When the rumor of an LSU-Wisconsin game in Lambeau Field first popped up back in April, many people wondered why UW would want to stage a “home” game at the iconic NFL stadium.
As if they really needed to ask, there are a couple of million reasons as to why.
The UW Board of Regents Thursday reviewed a contract, the Wisconsin State Journal reports, that stipulates the Green Bay Packers will pay the university $3 million to play in their historic venue. The Packers in return would keep, after other costs are paid, the revenue generated by the game.
Speaking of which, the paper writes, "[t]he agreement also calls for the Packers to pay all costs associated with Lambeau Field as required for the event including, but not limited to, leasing the facility and paying all officials.”
The university will be given 40,000 tickets -- Lambeau seats just under 81,000 -- which will be divvied up as follows: 7,500 student tickets discounted at least 40 percent off the lowest-priced general admission ticket; 450 for the UW band; and 300 for the families of players. The remaining 32,000 tickets will go on sale to the public at an undetermined date.
There were no specifics related to how much LSU will receive for playing in the game or how many tickets the school will receive detailed in the article, although the financial aspect should be similar; this year, LSU and TCU received $3 million apiece for playing their 2013 game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
The Lambeau Field game, pending the expected board approval, will be played Sept. 3, 2016. Two years prior, the two teams will open the 2014 season at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.