SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
College sports are more than games — they bring communities together and generate lasting memories. However, for Alabama A&M University, a paper trail of financial mismanagement has also been generated, stretching back nearly two decades.
This fall, the university is turning the page.
Bulldog fans attending Alabama A&M sporting events will encounter a significant change starting this season: no more cash sales. After piloting a cashless system during the recent basketball season, the university is now transitioning to a fully digital system across all athletics events.
Cleaning House After Longstanding Audit Issues
Alabama A&M’s move comes after a series of state audits exposed persistent problems in the university’s ticket sales accounting.
According to Paul Bryant, A&M’s Athletics Director, University President Daniel Wims made resolving the audit findings a top priority when he took office.
“When the president hired me, he said, among several priorities, this was a major one,” Bryant told AL.com. “He said, ‘AD Bryant, I need you to fix this system.’”
Those issues date back years. A 2008–2013 audit flagged discrepancies during the 2012 Homecoming football game against Alcorn State. Auditors were unable to locate unsold tickets, and a $1,600 discrepancy was discovered between receipts and itemized sales, primarily related to parking.
“The University was not able to locate the unsold parking tickets to verify the total of the returned tickets listed on the Parking Cash Collection Form,” the audit stated.
A more recent audit covering 2018–2022 found the same lack of full accountability — this time for discounted and complimentary tickets. Auditors concluded that “the Athletics Department is not maintaining accountability for tickets printed and sold.”
Bryant’s Fix: Reconciliation, Policy, and Tech
Bryant, who began his tenure in August 2022, said the audit findings aligned with what he found on arrival.
“The reconciliation, that’s the biggest thing,” he explained. “Let’s say that we didn’t sell tickets. We never put them back in the system. And that was huge. If you don’t put them back in the system, it looks like they were sold.”
In response, Bryant implemented a 48-hour reconciliation rule: all ticketing data must be reviewed and finalized by the Monday following each Saturday game. His department also created a formal complimentary ticket policy, adopted the Hometown ticketing platform, and brought in school auditors for regular checks.
“We put our checks and balances in to make sure we’re trying to eliminate that consistent issue,” Bryant said.
Digital Transition: Cashless and Accountable
Now, the university is fully committed to digital reform.
Starting this fall, all ticket transactions will be cashless, accepting credit cards, Apple Pay, and QR-based mobile tickets.
“I think that is huge because everything is automated,” Bryant said. “Going cashless makes us that much more accountable… there’s no ambiguity. Everything is right there.”
