On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Florida A&M football team traveled to Miami Gardens to face the Miami Hurricanes, a game often referred to as a “money game.”
Such games involve a smaller school playing against a major program in exchange for a financial payout. The implications extend beyond the financials, affecting team morale, motivation, and fan sentiment, especially when the score is lopsided.
The recurring question from fans was, “Why is FAMU playing them?” In essence, a money game allows smaller schools, like FAMU, to earn a significant amount of money from big programs, such as the University of Miami.
This financial boost helps fund athletic programs despite the likelihood of a challenging match-up and potential loss.
Kortne Gosha, former Vice President and Director of Athletics at Florida A&M University, negotiated the deal for the Rattlers to face the Hurricanes. The contract guaranteed $700,000 for FAMU, which was intended to support the athletic department.
Gosha aimed to further increase revenue by participating in the Orange Blossom Classic, but FAMU withdrew from the event under former Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes due to a need for an additional home game.
Coach James Colzie III, the 19th Head Football Coach of the Rattlers, took over after serving as Interim Head Coach following Willie Simmons. The Rattlers had an underwhelming performance against the Hurricanes as they lost 56-9.
Following the loss, many fans on social media expressed their dislike for these games. Some argued a loss as great as this has the potential to be demoralizing for some athletes.
“There are some guys that are angry about how they played,” Colzie said. “We are going to get back, look at our corrections, get healthy, and start from scratch on this bye week.”
Colzie emphasized that learning and growing are crucial moving forward.
“We [FAMU] are not used to losing, especially not like this, but we lost to a team that’s probably going to make it to the playoffs. Is there humility in that? No, but we kept playing, we kept coaching, our guys didn’t back down and I appreciate that,” Colzie said.
Students have mixed feelings about the impact of such games on school spirit.
Lovie Gentle, a second-year nursing major and avid Rattlers fan, believes that playing larger schools can harm morale despite the financial benefits.
“I think the idea of playing against larger schools does more harm than good. While these matchups bring in money, they also diminish the morale of FAMU fans with embarrassing losses,” Gentle said. “When the score is heavily one-sided, it can feel disheartening, especially when players are giving their all but are clearly outmatched.”
Kennedy Anderson, a fourth-year food science major and regular attendee of home games, shared her disbelief over the dramatic loss.
“I understand it brings in money for the school, but I would love for us [FAMU] to retain a shred of dignity,” Anderson said. “It honestly didn’t feel or look right when FAMU and the University of Miami were on different playing fields, with one team having a clear advantage over the other.”
FAMU will compete in yet another money game as they take on Troy University this weekend, Sep. 21 at 7 p.m.