An LSU Football ticket surcharge proposed in the Faculty Senate could benefit the Tigers’ namesake.
Faculty Senate Resolution 17-04, sponsored by professor James Wilkins, the director of the Louisiana Sea Grant Law and Policy Program, proposed instituting a $1 surcharge on all LSU Football ticket sales to benefit tiger conservation. Wilkins said the proposal would allow the University to turn Mike’s captivity into an opportunity to preserve his species.
Ethical debates over maintaining a live tiger mascot ignited after the death of Mike VI in October, when he was euthanized following a battle with spindle cell sarcoma. Several petitions began circulating online calling on the University to forego its live mascot tradition. As of now, the search for Mike VII is ongoing.
Faculty Senate president Kevin Cope said the faculty wants to ensure that holding a tiger on campus promotes the wellbeing of tigers long-term and aligns with the University’s larger educational goals. Cope said he’s skeptical Mike’s current condition as a “gladiatorial spectacle” used to whip up fan enthusiasm meets those standards, and said Wilkins’s resolution is a step in the right direction.
Wilkins said he’s torn by the live mascot tradition. Though Mike is well cared for and allowed certain rights, Wilkins said he’s not living a natural life because instinctive functions such as hunting and mating are missing from his existence.
Despite personal reservations, Wilkins said he recognizes Mike’s importance to the University community and fans. Instead of doing away with the tradition, Wilkins said fans’ love for the iconic mascot could be leveraged to alleviate the plight of endangered tigers in the wild.
It’s one of the most valuable ways fans could show their love and respect for Mike, he said.
“The symbol of a fierce, intelligent, beautiful animal is what spurs on the LSU fighting tiger spirit,” Wilkins said. “I think we need to do our part to protect those wild, fierce, beautiful animals.”
Wilkins said he anticipates some fans will be upset by the proposal, but the $1 fee hike isn’t much of a sacrifice per individual. He said proposing a surcharge on football tickets was the most convenient method to guarantee donations from fans, and with over 100,000 seats in Tiger Stadium each person’s small contribution adds up.
Select stadium seats already have specific surcharges attached to them. The Tiger Athletic Foundation requires minimum charitable donations for members to be eligible to purchase tickets in select zones. Separately, donations to the Tradition Fund are required for access to roughly 45,000 seats in select seating zones.
The Tradition Fund was established in 2004 to provide financial stability to the athletics program and allow Tiger Athletics to invest in the construction of University athletics facilities. Minimum Tradition Fund donations range from $1,025 for sideline or Tiger Terrace one seats to $210 for seating in south end zone three.
Aside from its philanthropic aims, the proposal could also be a good publicity opportunity for the University. Wilkins said he hopes the surcharge would dampen critics’ objections to the live mascot and engender good will toward the University.
The resolution was originally presented April 18, and will return before the Faculty Senate for a vote May 11. The proposal is strictly a recommendation to the University administration and TAF, but Wilkins said he hopes they’ll pursue it.
Tiger Stadium operates during regular business hours on Wednesday Feb. 15, 2017.
