New Episode of BBOC:
Northwestern University Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson

On the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus, a college sports podcast powered by Playfly Sports, JohnWallStreet Founder Corey Leff and Playfly Sports Chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with Northwestern University Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson. 

In this 50-minute conversation, the trio discuss:

Growing Gameday Revenues While Reducing Venue Capacity

New Ryan Field is set to open tomorrow night against Penn State (October 2). The 35,000-seat stadium has ~25% fewer seats than its predecessor, but Northwestern will generate meaningfully more gameday revenue per each one of them. 

“Although [the new venue] has a smaller capacity than the previous stadium at 47,500, the amount of square footage per fan is three times what it was, and that's [due to all] the premium and the amenity spaces [we now have] that I'll put up against any stadium that's ever been built before… whether it's the high-end Northwestern Club, our Field Club or [the] Loft Club with a Wrigley bleacher vibe,” Jackson said. “So [our focus has been on] how do we create experiences that you can put a premium NFL caliber price tag on, experiences that [fans are] not going to get anywhere else.”  

Demand has been strong to date. 98% of all premium product associated with the Northwestern Club, Living Room Boxes, Living Room seats, Field Club and Loft Club is sold out. 

“As we start off, we're 3x, 4x overall revenue [YoY],” Jackson said. “At the same time, we're cost-heavy opening a $900 million stadium.”

Devoting Resources to Team-Level Storytelling 

Storytelling is a priority for Jackson, as Northwestern works to rebuild its brand. The challenge is finding the resources needed to do it effectively across every one of the department’s nearly two dozen varsity programs.

“Think about recruiting a 15-year-old kid today versus [how] it was 10 years ago. That student athlete's individual brand is [now] incredibly important to them. When they visit our campus, [they want to know] how [we] are going to boost [their social] following,” Jackson said. “We have Savanna Wood who oversees our communications and branding vertical leading this charge for us…. But it's [difficult] for our communications [team]. We're not currently built to have somebody as an extension of the coaching staff be immersed in [every] program every day. I wish I had 21 of those people. I just don't. So [instead], I'm asking one person to create graphics and somebody else to tell the story [for all of them]. We [know we] need to take the next step…It [just requires] a significant investment to do it.” 

Investing in Revenue Drivers…and Title Contenders

Some schools allocate nearly all their available revenue-sharing dollars to football, while others choose two or three core sports to support. Northwestern has taken a broader approach to NIL.

“Football [is] the revenue engine that we need to have success. [A winning football program] will benefit everybody, and we're not shying away from that. We make a lot of our financial decisions based on football success. Then, men's basketball as well. Although a lot of folks, based on where roster acquisition costs and retention costs are, [no longer] operate in the black…. But still there's potential to grow revenue [there]. Our philosophy [is] we have to invest in our revenue engines,” Jackson said. “Then we had a number of sports, [the] majority [of] which are on the women's side, that [compete] for a national championship year in and year out, and I did not want to take one iota of an inch backwards with those programs. So those are the ones we determined were going to get rev share. For the remaining, it [isn’t] like we are going to neglect them. I am committed to not taking any steps backwards. We are not going to cut scholarships to fund the other programs that are getting [rev-share dollars] …If we can get football and men's basketball roster spends up from the outside fundraising world, we [have] built a model that can compete nationally across all of our sports.”

📺 Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube Page. 
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus on October 15. Syracuse University Director of Athletics Bryan Blair will be our guest.

Previous episodes of BBOC, including sit-downs with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois, Maryland AD Jim Smith, American Commissioner Tim Pernetti, Pittsburgh AD Allen Greene, Wake Forest AD John Currie, Kansas AD Travis Goff, Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris, Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill, SMU AD Damon Evans, Ohio State AD Ross Bjork, West Virginia President Michael Benson, Weatherford Capital Founding Partner Drew Weatherford, IMG Academy CEO Brent Richard and USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews on the Enrollment Cliff, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, St. John’s AD Ed Kull, Army AD Tom Theodorakis, Alabama AD Greg Byrne, Clemson AD Graham Neff, Rutgers University Director of Athletics Keli Zinn and Scarlet Knight Enterprises Chairman Oliver Luck, DePaul University AD DeWayne Peevy, East Carolina University AD Jon Gilbert, University of Utah AD Mark Harlan and Crimson Brand Partners CEO Matt Webb, Georgia Tech AD Ryan Alpert and Executive Deputy AD Brent Jones, and Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark can be found on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel. 

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In the latest episode, four JohnWallStreet Advisory Advisors (Nick Kelly, Shripal Shah, Pat Crakes, John Brody) & host Corey Leff discuss how commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s tenure should be evaluated, what the WNBA should prioritize in its next commissioner, the priorities for the league’s next era, the risks that could derail its growth and more.

As always, you can connect with a member of the JohnWallStreet Advisory team by sending a note to info@JohnWallStreet.com. In fact, we encourage it!

📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.