Could Fresno State, in search of new athletics revenue, play games downtown?

In a scramble to identify and tap new revenue, Fresno State in the future could take its games to the community rather than always asking the community to come to its games on campus. 

One hypothetical idea that has been kicked around by athletics officials would have a baseball team that this season won the Mountain West Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Los Angeles Regional play a national opponent in a series at Chukchansi Park, taking advantage of the capacity and premium seating opportunities in the downtown ballpark. 

Another idea is a throwback basketball game at Selland Arena, celebrating the history of a program that has scuffled along the past few years at the Save Mart Center, where the average attendance has been only a fraction what it was when the Bulldogs played downtown from 1967 to 2003.

“I’ve had some conversations already with (Fresno) Mayor (Jerry) Dyer about how we can be better partners with the city,” athletics director Garrett Klassy said. “We can’t just stay in our bubble and make people come to us. How do we go to them? No idea is off the table. We throw around a lot of things, but the money is in the execution, not the idea, so we have to make sure we have executable ideas that will benefit our fans and our athletics department.”

Discussions are preliminary, but playing games at Chukchansi or Selland could benefit an athletics department pressing to fund its operating costs as well as revenue sharing with student-athletes as the university joins the Pac-12 Conference next year. Branching out to downtown venues could also boost third-party Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for Fresno State student-athletes.

Fresno State ranks just sixth in athletics revenue among the seven football-playing schools that have committed to the Pac-12, and there is a significant gap ranging between $10 million and close to $40 million separating the Bulldogs and other Mountain West schools moving up into the rebuilding league.

Playing games at the city-owned downtown venues could create events, hot tickets. It could open doors to greater revenue through sponsorship opportunities, merchandising and licensing and narrow that funding gap.

Chukchansi Park, which is managed and operated by the Fresno Grizzlies, has more than 10,000 seats and a number of premium seating opportunities including luxury suites and an executive lounge. 

The nostalgia of a throwback basketball game at Selland also could be a draw for a program that averaged just 4,614 in attendance last year at the Save Mart Center, in the first season under former Clovis West High and Fresno City College coach Vance Walberg. The Save Mart Center, which has sapped life out of an athletics department that receives no cut of suite leases, signage, parking or concessions sales when playing games there, has a capacity of 15,596 for basketball. 

“People keep talking about the glory days down at Selland Arena,” Klassy said. “Maybe we move a game down there every year, working with the city.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 12:00 PM.