New Episode of BBOC: University of Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne

New Episode of BBOC: University of Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne

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 University of Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne.

In this 50-minute conversation, the trio discuss: 

The Value of Consolidated Media Rights

The Protect College Sports Act is a proposed federal framework introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Chris Coons, and Eric Schmitt meant to bring more structure to college athletics by standardizing NIL bylaws, transfer/eligibility rules, and revenue-sharing governance, while giving the NCAA, conferences, and schools some legal protection from antitrust challenges. But the bill’s path towards media-rights pooling has already raised concerns among the most valuable rights owners.

“From a Southeastern Conference and an Alabama perspective, we have concerns about the consolidation of rights and what that looks like,” Byrne said. “We have a brand that we have spent decades growing, and [that] there's unique interest in. At some point, that needs to be recognized when and how television dollars are distributed to our campuses. As much as the narrative has been out there, [that] if you consolidate [all the schools/conferences’ rights] the networks are going to pay a lot more because of the pressure to gather all of those markets together, [we don’t believe that to be true].”

Selling Stadium Tours and Behind-the-Scenes Experiences

Alabama remains focused on how to increasingly monetize existing assets and IP without cheapening the brand (see: creation of the ‘Yea Alabama’ fan-content platform). The school has also taken a page from its pro counterparts and begun activating its most iconic venue beyond gameday.

“We have paid attention to what they do at AT&T Stadium,” Byrne said. “Tours [have] become, it's not a seven-figure [revenue stream] for us yet, but it's in the six figures now. Our stadium is the most Instagrammed place in the state of Alabama. On gameday, I'll meet people from all over the world that have come [and] want to experience what it's like [behind the scenes]. And so [we continue to look at] how do we maximize that [with more] opportunities [for access] throughout the year.” 

Revoking Scalpers to Protect the Everyday Fan

Alabama’s student football ticket package is $300 plus a $6 fee in 2026, up $50 YoY, and $175 from 2024, which suggests the athletic department is leaning into the market value of Bryant-Denny’s demand. However, the school remains committed to preserving access for the die-hard fans central to the in-stadium experience.

“In order to keep prices at a more reasonable number for the people who are [actually] coming to the games, we've, through market research, …[gotten] more aggressive with [revoking seats sold by scalpers],” Byrne said. “We want to make sure that the people who are buying the tickets [from us] are using the tickets. That doesn't mean they can't ever sell them. They can… There are reasons why people can't come to a game. But at the same time, if that's their sole purpose, they have eight season tickets or they have 20 season tickets and they're selling them all, that's probably not what the intent of [our decision to sell to them in the first place] was. And we've had a lot of very happy Alabama fans who wanted better seats, who have been able to upgrade their seating location, and at the same time, [it has helped us avoid having] to increase the price in the market as dramatically as what demand is probably there for.” 

📺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 in two weeks. Clemson University Director of Athletics Graham Neff 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, and 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, and Army AD Tom Theodorakis can be found on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel. 

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