UGA - Georgia Tech - How NIL has affected pricing
Here is a comparative analysis of football ticket pricing for the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech from 2018 to 2025.
As a statistician tracking ticket pricing for 25 years, the period from 2018 to 2025 provides a fascinating case study in two different pricing philosophies, both heavily influenced by on-field results. The University of Georgia (UGA) demonstrates a model of price stability followed by a planned, success-driven increase, while Georgia Tech (GT) exhibits a model of price volatility directly tied to team performance and fan demand.
📈 University of Georgia: The "Championship Tax"
From 2018 through the 2024 season, UGA's athletic department maintained a remarkably stable pricing structure for its season ticket holders. While the total cost of a season ticket package fluctuated slightly based on the number of home games (e.g., $465 for seven games in 2018 vs. $410 for six games in 2024), the face value, per-game ticket price remained effectively unchanged. This pricing was tiered based on the opponent (e.g., $75 for Power Five, $55 for non-Power Five in 2018), and that model held steady.
This period of price stability is notable given the team's immense success, which included:
SEC Championship appearances.
Multiple College Football Playoff berths.
Back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022.
The 2025 Change: Following this era of sustained dominance, UGA announced its first major pricing adjustment in years for the 2025 season.
2018-2024 (Average): ~$66-$68 per game
2025: $80 per game ($560 for a 7-game season)
This represents a significant, double-digit percentage increase.
Analysis of Cause: The cause for UGA's 2025 price hike is twofold:
Sustained Success: Demand for tickets has never been higher. With the program established as a perennial national title contender, the athletic department can confidently raise prices to meet what the market will bear. This is a classic "championship tax."
Operational Costs: The athletic department cited rising operational costs and a restructuring of the Hartman Fund (the mandatory per-seat contribution), which had not been significantly adjusted since 2005. This increase aligns revenues with the costs of competing at an elite level.
📉 Georgia Tech: The Performance-Based Rollercoaster
Georgia Tech's pricing story from 2018 to 2025 is one of direct reaction to on-field performance and the resulting fan enthusiasm—or lack thereof.
Unlike UGA's stability, GT's pricing was adjusted multiple times to manage demand. Following the departure of coach Paul Johnson after 2018, the program entered a rebuilding phase under Geoff Collins (2019-2022) that was marked by losing seasons.
Impact on Pricing: This poor performance led to "markedly dropped" attendance, season-ticket sales, and general fan interest.
The 2023 Price Drop: To combat this apathy, the athletic department took the drastic step of slashing season ticket prices for the 2023 season. The starting price for a 7-game package was dropped to $225, a significant reduction from the $299 starting price for a 6-game schedule just a year prior. This was a clear strategy to spur ticket sales and revive attendance.
The 2025 Reversal:
The 2025 season has seen a complete reversal of fortune. Under coach Brent Key, the team is ranked in the Top 10 with an undefeated record.
Impact on Demand: This breakout success has caused demand to explode. While official season ticket prices for 2025 were set before the season's success was known, the athletic department reported record-breaking student season ticket sales.
Secondary Market: The secondary market reflects this new reality, with "get-in" prices for 2025 games far exceeding the face value of previous years.
Analysis of Cause: Georgia Tech's pricing is a textbook example of supply and demand:
2019-2023: A poor on-field product led to low demand, forcing the athletic department to lower prices to incentivize attendance.
2024-2025: A winning product has created a massive surge in demand. While face-value tickets were likely a bargain for those who bought in early, the university is now in a position to dramatically increase its official ticket prices for 2026 and beyond, fully capitalizing on the program's renewed success.
How did NIL affect pricing?
That's an excellent question, and as a statistician, I can tell you it's the single most significant new factor in the college football economy.
While you won't see an athletic department issue a press release that says, "We are raising ticket prices to pay for NIL," the answer is yes, NIL is absolutely having an indirect, but massive, effect on ticket pricing, especially for a program like UGA.
The key is to understand that NIL and the new revenue-sharing models are, for the athletic department, a massive new "operational cost."
Here is how it breaks down for each school.
University of Georgia (UGA)
For Georgia, the connection is clear. Recall that UGA kept its per-game ticket price stable from 2018 through 2024, even after winning two national championships.
Direct Competition for Donor Dollars: Before NIL, a booster's money went to one place: the athletic department (e.g., the Hartman Fund). That money built facilities and paid coaching salaries. Now, boosters must split their money: some for the Hartman Fund and some for the NIL collectives that pay the players.
The New "Operational Cost": This puts the athletic department in a financial bind.
They are now competing with their own NIL collectives for money. To make up for this internal competition and to fund the new era of direct revenue-sharing with players (a "payroll" expected to be over $20 million), the department must find new revenue streams. The Price Hike: The simplest and most direct way to raise that revenue is by increasing the two things they directly control: ticket prices and mandatory per-seat contributions.
UGA's 2025 ticket price increase is a direct response to these new, massive financial obligations. The "rising operational costs" they cited are, in large part, the costs of acquiring and retaining elite talent in the NIL era.
Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech)
Georgia Tech's situation is different, which actually reinforces the point.
GT's primary financial driver is not NIL; it's winning. Their main challenge has been filling the stadium.
Price Was Tied to Demand: As I noted, GT slashed prices in 2023 to combat fan apathy after several losing seasons. Their pricing was purely a reaction to low demand.
Success is the New Revenue: Now that the team is successful (as of 2025), demand is skyrocketing. However, GT announced in late 2024 that its 2025 season ticket prices would remain unchanged.
Finding Money Elsewhere: So, how is GT handling new NIL-related costs without raising ticket prices? They are finding creative, lump-sum revenue sources. For example, they struck a new deal to move the 2025 home game against UGA to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a $10 million guaranteed payout.
This $10 million windfall gives the athletic department a massive cash infusion to help offset new NIL and operational costs without having to pass that cost on to their season-ticket holders—a luxury they can't afford while they are still in the process of rebuilding their season-ticket base.
📊 Statistician's Summary
UGA: Yes. The 2025 price hike is a clear signal that the athletic department is passing the new costs of NIL and revenue-sharing on to the consumer via higher ticket prices and donations.
Georgia Tech: Not directly. GT's pricing is still driven by on-field performance. They are (for now) using alternative revenue streams, like high-payout neutral-site games, to cover their new NIL-era expenses.
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