Georgia Tech will move next year’s game against Georgia to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and receive $10 million guaranteed, citing a need for “new sources of revenue.” This will be the first time since 1913 that the competition, known as “Clean Old Fashioned Hate,” will be held off campus. And it comes one year after Georgia Tech finished No. 1 at the time. 1 Georgia State lost 31-23 in a heated game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the closest game in seven years.
But Georgia Tech athletic director J. Butt said in a message to fans that the $10 million from Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be “transformative for Tech athletics.” .
Butt vowed the 2027 game would return to Georgia Tech’s campus amid concerns about renovations to Bobby Dodd Stadium. (No other games have been moved at this time.)
“This was not a decision taken lightly,” Butt wrote. “As I mentioned earlier, as we embark on a new era in college athletics, we need to explore new sources of revenue, which is paramount to our goal of competing for championships at the highest level. is.”
Although this game will not be included in Georgia Tech’s season ticket package, Yellow Jackets fans will receive priority seating not available at other games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Butt said. I wrote by email.
Still, playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which can seat up to 75,000 people, could give Georgia a chance to draw even more fans. The Bulldogs already have a significant number of fans at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The capacity is 51,913 people.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is also Georgia’s second home, having played there 10 times since the start of the 2017 season, including this year’s opener against Clemson.
“We always enjoy playing at a prestigious venue like Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement. “This move will only strengthen the long-standing tradition of the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech game and provide our fans with another great event.”
This is the second development in recent years for this rivalry match. This year’s game in Athens was moved to a Friday night to get more attention on ESPN.
(Haynes King photo: John David Mercer / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
