins

The citizenry of Dallas is up-in-arms. Seems that the annual college football rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas is considering moving the game from the local Cotton Bowl location at the State Fairgrounds to their respective stadiums on their campuses.

So, the officials from both schools are talking about the dilapidated conditions of the Cotton Bowl and crime rates and all that. The citizens are writing the expected letters-to-the-editor about updating facilities so we don't lose this wonderful tradition and the money it brings to the city each year...just like we "lost" the Texas Rangers baseball team to Arlington and the Dallas Cowboys to Irving (and now Arlington).

There is talk of the tradition of each school and how terrible it would be.

Well, seeing as how I was enrolled at Auburn when the discussions for moving the traditional Iron Bowl game against Alabama to their campuses began, let me tell you why the city of Dallas has no shot at extending that contract beyond 2007 for their rivalry:

Cash. Cold hard cash. And lots of it.

See, my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama had hosted some 35 clashes at Legion Field. Yes, it was run-down at times...which scurried the local citizenry to pony up and paint it and put in some sidewalks and fix the restrooms. They would've done whatever they had to do to keep that game.

But, see, if you've got a rent-free facility that holds more seats than the neutral site, and you don't have to give 30% of the tickets to the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board (which always seemed to wind up in Alabama fans' hands), and you don't have to split concessions/parking with the other school as well as the BPRB...

...do the math.

So, all of a sudden, good old Auburn could now sell something called Personal Seat Licenses which you make a donation to the school for the RIGHT to buy a season ticket and you'll sell 74,000 season tickets vs. the 34,000 you were selling before the Alabama ticket was in the package...plus concessions (Auburn is a land-grant institution...there's very little paid parking, but they get all the cash from what there is) plus pay no rent plus sell luxury suites.

Plus it does a little something for the economy of East Alabama, where they're located. Why should AU care about Birmingham's economy?

Granted, Auburn romanticized the whole deal. The glory of the college football experience on the Plains. The right of self-determination ("We should have the right to determine where we play our home games"). Not bowing down to the cross-state rival's wishes. Being equal with every school in the SEC now. It was gushing and beautiful and brought tears to the Auburn family who bought it hook, line and sinker. Myself included. "If we could just get Alabama HERE...we could beat them at LEAST every other year." That has since proven true (5-2 at home against them).

And, oh, by the way, it's been financially beneficial to the Crimson Tide as well, for the same reasons it was for Auburn.

So, let me save you the trouble, Dallas.

Don't bother fixing the Cotton Bowl to keep the Red River Shootout. It won't matter one iota. Just be prepared to hear those same excuses from university officials, and then you'll hear them talk about the college football experience at their campuses with all the traditions and such (of which they are both great and fun) and the right of each school and other high-minded platitudes.

But they're just that: High-minded platitudes.

This is about cash. Cold, hard cash. And lots of it.

You cannot compete.

So just have your politicians hem and haw about how unfair it is and play your New Year's Day game here and let it be used for high school football playoffs. It is inevitable, so embrace it and move on...and citizens of Dallas, you'll just have to deal with it, so don't waste your tax-dollars or your breath.