Paying the price to play football

The Southern University football team produces a lot of money for the University, however fundraising is still necessary for the athletic department and many members of the Jaguar Nation may want to know why.
Here is one good reason why: the cost of equipping a whole football team and keeping them properly uniformed is not cheap by any means. For example: $33,000 alone is spent on shoulder pads for the team, which consists of approximately 110, so just think about the overall cost-it gets really expensive. Before there is a game to entertain fans, there must be money for practice gear such as padding, helmets, and uniforms.
” On the average I deal with about 25 to 30 different companies when buying equipment for the team,” said Jaguar Equipment Manager Derrick Price.
Price is the key person in making sure SU football players are prepared to play every game. There are approximately 110 football players on the team during preseason practice and Price has to be able to provide all 110 of them with the gear they need to participate during practice sessions and official games.
The use for game gear would be obsolete if there were no use for practice gear. So in order to have a good practice session, you need the proper equipment, so that proper utilization of the gear will be in tact for games.
So what does the team practice in?
For starters, the athletic department spends a combined total of $3080 just for T-shirts and shorts. Jock straps and socks are an additional $825.
Each player goes through 10 of each of these products per season. For fully dress practices the team wears practice jerseys which costs the department approximately $10,000. This is the cost to replace the old jerseys and pants.
Practice shoes cost the team $33,000.
“They go through three or four pairs of shoes on two-a-days,” stated Price.
Most importantly is the gear that protects the players during practice and during the game.
“Through the coarse of the season each player may go through four sets of pads,” said Price.
Facemasks cost approximately $2,500, and the equipment crew keeps about 50 to 75 extra because during the year they are constantly broken. The team also goes through 1500 to 2000 mouthpieces; in which each player goes through on an average of four during practices and games.
Shoulder pads run in the range of $33,000. Thigh, knee, and hip pads come in a set and cost $5,500. A pair of gloves for the team cost $2,500.
They must also purchase traveling gear and they must not forget about those cold and rainy nights they may occasionally play.
Sideline rain jackets cost $11,000, and turtlenecks $3,300. For travel the team has two types of gear: the gray warm-up suit that costs the department around $6,600 and the fancier warm-up suit that costs approximately $13,750.
Overall, to fully equip each player, it costs approximately $1200. To equip the whole team it cost the University over $125,000.
So the next time you wonder about where the money may go, think about all that blue and gold you see out on the field. It does not just magically appear there, it costs money and a lot of it.