The high price of being a Buckeyes basketball fan

Sporting News, The, Oct 16, 1995 by Gene Wojciechowski

For only $12.5 niillion, the naming rights to the yet-to-be-built Ohio State basketball arena can be bought. Bat's the price for immortality in Columbus, O., where athletic department officials also have turned to a relatively young fund-raising friend -- the dreaded seat license fees -- to help bankroll the $75-million multi-purpose facility.

Not that anyone asked, but I'd name the new place "The Boston Garden." Ohio State legend John Havlicek played there, and Boston isn't using the name anymore. My other nominees: "St. John Jr. Arena," or simply, "The Genedome."

No matter who comes forward with the cash to name the arena, Ohio State has to raise $25 million in private donations. The state is chipping in $15 million, and $35 million will come from bond sales.

Which brings us to those seat license fees.

Seat licenses aren't new. North Carolina used them to help finance the Smith Center. The NFL expansion teams, as well as the St. Louis Rams, turned seat licenses into an art form.

But they aren't universally popular. Paul Krebs, Ohio State's senior associate athletic director, says the school discussed calling seat licenses something different "I think the seat license has some different connotations for different people," Krebs says.

If ever there was a fund-raising wave of the future, seat ficenses are it. Ohio State has reserved 200 courtside seats for Endowment Club members. You want in? All it costs is $15,000 per seat, plus another $2,000 per year per seat, plus whatever season tickets are going for.

If that's a bit pricey, you can pay $7,500, plus $500 per year for the Center Court Club. The Arena Circle goes for $4,000 per seat and another $150 annual donation, which increases $10 per year.

We're not trying to get rich," Krebs says. We're trying to build an arena." The way Ohio State -- and any other school thinking of breaking ground on a new facility -- figures, seat licenses are the key to the project. " (Seat licenses) balance the cost of that building on the backs of 4,000 to 5,000 seats and leaves 14,500 seats available to those who choose not to participate," Krebs says. They also keep ticket prices semi-affordable and keep the school from having to institute a ticket surcharge fee -- at least that's what Ohio State says.

The funding plan was unveiled three weeks ago, and already the school has sold about 700 prime seats and put about $4.2 million in the bank. Not a bad savings plan. Now if someone would just step forward with a $12.5-million check and a name. How does "Nicklaus Arena" sound?

Setting in

From Knight (Bob) to the Scarlet Knights (Rutgers), so goes Rob Hodgson's strange journey from New York state high school star to Rutgers. In between, he's been to Indiana, Suffolk Community College, the AAU national championship team and Italy.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound swingman, who took his sweet time deciding where to transfer, was welcomed to Piscatakay, N.J., by a grateful Coach Bob Wenzel. He enrolled at Rutgers weeks after classes started, but with a 3.57 grade-point average and 71 college credits, a few missed classes won't be crucial. More important, at least for Rutgers fans, is the 29.7 points, 15,.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists Hodgson averaged during his senior year at Wilham Floyd High School.

Hodgson originally signed with Indiana, but bolted Bloomington last December after spending the first semester as a redshirt.

"It was like working without getting paid," he said. "You do the running, weightlifting. You do everything but play."

That done, Hodgson went to junior college, worked on his associate's degree and considered his options. With his upper-stratum GPA and his basketball pedigree, Hodgson was wooed by the best programs in the country.

Eventually Hodgson whittled his list to Fordham, Pennsylvania and Rutgers. Atlantic 10 newcomer. Ivy League powerhouse. Or Big East Conference newcomer. Hodgson chose the Big East.

With Rutgers being in the Big East that pretty much speaks for itself," Hodgson says. And this from Hodgson's father, Robert Sr., who coached Rob in high school: "There are a lot of coaches who would have moved on to another player who could have given them a quicker answer. Part of the complications with this decision was that Rob is sofar ahead academically."

Hodgson is eligible to play beginning with Rutgers' December 16 against Wagner. However, a chance exists the NCAA could accelerate his eligibility status.

Gene Wojciechowski covers college basketball for the Los Angeles Times.