By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter // Photo via SJSU Athletics
San Jose State survived this round of conference realignment. The Mountain West might even benefit from it. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported, the ACC is “seriously considering” adding Stanford and Cal, which would likely result in Oregon State and Washington State joining the Mountain West. This would greatly benefit the Mountain West’s bottom line.
But – if the Mountain West underwent a realignment situation similar to the formerly known PAC-12 in the next couple years, could SJSU make it out alive? The conference’s media deal will expire following the 2025-26 season.
SJSU currently generates the lowest revenue in the Mountain West. The roughly $6 million – $5 million from media rights – SJSU receives from the Mountain West is crucial to funding the athletic department. If SJSU was removed from the Mountain West and demoted to a lower-tier conference, it would mean serious budget cuts and axing of athletic programs.
While donning a Mountain West ball cap, SJSU’s Athletic Director Jeff Konya, and Scott MacDonald, Deputy AD for external relations, shared how SJSU is protecting itself from becoming a future realignment casualty.
‘Betting on potential‘
Konya made the analogy that SJSU’s like an awkward, clumsy 12-year-old, “but when they grow into their gifts, they might have the world by their oyster.”
SJSU has the potential to be well-funded and drive in serious revenue. It has more graduates in Silicon Valley than any other school. San Jose is the 10th most populated city in the entire country. And the Bay Area is a top-10 media market.
So why don’t donors donate and fans buy tickets and watch games on TV? Much of it boils down to a previous poor on-field product.
SJSU football just went to its second bowl game in the span of three years for the second time ever and first time since 1987. Last year marked the first time football, basketball and baseball made the postseason in the same year in school history. The school’s esteemed track and field program “Speed City,” which was discontinued from 1988-2016, just celebrated its best season in several decades.
Until recently, fans and donors haven’t had a reason to invest time and money.
When it comes to a lacking donorship, Konya said, “What I’ve heard is that we’ve had the last generation or two of graduates that didn’t necessarily have the [student] experience that we’re offering today.”
Donor relationships
Since Konya arrived from Northeastern in 2021, he’s emphasized building relationships with donors.
Last week, SJSU just had a poker night. It was the athletic program’s first major fundraising event since COVID-19. The event was held in a plush Downtown San Jose venue and featured gambling, a silent auction, SJSU athletes sharing their personal stories and a shoutout from Stephen Curry.
“We saw folks there that haven’t interacted with San Jose State in years. So hopefully, we’re expanding our reach,” Konya said.
According to MacDonald, SJSU’s One Spartan Nation membership program has seen an uptick of 50% over the last two years.
While it’s a boost, SJSU’s still struggling in the NIL space. The school’s Blue and Gold NIL collective doesn’t currently have the deep-pocketed boosters to compete with other schools boasting more robust opportunities. If recruits have “NIL” as a top priority, SJSU isn’t for them.
However, the recently unveiled $60 million Spartan Athletic Center shows SJSU has made strides in donorship. Several key donors attended and the finale of a project that’s been talked about since 2006.
SJSU is in a better place than when Konya arrived in 2021. But bigger strides have to be made for SJSU to be considered a valuable conference member.
Fully staffed marketing team
Heading into the 2023 season, MacDonald says SJSU’s “$200 grand ahead of where we were last year at this point in time” in ticket sales. MacDonald sees it as a direct correlation with SJSU having two full time marketing employees on staff for the first time.
Konya, MacDonald and Michael Smoose, who’s director of marketing and fan engagement, have met with SJSU’s student body president and discussed ways to boost student interest.
“He’s a member of a fraternity,” MacDonald began, “he was telling Jeff and I like, ‘We have get togethers where there could be like, 600 people there.’ And we’re like, ‘Okay, well, how do you share our home schedules?'”
Student engagement has long been a weak point for SJSU Athletics. Last year, when SJSU men’s basketball was in the midst of its best season in school history, there wasn’t an uptick in student attendance at games. Even though Providential Credit Union Event Center Arena is in the center of campus and a few hundred feet away from on-campus student dorms.
As a way to improve its on-campus presence, the department is in the works of having the team’s highlights shown on the several flat screen TV’s inside SJSU’s Student Union center.
“I think you’re gonna see an increase in student attendance because we’re going to have the bodies to get out there and I’m hopeful that they come,” MacDonald said.
Konya said that, “the better experience, the better ties to the university, and that’s gonna yield more engagements down the road. And it’s easier to write off a place where you don’t have those emotional connections.”
Bolstering Media Presence
Konya and MacDonald both emphasized the importance of SJSU’s home-opener against No. 18 Oregon State on Sunday, Sep. 2 which will be televised on CBS. It’s SJSU’s first regular season game on CBS since 1982.
“I would say that the Oregon State game, definitely is going to be a major opportunity for us. Given that it’s going to be a television window where there’s no competition, right? And it’s going to be the only football that’s being played in a very significant time window on the weekend,” Konya said.
The hope is that football-deprived fans across the nation tune in and made aware of the rise of SJSU Athletics. The Oregon State game will feature several examples of SJSU’s recent rise and increase its national relevance.
As brand awareness goes, the Oregon State clash is placed with a higher value than SJSU’s matchup against No. 6 USC which will be played on the PAC-12 Network.
It’s the latest example of SJSU increasing its media presence. This past year, football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and gymnastics all appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area. The 14 total appearances were unprecedented. The school will have 15 this season.
One of the men’s basketball games were called by alumnus and NBA writer Marc Spears who was recently inducted in the National Basketball. Mark Jones, broadcaster for ESPN and NBC Sports Bay Area, called a women’s basketball game this year. And former SJSU wide receiver and Super Bowl Champion James Jones did analyst work for SJSU football on NBC Sports Bay Area.
While SJSU resides in a top-10 media market, it features an audience that’s not wildly passionate about college football. Moreover, it also competing against the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants and 49ers, San Jose Sharks and Earthquakes and the Oakland A’s. But Konya said it’s a “misnomer” that a crowded market is an obstacle.
Changing public perception
Konya had no prior ties to SJSU before he arrived in 2021. It’s something he sees as an advantage.
“I haven’t been burdened with the history, the knowledge, going through those grind, going through those lean years, I can just evaluate this from where it is right now,” Konya said.
And right now, SJSU is safe from being a realignment casualty. But realignment is a fluid and inevitable beast. No one expected USC and UCLA to be in the Big-10 a year ago.
So what happens within the next couple years when the Mountain West’s media deal expires? Or a different unforeseen circumstance were to arise? Can SJSU overcome its woeful history and raise its value and profile enough to survive?
The answer to that could be the answer to a hypothetical Konya posed:
“At what point do you get over historical perceptions? How long does it take to change perception?”