COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina Athletics Department is calling on season ticket holders for help. The university is offering refunds for the 2020-2021 football season but hopes fans will choose to donate part, if not all, of their refunds to their COVID-19 Resilience Fund.
The department predicts they could lose over 40% of revenue this year due to COVID-19.
Associate Athletics Director Steve Eigenbrot says their new COVID-19 Resilience Fund will help pay for student-athletes’ scholarships.
“We don’t know what the fall or the spring holds, but we do know that we're going to still honor our scholarships. We’re committed to our student athletes and we know there’s going to be a cost to that, and this is an attempt to try to recoup those monies and have the donors help us.”
If a season ticket holder doesn’t want to attend games this year, they can choose between getting a full refund, rolling over their purchased tickets to the 2021 season or they can turn their refund into a donation to the Resilience Fund.
Athletics Director Ray Tanner says in a statement, “we hope that any of our fans who are financially able will join us in sustaining our programs and providing them a foundation on which to build future successes."
Eigenbrot says they’re also offering incentives to fans that send donations. “We’re trying to incentivize with once in a lifetime Gamecock experiences. We’re going to host a dinner on the field when it’s safe to do so, [Donors will have] the opportunity to run out on the field before a home game and have your family picture taken down on the field.”
USC Athletics is asking season ticket holders to make their decision on refunds by August 20th.