CU Offers Free Sports Pass to Students Who Attend All Remaining Basketball Games

New athletic director's promotion aims to boost attendance at men's and women's basketball games.

Feb. 7, 2026 at 1:15pm

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The University of Colorado's athletic department has announced a new promotion that will allow undergraduate students who attend all eight remaining home basketball games this season to skip the queue for the sports pass next year and receive it for free. The promotion is an attempt by new athletic director Fernando Lovo to address long-standing concerns over inconsistent attendance at men's and women's basketball games.

Why it matters

Boosting attendance at basketball games has been a priority for CU coaches Tad Boyle and JR Payne, who have voiced frustration over low turnout, especially for less marquee opponents. The new promotion aims to incentivize students to attend more games, which could help create a better home-court advantage for the teams.

The details

Under the new promotion, undergraduate students who attend all eight remaining home games for both the men's and women's basketball teams will be able to bypass the typically long online queue to purchase the sports pass for the 2026-27 academic year. Additionally, 100 students who fulfill the attendance requirement will receive the sports pass for free.

  • The first of the eight games students must attend is this Saturday, February 8, 2026, when the Buffs take on Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. local time.
  • The sports pass for the 2026-27 academic year will go on sale later this summer.

The players

Fernando Lovo

The new athletic director at the University of Colorado, who took over for Rick George just one month ago and introduced this new promotion to boost basketball attendance.

Tad Boyle

The head coach of the University of Colorado men's basketball team, who has previously expressed frustration over inconsistent attendance at home games.

JR Payne

The head coach of the University of Colorado women's basketball team, who has also voiced concerns about low attendance, particularly given the program's recent success.

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What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This new promotion from the University of Colorado's athletic department demonstrates a proactive approach to addressing long-standing attendance issues at basketball games. By incentivizing students to attend more games, the university hopes to create a better home-court advantage for its teams and satisfy the desires of its coaches to see more consistent fan support.