AD Graham Rossini to survey tailgaters on Arizona State’s improved game day experience

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini has listened to fans’ concerns and taken action early in his tenure that began just months ago.

The university this week announced changes to its game day experience at Mountain America Stadium, with improvements ranging from slashed parking prices to added concessions and more.

Rossini joined Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday in the first of his weekly visits this season and explained there’s more to come.

“I’m a big believer that food is the experience anchor, and we want to talk a lot more about tailgating this season,” Rossini said. “We’re gonna be out in the lots ourselves this weekend just interacting with tailgaters, getting feedback on that experience.”

Rossini said that the expansion of ASU’s campus has cut off some of the tailgating real estate, which is a problem that needs fixing. One workaround for now is a free public tailgate with $4 food and drinks.

The Dos Equis Pitchfork Pregame is FREE, open to all fans and features $4 beverages and $4 Food Items including Bar-S Hot Dogs, Venezia's New York Style Pizza, and Rudy's Bar-B-Que.

It is a unique indoor/outdoor public tailgate on the north side of Desert Financial Arena. This… pic.twitter.com/eb6yu1vjBq

— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) August 29, 2024

Inside the stadium, food changes include signature items based on each home opponent and added value menu items.

“We’re looking at the decisions we can make that restore the faith and the confidence of our fanbase that we’re making decisions based on the things they’re asking for,” the athletic director said. “All that fuels our chance to compete right out the gate.

“And we’re not in a situation where we feel like we need to ease into the Big 12. We’re ready to compete. We’ve got a roster right now that we feel is gonna be able to compete in this conference.”

Arizona State finding the right spotlights

The Sun Devils have found quite a few opportunities to use the spotlight to their advantage.

The first two road games for ASU football this season are both in Texas, which was a big recruiting base even before the move into a conference that features four teams from Texas.

“That’s a great opportunity, ASU has a huge interest in Texas,” Rossini said. “Those are important for enrollment for ASU, but they’re really important in the recruiting conversation.”

Furthermore, men’s basketball is set to play an exhibition on the road against Duke and begin its season against head coach Bobby Hurley’s former team.

“It’s gonna get our basketball team battle tested out the gate. We’re really excited about this roster, we’ve got incredible talent here on campus ready to compete,” Rossini said. “It’s valuable from a basketball standpoint but it’s also gonna be a really fun weekend to take a lot of our donors … to give them a unique, never-before experience of Sun Devils at Cameron Indoor.”

Rossini also said “there’s no replacement” for the attention ASU got during the Olympics, with swimmer Léon Marchand front and center.

“The world got to know ASU because of our Olympic presence,” Rossini said.