Texas Tech is scheduled to play at 11 a.m. this weekend against TCU. It’ll be the third home game this season with an early start time and local businesses are frustrated.
“This season hasn’t been one of our favorites but we’re hoping to get a better team next year and get better times,” said the owner of Local Bar and Bar PM, Michael Clintsman.
Clintsman and other business owners nearby said the morning kickoffs impact their businesses especially compared to last year when Tech had more afternoon and night game times.
“This year we’ve lost tens of thousands of dollars because it not only affects Saturday night, it affects Friday,” said Clintsman. “When the game is so early, the kids don’t go out at night because they have to get up so early for the game at 11 o’clock, so we miss the pregame sales.”
Business owners claim fans come in for the 11 o’clock games and then leave right after. But when it’s a night game, they usually spend more time and money downtown.
“It’s definitely harder, you have to roll with the punches,” said Clintsman. “In the fall, we depend on these game days to get us through the winter break when Tech is out for 4 weeks.”
And Texas Tech Athletics understands the frustration.
“Well, it’s just something we’re aware of going into the season. Sometimes the frustrating part for us is the fan’s frustration,” said TTU senior associate athletic director, Robert Giovannetti.
But they work hard to make the morning game atmosphere just as fun at the nighttime atmosphere.
“There’s nothing we can do about it besides try to best we can to make the game day as fun as possible,” said Giovannetti.
But he wants to remind people that regardless of the game time, nothing beats college football.
“You only get 6 of them a year, you only get 6 opportunities. So regardless of what time we play, you’re going to be sorry in January or February, you’re going to miss college football,” said Giovannetti.
Tech plays TCU at 11 a.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium. If the Raiders win this game, they are bowl eligible.
