ST. LOUIS — The price tag for the University of Missouri-Columbia to bring one of its football games to St. Louis next year could total upwards of $900,000, according to contracts for the contest.
That figure includes payments Mizzou will make to the University of Memphis to play in the Sept. 23, 2023, game and to the nonprofit St. Louis Sports Commission to stage the event at The Dome at America’s Center, according to contracts obtained by the Business Journal through public records requests.
The biggest expense outlined in the contracts is a $500,000 payment Mizzou will make to the University of Memphis for its participation in the game. Mizzou will also provide $250,000 worth of lower-bowl tickets to Memphis. Memphis will be able to sell those tickets and keep the proceeds. It is required to return any unsold by July 15, 2023 and will receive a cash payout for the value of any tickets it returns. The deal also includes 600 complimentary tickets and a complimentary suite for Memphis.
Mizzou is staging next year’s game through a partnership with the Sports Commission. That involves paying the Sports Commission a $150,000 fee for event management, with the Sports Commission responsible for securing The Dome for the game, according to an agreement between the two organizations. The Sports Commission will pay The Dome’s operator, Explore St. Louis, $100,000 for its use for the game, according to a contract between the two entities. Explore St. Louis is also to receive a $3 per ticket fee for each ticket sold.
Click here for the full story from the St. Louis Business Journal.
