Although The College of New Jersey’s football team is 1-6 this season, the players have looked great in their new Under Armour uniforms.
Every three years, TCNJ Athletics replaces the team’s uniforms. Instead of waiting another year, one of then-new head coach Casey Goff’s first decisions was to tap into the program’s equipment budget to purchase the latest Under Armour apparel, according to Athletic Director Amanda DeMartino. It’s unclear how this purchase will impact future uniform purchases, but they will likely be Under Armour, once again, thanks to a recent partnership with the brand and TCNJ.
“This year TCNJ Athletics signed with Under Armor to be the official apparel vendor,” she said.
The home uniforms, which feature dark blue color scheme and Under Armour’s iconic logo on the front, really popped at Homecoming, despite the team’s lackluster performance in a 26-3 loss to Kean University.
While TCNJ is by no means a big-ticket school for Under Armour, the company has been working to spread its brand to universities around the country with a targeted criteria, according to a Baltimore Sun report.
“We’re like this with every sport,” said Ryan Kuehl, Under Armour’s senior vice president for global sports marketing, according to The Baltimore Sun. “We’re never going to be the brand with the most athletes or the most schools, most entertainers — that’s not who we are. We want the right ones, the ones with the high character and the elite talent, that have a certain flair that people want to follow and are interested in.”
Beyond just uniforms, the Lions are well equipped to train and practice for their upcoming games.
“Equipment is dependent on the nature of the equipment and the life expectancy,” DeMartino said. “Although safety, particularly when it comes to Football, is always a top priority so we do manage to replace outdated/unsafe equipment as needed, even if it’s not up for replacement in the rotation.”
The football team, like at most American universities, is a big money-maker for TCNJ. Last year, football brought in $303,052 in revenue, according to Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. That means football makes up 22.6 percent of the school’s $1,343,625 in athletics revenue, according to EADA.
Although Division I schools often grab the headlines, Deadspin reported that Division III athletics can have many financial benefits, the biggest being a means of attracting more male applicants.
“Driving enrollment, especially male enrollment, is a big reason,” the report stated. “(Other schools have cited a desire to keep students around and campus active on the weekend. Less often, I hear about a school trying to shed its historical image of being a women’s school.) You can read a 2005 story he wrote on the topic here. ‘Administrators tell me that if you bring in 100 new students to play football, you could get another 20 or so as regular students, perhaps players’ girlfriends or friends from high school. Southwestern has found there is a draw for their marching band, etc.,’ (said Pat Coleman of D3football.com)”
Enrollment at TCNJ has been on the rise, contrary to trends in the northeast, according to College President R. Barbara Gitenstein in a Signal report. The football team, which hasn’t had a winning record since it went 7-3 in 2011, likely isn’t a big factor in that, but it’s certainly something to consider.
Coleman did tell Deadspin these numbers often vary by school.
“Without getting too deep into the finances at schools, since it varies, remember most of these kids are paying full tuition minus loans, academic grants and need-based aid,” Coleman wrote to Deadspin.
Aside from alumni support and possible enrollment benefits, the football team brought in $12,000 in ticket revenue last year, according to DeMartino. This money, though it pales in comparison to the numbers EADA reports, is still consistent income, that has increased this year, according to DeMartino.
“Last year we hosted four home football games that generated a little over $12,000 in ticket revenue,” she said. “This year we have six home football games and have hosted five thus far. At this point we have surpassed last year’s ticket sales, although we don’t have the final numbers yet as our last home game is on Nov. 11.”
The rest of the revenue comes from funding and sponsorships, which, according to EADA, is goes straight into the program.
While you might expect concession sales to account for a portion of the revenue, DeMartino explained there isn’t much money for TCNJ in selling hot dogs and waters.
“We partner with Sodexo to offer concessions at home football games,” she said. “We only get a portion of the revenue from Sodexo, so football concessions do not generate much revenue for us. However, we continue the partnership because it enables us to offer a wider variety of concessions. Although we don’t make much, it helps to better the fan experience.”
DeMartino mentioned a new special known as a “walking taco,” which has been quite popular with students and alumni.
“This year Sodexo has started offering a new item, ‘the walking taco’ and it has been a hit,” she said. “Staple items like soft pretzels and nachos are always popular as well.”
A walking taco is “a snack-size bag of Fritos, opened up and filled with chili and appropriate chili topping,” according to The Huffington Post. This creative snack has been popular at football games across the nation, and serves the role of a trendy food for attendees to share on social media.
Football games are free for students, faculty and staff to attend, while adult tickets are $8. Seniors and children pay $5 at the door, according to TCNJ Athletics. These prices exclude NCAA and New Jersey Athletic Conference games, as all attendees must fork over money to see the Lions fight for postseason honors.
At this year’s homecoming game, nearly every seat was filled, and many attendees were forced to stand by the bleachers. Based on homecoming’s popularity with alumni and their families, it’s reasonable to attribute a fair amount of ticket revenue to these festivities. Regardless of on-the-field play, TCNJ’s football team deals with some serious cash.
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