{"id":4384,"date":"2012-11-09T13:11:11","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T18:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=4384"},"modified":"2012-11-09T13:51:40","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T18:51:40","slug":"late-night-games-bad-for-business-by-kierra-ransey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/late-night-games-bad-for-business-by-kierra-ransey\/","title":{"rendered":"“Late Night Games Bad for Business?” by Kierra Ransey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late Night Games <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bad for Business?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Kierra Ransey<\/span><\/p>\n

From The Local Voice #166: Download the PDF here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oxford, Miss. (TLV) – Although Ole Miss\u2019 late-night kickoffs may be good for exposure, some local business owners are wondering if they are good for business.<\/p>\n

Football games have gotten off to a late start for Ole Miss<\/strong>. The first two home games started at 6pm and the Texas<\/strong> game began at 8:15pm. This arrangement was good for the team, who had the opportunity to get more television viewers. It was good for the fans and students because they could enjoy a full day at the Grove; however, it was the owners of the local restaurants in town who were less than pleased with the arrangement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a total, business has been down,\u201d said Buck Walden<\/strong>, the owner of the Rib Cage<\/strong>. \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that part of that is due to late kickoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck Walden is just one of the many local business owners in Oxford who are concerned about the late night games. While the games are going on, Rebel fans are either cheering the Rebels on or watching the game on television. As a result, traffic on the Square is decreased.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Late-night games] are really making a difference for my business,\u201d said Bulmaro Revelez<\/strong>, who owns Taqueria El Milagro<\/strong>. \u201cBy the times the games are finished and the traffic is cleared out, it is 10:30 pm and the restaurants on my side of town close at 10. It is really hurting us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because Oxford is a small college town, the local businesses depend on the students and home game traffic. As early as July, some restaurant owners eagerly await the beginning of the football season because their business thrives around that time. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really dependent on game-day business. The fall leads to busy home game weekends and moderate to slow off-game weekends,\u201d Scott Caradine<\/strong> explained at his restaurant, Proud Larrys\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When games start later, it is the restaurant owners who get the short end of the stick. The fans spend most of the day at the Grove, tailgating and enjoying the atmosphere at Ole Miss. During the evening, they watch the game either at the stadium or on television. After the games are over, it is almost time for the restaurants to close. That isn\u2019t enough time for them to get a considerable amount of revenue. It stings especially hard for them because there are large crowds in Oxford.\u00a0 If the games had started just a little bit earlier, they could have gotten a nice lunch crowd and a good dinner crowd after the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurts simply because of the late night kickoffs. During the Texas game, we cleared out around 6:30 for the 8:15 kickoff,\u201d Walden said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get busy again until 11:30. We lost out on evening sales.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott Caradine has more optimistic view of things. \u201cWe\u2019ve still had great weekends when there were home ball games, but the [Texas game-day] could have been a little stronger. We could have done more sales if the game had been at 2pm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for them, the University of Mississippi<\/strong> and Oxford have nothing to do with the time the games are scheduled. That is chosen by ESPN who has a contract with the South Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cESPN chooses the game times,\u201d Caradine explained. \u201cIt all comes down to what the television people think the people want to see. For Ole Miss to get a prime spot, people have got to want to watch them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other restaurant owners understand that the game times are the result of a contract between the SEC and ESPN, but they wish that there was some way to make a compromise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we\u2019re tied to the almighty dollar and ESPN, but I wish there was a loophole,\u201d Walden said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would help if the timing of the games were mixed up,\u201d said Bulmaro. I think we should have a variety of game times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though the late night games are hurting the business of local restaurants, they are keeping their heads up and adapting as best as they can to the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad we have home games,\u201d Caradine said. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t do me any good to complain about the time. We\u2019re going to have some fun. You just got to deal with it, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just open the door and hope the beer is cold and the food is good,\u201d Walden said.<\/p>\n

The Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game on Saturday, November 10, 2012 starts at 6 pm on the Ole Miss campus.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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