The brand impact of shifting to an all-inclusive-for-all model would be another primary consideration.
Including food and beverage in the ticket price wouldn’t make sense financially for the Yankees, Dodgers, Lakers or Knicks, in part because it would limit their revenue generation potential, but also because they’re “premium” sports brands. It might cheapen their aura.
For others, like Coastal Carolina, a growing university on the South Carolina coast, the move lifted the university’s brand, especially among the many transplants moving to the region from the Midwest and Northeast that Coastal wanted to capture as new fans.
After Coastal debuted its free food program last fall, nearly 70% of its student population attended each of the six home football games. The 2025 season opener against FCS opponent Charleston Southern sold out, generating the largest attendance in Brooks Stadium’s history.
Atlanta-based marketing agency Melt studied Coastal Athletic Director Chance Miller’s viral social media video explaining the free food program and determined it reached 2 billion impressions — valuable exposure for Coastal, which only became an independent university in 1993.
“We’re a growing institution, a young institution; our application numbers keep going up, enrollment numbers keep going up,” said Miller, “and you want to be able to get people on campus and get attention for the university.”
