Letter From The AD: September 2020 Edition

Dear Bobcats,

On behalf of all of us in Bobcat Athletics, I want to send heartfelt condolences to everyone affected by the Bridger Foothills Fire. I also would like to send our deepest gratitude for all the firefighters, first responders, law enforcement and volunteers that have braved this tragedy together. It has been inspiring to watch this community come together to support one another. It is a beautiful reminder of why we call this state home. You are all in our thoughts and prayers and we hope the fire will be contained quickly.

It is hard to believe the calendar has turned to September. I know our faithful Bobcat supporters share my emptiness and sadness in the postponement of the fall athletic season. The fact we were not together in Bobcat Stadium for Gold Rush this past weekend doesn't seem like reality. However, I believe there is reason for optimism. Montana State University opened its doors for the fall semester three weeks ago and things have gone very smoothly. The COVID-19 numbers in Gallatin County are doing well and it is great to see so many adhering to the mask wearing, social distancing, and other guidelines. As always, the latest MSU campus news and updates on the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.

We truly appreciate your patience, understanding and continued support as we navigate the complicated scenarios around supporting our student-athletes during this time, and we understand that each of our fans are affected by the pandemic differently. Even though we are not participating in athletic contests right now, we are fully committed to supporting our student-athletes, coaches and programs as we would any other year. The difference this year is that we are not generating the revenue we would in a normal year due to no events occurring this fall.

Each year, Bobcat Athletics generates much of its revenue from ticket sales, donations, corporate sponsorships, and NCAA/Big Sky Conference revenue distributions. As you can imagine, with no fans or limited attendance being permitted when competitions are allowed, this will have a dramatic impact on our available resources for the year. In response to this need for support, we are excited to launch a new challenge to our fans: "Plant the Flag: A campaign to position Bobcat Athletics for success today, tomorrow and beyond." Our goal is to raise $3M throughout this year to avoid interruptions in support for our programs ($2M for scholarships; $500,000 in nutrition; and $500,000 in additional medical expenses). Click here to watch a video announcing this campaign.

This Plant the Flag campaign was born from the desire not only to survive the year, but to emerge from this time of adversity stronger than we ever have been before. We want to set the stage for our student-athletes to continue to dominate in the classroom and on the field of competition. This year-long campaign will encompass many things you've seen before like the Blue & Gold Gala (virtual this year), season ticket renewals, Bobcat Club license plates renewals and new initiatives specific to this academic calendar which will be announced at later dates.

The easiest way to help us Plant the Flag is to keep your football season tickets and roll with us into the spring 2021 season, or if your circumstances won't allow you to attend in the spring, to donate your ticket fees and Required Seat Contribution. If most of our fans were able to do one of those options, we would be well on our way to achieving our $3M goal. However, as I mentioned above, we understand this pandemic has affected everyone differently and we are very sensitive to everyone's personal situations. We've worked with the Bobcat Ticket Office to present multiple options to our season-ticket holders, including refund scenarios for those who need it. Please visit our FAQ's page to review options and follow necessary steps for those requesting a deferral to the fall 2021 season, donation opportunities or a full/partial refund.

It is hard to believe, but basketball season is right around the corner. We are continually planning for all scenarios pertaining to the 2020-2021 basketball season and expect some direction from the NCAA after the Division I Council meeting scheduled on September 16. Once we have this information, we plan to release schedules for both men's and women's basketball programs along with ticket information. Given the information we have gathered thus far, we anticipate the start of the season being delayed a few weeks but are planning on the season starting by the end of November.

If you haven't seen the construction progress of the Bobcat Athletic Complex, I invite all of you to watch with our live webcam here. You will notice a crane arrived on campus late last week which means we will start to see some steel very shortly. These are exciting times and we can't thank our donors enough for making this happen. You can also view our entire Athletic Masterplan for details on the project.

As always, and especially during this time, we thank you for your continued commitment and support to not only Bobcat Athletics, but Montana State University, our community and our state. We all want nothing more than to return to a state of normalcy and we are committed to doing our part to make that happen. Please #MaskUpMontana and join us in the effort to stay healthy and safe.

In Bobcat Spirit,

Leon Costello

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Letter From The AD: September 2020 Edition

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