Colorado reveals new promotion to address basketball attendance

Are you a CU student looking to get the sports pass next year? If so, good news! The athletic department has just the promotion for you!

Undergraduate students who attend all the remaining four men’s and four women’s (eight total) home basketball games left in the 2025-26 season will get to skip the queue line for the sports pass when it goes live later this summer, virtually guaranteeing that you’ll get access to all CU’s sports events next season. Additionally, 100 students who attend all eight remaining games will be given the sports pass free of charge.

This promotion comes just one month after the hiring of new athletic director Fernando Lovo took over for Rick George, in an apparent attempt to address basketball attention at the CU Event Center.

For years, men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle has voiced frustration over inconsistent attendance at home games—a concern often tied to fluctuations in opponent quality. Women’s basketball coach JR Payne has echoed similar sentiments, particularly given the program’s sustained success over the past four seasons.

This new promotion attempts to address that issue from the student side in a clear win-win scenario. Boyle and Payne receive the attendance boost they’ve long sought, while students get a chance to bypass the stressful, multi-hour online queue that accompanies sports pass registration this summer.

Credit to the athletic department and Lovo for bringing the promotion to life. If successful, it could be the first of several forward-thinking initiatives under Lovo’s leadership.

The first of the eight games that students will need to attend will be Saturday evening at the CUEC, as the Buffs will take on Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. local time.