USC Denies That Ticket Hike Is A “Bronny Tax”

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USC Men’s Basketball team is in an intriguing position. In 2021, they went to the Elite Eight of March Madness. However, a year later, they crashed out in the first round. But they could be about to bounce back given their 2023 recruiting class.

The big name is obviously Bronny James, ESPN‘s #19 prospect and the son of NBA legend LeBron James. He’s the star power, Mr. Hollywood, the poster child. But he’s not the premier prospect in the class for the Trojans. That would be Isaiah Collier, ESPN‘s #1 prospect. Together, along with the rest of USC’s young core, the Trojans could be looking at their first Final Four appearance since 1954. However, questions are starting to be asked about some of the things that USC is doing in light of this major recruiting class.

USC Dismisses Claims Of A “Bronny Tax”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 07: Wheeler guard Isaiah Collier guarded by Sierra Canyon guard Bronny James during a high school basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Wheeler in The Chosen-1’s Invitational at Galen Center on January 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

There’s no denying that Trojans tickets are about to become a hot commodity. “There is an added tier here, an added level, for sure, with the family ties Bronny comes with and the friends that not only he has but that his family has. And the following that could follow him and come to games on any given night,” USC Chief of Marketing Craig Kelley told ESPN. “It’s up to us to prepare.” Among that, Kelley acknowledged that ticket prices at the Galen Center are set to rise. However, he objected to the price hike being seen as a “Bronny Tax”.

“I know it’s going to be hard to believe, but with or without Bronny, the prices were more than likely going to go up by a few percentage points just because that’s just the nature of the business,” Kelley said. “Most teams are increasing their prices 2% to 3% annually. We’ve actually been flat for quite some time. And so we were going up in price just because the team has just gotten better. And you do add some notable name players.” Furthermore, USC has never shied away from high-profile students. Their 2023 graduating class included Sasha Obama and Princess Salma bint Abdullah of Jordan. However, that won’t be much comfort to the Trojan faithful who are going to feel a bigger pinch of their wallet next season.

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