Should NC colleges increase ticket prices by 10% to support student athletes?

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The University of Tennessee will add a 10% talent fee to sports ticket sales in 2025 to support student-athletes.

Tennessee’s Athletics Director Danny White’s video announcement to season ticket holders shocked the college sports world. Garrett Tolley, a co-host for the Chatt It Up Sports Podcast in Tennessee, says it has sports fans talking. “Tennessee wants to be a leader in this space,” Tolley said. “This is what the world of sports looks like. This is what we are moving forward to; it’s going to be about paying these players and building up these campuses.”

College students and sports fans in North Carolina are on the fence about his happening in the Tar Heel State.

Said North Carolina State University senior Wesley Perry, “I’m not opposed to paying a little bit more to be able to bring in some more talent to continue my fandom.” On the other hand, Wolfpack fan Leevonne Manns said, “I don’t think it’s fair to the fans. I think these organizations already make so much money they should take it out of their own pockets and push to fans that love to come to the games.”

Discussing what may be driving the increased prices Cory Smith of 24/7 Sports said, “Revenue sharing drives all of this, and NIL is prevalent in the college sports landscape. Every school is trying to find a way to up it, including N.C. State, UNC, Duke, and even Wake Forest.”

Smith says revenue sharing could soon allow colleges to share ticket sales and fans are ready to chat about it on message boards. He says NIL deals have paved the way for schools to compete for talent using direct payments, but this has yet to be approved. “It’s more a question of when it’s going to happen than if it’s going to happen,” Smith said.

As the chatter excites some fans, others are against it. “I think we need to be very careful because we could embark upon a trend in which profit can somewhat put a dimmer on athleticism,” Gregory Wade said.

CBS 17 reached out to several universities in the Triangle. N.C. State responded and acknowledged upcoming changes to tickets, parking, and annual donations. The school says the 2025 Pack Forward plan is necessary for athletics to maintain its success in the changes in sports.

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