SU vs LSU: Was it worth it?

Southern University and Louisiana State University went against one another in football in what was called the “Battle of Baton Rouge.” However, what many people don’t know is that the game was a “guaranteed game”. Southern was paid $750,000 to play LSU, win or lose. Although this game was highly anticipated by the city of Baton Rouge, several fans felt the game was unnecessary. However, a lingering question remains “Was it worth it?”
Before the game and its hype and anticipation, Southern University’s Give Day was also beneficial to the school. Southern received well over their estimated goal of $7 million with a total of $8,392,103. With Give Day and the football game, that puts our monetary donations over $9 million. A lot of questions followed such as what if Southern had a guaranteed percentage of the ticket sales, what if the game was played at a venue such as the Superdome, would we have gotten more?
Let us begin with question one. LSU made our guaranteed game money at the box office on ticket sales alone. Southern could have at least seen a portion of that money. Southern is grateful for the money, but Southern is not getting its worth at the same time.
LSU played against Florida State in New Orleans to start their season. The game was played in the Caesars Superdome, so of course, that money had to be shared amongst all parties. The game between Southern and LSU was sold out. Perhaps, if the game was played at the Superdome, perks could have gone up to possibly a billion dollars. This makes people question the intentions of the game being played at LSU.
There were many mixed emotions on social media concerning the LSU vs SU game. Oscar Rainey, a graduate of Grambling State University, said that he is not in favor of the game. “All money is not good money. Bigger schools like LSU have far greater resources, coaches, facilities, and equipment which results in different qualities of athletes,” because of this he went on to say, “athletes from smaller schools stand a greater chance of sustaining life-altering injuries.” As he talked he mentioned Devon Gales, a former SU player, who was injured in the SU vs Georgia game. He ended by saying, “Why sacrifice our kids for a dollar?” In addition, Deion Sanders was vocal as well by saying, “Now you have to build your team’s self-esteem back up… those game should at least pay one million dollars and have it go straight to athletics.” He provided a valid point.
However, the game still promoted unity with the bands playing together on the field forming the “225” and the big community tailgate. There will be many mixed fillings, but we won’t forget the positives the football game brought. The game also brought national exposure for SU and HBCU culture. Southern represented well, and it also showed how a city can come together as one.