As expected, there are quite a few zeros involved in the decision to hold a football game at a NASCAR racetrack.
By way of an open records request, Evan Woodbery of the Knoxville News Sentinel obtained a copy of the contract agreed upon by Tennessee and Virginia Tech for the 2016 game at Bristol Motor Speedway.
According to that contract, each school will receive an allotment of 40,000 tickets. If each school sells all of its allotted tickets, they would receive $4 million apiece. The guarantee drops to $3.75 million if 32,500 tickets are sold, $3.5 million for 25,000 sold.
Given the proximity of both campuses to the neutral site game -- each is a roughly two-hour drive to Bristol, Tennessee -- both schools are expected to sell out of the tickets allocated to them.
Additionally, each school would receive an additional $300,000 apiece if the game is a sellout. The official capacity at BMS is 160,000. If the game is shy of a sellout, there are also bonuses for a crowd of 132,500-plus ($200,000) and 125,000-132,499 ($100,000).
BMS, which as stated in the contract reserves the right to sell alcohol during the game, has purchased an insurance policy that would guarantee each team would receive $4 million should the game be canceled “due to unsafe field conditions, logistical concerns, or errors on the part of BMS in preparation for the game.” If the game were to be cancelled due to “acts of God or natural disaster,” BMS reserves the right to withhold one-third of the $4 million guaranteed to each team.