By: Grace Coughlan, Associate Editor
On Nov. 23, Towson Athletics announced that fans will not be allowed into SECU Arena to watch Towson’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams, but will be able to stream games through the website FloSports.
“For the 2020-21 season, all Towson University men’s and women’s basketball home games will be broadcast on FloSports, the official broadcast partner of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).” Towson Athletics said.
FloSports charges subscription plans per sport. To watch the current ongoing basketball season, students can select the FloHoops plan, and pay $12.50 per month, or an annual subscription for $95.88. Non-students can purchase a subscription for $29.99 per month, or $150 annually.
Students have expressed frustration, after already having paid a $500 athletic fee for the fall 2020 semester, part of which goes toward covering the cost of student tickets to in-person home games.
“Now to have to pay $12.50 a month to watch sports?” said student Alejandra Mora Gomez. “All because we can’t attend them in-person? It’s a money making business if I’ve ever seen one. This isn’t about accessibility to students, it’s about making money. TU’s priorities have been about making money first, and their students later.”
According to the CAA, FloSports offers over 300 CAA sports including basketball, football, soccer, softball, field hockey, volleyball, and baseball games.
TU student Brendan Guerzon doesn’t agree with the subscription fee while continuing to pay for athletics.
“[It’s] outrageous, the fact that we pay $500 even during a pandemic for athletes to have access to their private gym while even regular campus rec is closed,” Guerzon said. “[It] is completely ridiculous, and asking us to pay more on top of that is ridiculous, Towson is a greedy school and does anything for a buck.”
Mora Gomez believes that many TU students can’t afford the extra charge, as most are already experiencing financial hardship.
“My final words are this: it’s real bold of Towson to assume students can afford to pay $12.50 a month in this pandemic,” said Mora Gomez. “Who can afford that nowadays? College students didn’t even qualify for a stimulus check from the federal government.”