The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
The SIU football team has accomplished a great feat. It is the first team to win back-to-back Gateway Conference championships, having gone undefeated in the conference, and it sits atop the poll rankings in Division I-AA. We have the best I-AA team in the country, and we should be proud.
As the football season nears its end, this success on the playing field brings the question of where the first three rounds of the NCAA championship games will be played.
And understandably, as the top team in the conference, SIU would like to host all three.
However, with this question also comes the question of money. It costs money to host home games leading to the championship - a lot of money.
The top four teams have the option of vying for the games with the minimum bids. Bidding for the first game starts at $30, 000 and stair steps $10, 000 for the subsequent two games. Minimum bidding for all three rounds would total $120, 000.
SIU Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk has placed bids of an undisclosed amount for all three rounds. A minimum bid should suffice for the first two games, as we will almost definitely receive a top-four seed. But the third round semi-finals game will require a competitive bid to bring it to McAndrew Stadium.
As a result of these costs, if SIU wins their bids, student tickets for admission into the games would cost $6. The mention of having to pay for the games has perhaps stirred more talk among students than the football team's success.
However, it is a price the athletic department has no say in implementing.
Not only is the cost required by the NCAA, as it is their event, it helps offset the cost of hosting the games.
Tom Weber, director of Media Services, said student tickets cannot be provided free of charge because the games are not included in the student activity fee, which enables students to attend athletic events free.
However, the athletic department wants students to attend the games. They have expressed this desire by soliciting local banks to purchase tickets, which would then be given to students free on a first-come first-serve basis.
Hosting these games here at McAndrew Stadium would also give our team a better chance at winning the championship.
Weber said the team would have the advantage of playing in front of their own fans, not having to travel and not having their regular routines interrupted.
He said NCAA studies have shown a wide margin in the winning percentage for teams playing at home, and we want our team to win.
We urge students not to complain about ticket prices and show up and cheer our team on to victory.
Six dollars isn't an unreasonable price. Students can easily spend $6 eating in the Student Center or bar hopping on any given day. Why not spend it for a good cause and for good fun?
