Budget Cuts will require UConn to cut some (not all) athletic programs

[01Neaggrad02]

Lets call a spade a spade and acknowledge the elephant in the room.... do away with FOOTBALL.

 

[Alydar]

Pacific, I know that our football team has not exactly been a powerhouse. We are not one of those schools who sell their soul in order to go to a bowl every year, but the young men who choose to sacrifice their time and bodies are not doing it for "comic relief". Please give them the respect they deserve.

I don't follow college football but I respect the program. What I don't respect is the professional sport college football has become, where coaches with eight figure salaries and huge cash bribes and other inducements are required to land top recruits. So when wishing for wcbb to hit the big time remember that the other goes along with it.

 

[huskymedic]

Yes, the team physician only gets a small fee for treating, on occasion, a dozen kids. And even if you add in travel, still the team receives a cut of revenues on the road. But let's say that we add another million to the expenses. That gets us to the amount that the university says the team is "losing," but all before a single dollar of revenues is taken into account.

Again, I strongly suspect that the team gets slammed with massive central athletic office expenses, which are probably much more related to football than the small basketball team.

Lots of other universities have retained basketball while dumping football. Football is the culprit, not basketball, and certainly not women's basketball.

The loss figure just smells. Not buying it.

This article explains a bit more... UConn athletic department lost $42 million in 2019 after decline in ticket sales and league revenue

 

[Fairfield Fan]

This article explains a bit more... UConn athletic department lost $42 million in 2019 after decline in ticket sales and league revenue

The problem is with the $8 million in "expenses." How in the world do they get to $8 million? If you add in the full (not cash) cost of $50k per player, that's only $600,000. It appears that they are adding on overhead that totals more than 100% of direct costs, no matter what you add in for tuition and room and board, coaches, ass't coaches, travel. No way to get anywhere close to the $8 million they're claiming.

They have football, with nearly 100 players, and what has to be far more medical expenses and coaches, weight trainers etc, as only double the expenses of- wait for it!!- women's basketball with only a dozen players? Absolutely no way!

I suspect that there is massive reallocation of AD office and even football expenses around to WCBB and other sports in order to minimize the massive losses in the football program.

Smells even more now.

Would love to see a real journalist look into these numbers and ferret out the truth. I think women's basketball is being victimized by men's football to cover up the real and ugly numbers.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The problem is with the $8 million in "expenses." How in the world do they get to $8 million? If you add in the full (not cash) cost of $50k per player, that's only $600,000. It appears that they are adding on overhead that totals more than 100% of direct costs, no matter what you add in for tuition and room and board, coaches, ass't coaches, travel. No way to get anywhere close to the $8 million they're claiming.

They have football, with nearly 100 players, and what has to be far more medical expenses and coaches, weight trainers etc, as only double the expenses of- wait for it!!- women's basketball with only a dozen players? Absolutely no way!

I suspect that there is massive reallocation of AD office and even football expenses around to WCBB and other sports in order to minimize the massive losses in the football program.

Smells even more now.

Would love to see a real journalist look into these numbers and ferret out the truth. I think women's basketball is being victimized by men's football to cover up the real and ugly numbers.

I have no idea, but I'm not surprised there is a net loss, it is typical in WBB.

One factor which you have not accounted for, which is the direct overhead of operating Gampel Pavilion for a game or whatever they do when they use the XL Center. There is a real cost to putting on games.

I would also challenge the idea that they get a portion of anything for a typical away game. Poorer teams are paid to come and play better teams, but that sure is not UConn. I've never heard otherwise. It is true that for some events (and the NCAA tournament) some travel costs are paid, but other than that, not so much.

 

[BfromCT]

The subject of budget cuts is a complicated one and the University of Connecticut needs to take a close look at all its programs, not just athletics. We can divide costs into four main categories - administration, facilities, faculty salaries, and athletics. The Board of Trustees needs to take some courage pills and confront systematic waste throughout the UConn system.

Facilities costs need to be maintained because deferment of maintenance always leads to far greater costs down the line. Like most modern universities, administrative bloat has gotten out of control with numerous highly compensated deans, assistant deans, chairs of specialized programs, etc. and these costs for many universities exceed those of faculty compensations. These excessive costs could be cut by a large percentage, probably at least by one-third, and the university needs to get beyond the paradigm articulated by eebmg that the cardinal rule of administrations is that services are cut and not administrative expenses. With regard to faculty salaries, a number of people are highly, of not excessively paid. As topogigio pointed out, a good place to start is exorbitant golden handshake that the Board of Trustees gave to former president Herbst. In addition, such highly paid faculty members as Geno Auriemma should take a haircut.

The athletic budget is always a tempting target of budget cutters and the huge deficit of the football program cannot be justified. Despite, however, the “losses” generated by big-time football, basketball, etc., no academic program or graduate school makes any money for the university. Has the history department ever generated $1.00 to the university? Successful sports programs can generate funds for the university through donations of support. UConn made a huge mistake in believing that its football program could ever grow and be competitive enough to generate the income that the major powers accrue. Except for a relatively small number of schools from the power conferences, no football program from whatever division makes any money. They are justified and supported for other reasons. The university should recognized that it made a mistake and scale it back the football program and trying to compete at, say, the Mid-American Conference level.

With regard to basketball, the second mistake university administrators made was to desert the Big East and go to the AAC to pursue its football dream. The new conference afforded the Huskies no traditional rivalries and made for humungous travel costs with trips to FL and TX among other places, not to mention NC, OK, LA, and TN. With the return to the Big East and playing teams that are much better known to UConn fans, gate income should increase substantially (COVID-19 permitting), particularly for men’s basketball. Moreover, significant savings can be made in travel expenses. It should be easily possible for the teams to bus to PC, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova, and Georgetown, especially if road games are batched, as the Ivy League has done for many years. Such a strategy will not work in playing Creighton (Omaha, Butler (Indianapolis), and Xavier (Cincinnati), but it should be possible to play DePaul (Chicago) and Marquette (Milwaukee) on the same trip, as the two cities are in relatively close proximity to one another.

No chance exists for any other sport to hope to become close to revenue neutral, although hockey (Hockey East) and soccer do have popular followings and all athletic teams should benefit by the renewal of membership in the Big East.

For far too long, UConn athletics has been a victim of the big football mentality and it needs to end. UConn can continue to be a national power in basketball without membership in a Power Five conference. Villanova’s two NCAA basketball championships in the past decade are not chopped liver and the success of many such mid-major male basketball programs demonstrates that you do not have to be Alabama, Michigan, or Texas to achieve athletic distinction. I do wonder, however, how the Big East’s TV contract with Fox Sports compares to that of the AAC with ESPN. The SNY contract should be much more attractive at renewal time with a Big East affiliation.

 

[EdSaid]

I've worked at both football colleges and non football colleges. No brainer I preferred non football. Football becomes their won kingdom. I always had a problem justifying it. On the other hand, football is where the clout lies.

Some one said 100k for recruiting. Sorry not close, for Geno to maintain the level of recruiting he/the staff is spending. Minimum 500-$1 million. More likely more. If he's buzzing around in charters easily more than $1M. Think about it: car rentals, hotels, per diem>>>BOOM. A so-so Div I baseball team can spend $500,000.

Team travel is a double BOOM. Those charters are between 5-10K per hour, add first class hotels and meal money. Add the tutors and training staff.

As a rule there are no game guarantees for conference schedule. I double SC and Baylor's guarantees pay for half of transportation. Tv money for women is about 10% of men's TV money. This I know for a fact. There is still discrimination there and for the most part the women are glad to be on TV. (The women have come a long way with TV and Geno is a big part of that.

Finally, NCAA Tournament money is a split between each school in the conference and one share for the conference commissioner's office. It dwindles down, Same for Men's b-ball and football bowl games.

 

[Steelerone]

The problem is with the $8 million in "expenses." How in the world do they get to $8 million? If you add in the full (not cash) cost of $50k per player, that's only $600,000. It appears that they are adding on overhead that totals more than 100% of direct costs, no matter what you add in for tuition and room and board, coaches, ass't coaches, travel. No way to get anywhere close to the $8 million they're claiming.

They have football, with nearly 100 players, and what has to be far more medical expenses and coaches, weight trainers etc, as only double the expenses of- wait for it!!- women's basketball with only a dozen players? Absolutely no way!

I suspect that there is massive reallocation of AD office and even football expenses around to WCBB and other sports in order to minimize the massive losses in the football program.

Smells even more now.

Would love to see a real journalist look into these numbers and ferret out the truth. I think women's basketball is being victimized by men's football to cover up the real and ugly numbers.

Fairfield Fan, I'm by no means an accountant but when you look at the final figure you might start adding in things like insurance for each player, medical expenses for players who are injured, the cost of rooming and meals, travel (and the girls go first class) and the hotel and dining expense on the road. I guarantee you that a team trip out to California or to Texas or Florida adds up. Also, the ladies have a certain dress code. Does that mean that the school is obligated to pay for the clothing they are expected to wear. Have you ever checked out the price for your wife or daughters shopping trip to the mall? Those are the things that add up.

 

[huskymedic]

The problem is with the $8 million in "expenses." How in the world do they get to $8 million? If you add in the full (not cash) cost of $50k per player, that's only $600,000. It appears that they are adding on overhead that totals more than 100% of direct costs, no matter what you add in for tuition and room and board, coaches, ass't coaches, travel. No way to get anywhere close to the $8 million they're claiming.

They have football, with nearly 100 players, and what has to be far more medical expenses and coaches, weight trainers etc, as only double the expenses of- wait for it!!- women's basketball with only a dozen players? Absolutely no way!

I suspect that there is massive reallocation of AD office and even football expenses around to WCBB and other sports in order to minimize the massive losses in the football program.

Smells even more now.

Would love to see a real journalist look into these numbers and ferret out the truth. I think women's basketball is being victimized by men's football to cover up the real and ugly numbers.

Complete file can be found here: Equity in Athletics (Federally mandated annual filing for Reporting year 7/1/18>6/30/19)

Definitions here: Equity in Athletics User Guide

>Operating (Game-Day) Expense by Team > Operating (Game-Day) expenses are all expenses an institution incurs attributable to home, away, and neutral-site intercollegiate athletic contests (commonly known as “game-day expenses”) for
(A) Lodging, meals, transportation, uniforms, and equipment for coaches, team members, support staff (including, but not limited to team managers and trainers), and others; and
(B) Officials
 The Operating (Game-Day) Expenses category is a subset of the Total Expenses category. This means that the dollar amount you enter for Operating (Game-Day) Expenses should also be included on the Total Expenses screen.
 The original source of the funds used to pay operating expenses (e.g., fund-raising organizations) does not exempt the institution from reporting those expenses. If the funds are expended by the institution for one of the purposes listed in the statute, the expenses must be reported.
 Include:
- Expenses incurred by a team during an entire year, not just those incurred during the sports
season of a team (e.g., expenses for tournaments and bowl games).
- Institutional expenditures only. Report expenses for unfunded or non-institutionally funded varsity teams as zero. If your institution has teams that it only partially funds, report those expenses it does not fund as zero.
 Do Not Include:
- Categories of expenses that are not specifically listed above.
- Capital expenses and appearance fees or guarantees paid to visiting teams.
- Facility rental, stadium/arena staff or other expenses not specifically listed above.
- Expenses not attributable to a particular sport, such as general and administrative overhead. Those expenses must only be included on the Total Expenses screen in the Not Allocated by Gender/Sport field.
- Practice equipment<

UConn WBB Operating Expense = $2,368,136.

>>Total Expenses

 Expenses are expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes appearance guarantees and options, athletically related student aid, contract services, equipment, fundraising activities, operating expenses, promotional activities, recruiting expenses, salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and any other expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.
 Your total expenses include, and are expected to be greater than, your recruiting expenses, operating expenses, athletically related student aid, and coaches’ salaries combined.
 The basis for determining whether an expense should be included in an institution’s EADA data is simply whether the item was attributable to the institution’s intercollegiate athletic activities.
 Include in Team Expenses:
- Actual amounts expended, not budgeted or estimated amounts.
- Athletics aid awarded to non-athletes (student-managers, graduate assistants, trainers) who serve a specific team. Prorate these expenses by team if the individual serves more than one team. If the individual serves all teams, please put the athletics aid in the Not Allocated field.
- Incurred expenses for non-competitive cheerleading (pep squad), mascots and pep band which support the varsity team.
- Benefits paid to coaches by the institution.
- The dollar amount for items donated to the institution for intercollegiate athletics (for example, bats and shoes) if a dollar amount can be assigned.

 Do not include in Team Expenses:
- Capital expenditures or debt service.
- Money for indirect facilities (i.e., the value of facilities and services provided by the
institution but not charged to athletics).
 Expenses Not Allocated by Gender/Sport are expenses not attributable to a particular sport.
 Include in Not Allocated Expenses:
- Expenses for varsity athletics staff not attributable to a particular sport, such as, athletic director, assistant athletic director, trainers, support staff.
- General and administrative overhead.
- If your school anticipated fielding a team, however, there were no participants and/or games for that team, place all related expenses in the Not Allocated field. You can add a caveat to explain the situation.<<

UConn WBB Total Expense = $7,853,769.

UConn Expense Not Allocates by Gender/Sport = $19,250,422.

 

[lne001]

$19 million of unallocated (by team) expenses for the total department basically so understates the expense allocation by team as to make those absolute numbers meaningless.

@Fairfield Fan - Don't forget to load each dollar of salary by 33% (approx.) to recognize retirement, health and various other comparable costs.

 

[huskymedic]

$19 million of unallocated (by team) expenses for the total department basically so understates the expense allocation by team as to make those absolute numbers meaningless.

... but it does indicate (at least on the surface) that WBB is not taking a “massive reallocation of AD office and even football expenses around to WCBB and other sports in order to minimize the massive losses in the football program” as was suggested above.

There is much more detail in the complete file.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Fairfield Fan, I'm by no means an accountant but when you look at the final figure you might start adding in things like insurance for each player, medical expenses for players who are injured, the cost of rooming and meals, travel (and the girls go first class) and the hotel and dining expense on the road. I guarantee you that a team trip out to California or to Texas or Florida adds up. Also, the ladies have a certain dress code. Does that mean that the school is obligated to pay for the clothing they are expected to wear. Have you ever checked out the price for your wife or daughters shopping trip to the mall? Those are the things that add up.

It was my understanding that the kids are required to provide their own health insurance, not the university.

I believe that kids purchase their own civilian clothes, and other than uniforms they are not provided any money for clothing. The scholarship regs are very strict and mean.

 

[Steelerone]

It was my understanding that the kids are required to provide their own health insurance, not the university.

I believe that kids purchase their own civilian clothes, and other than uniforms they are not provided any money for clothing. The scholarship regs are very strict and mean.

I think perhaps your understanding is wrong. If an athlete had to provide their own health insurance how many do you think could play,especially in a sport like football. And scholarship regulations have wordings that allow the various programs to manipulate the way they are mandated.

 

[VaConnFan11]

I think all schools overstate their financial losses, because it's easier to ask for money if you have a deficit than if you have a surplus.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I think perhaps your understanding is wrong. If an athlete had to provide their own health insurance how many do you think could play,especially in a sport like football. And scholarship regulations have wordings that allow the various programs to manipulate the way they are mandated.

Could be wrong, but I did read that their parents had to show proof that they had health insurance for their student-athlete children.

But worth finding out for sure.

 

[Zinethar]

The program I worked for , although it was DIII, required each team member have their own insurance. This insurance was billed first with any additional costs provided by the college. So when an athlete needed an MRI that had to be cleared through their insurance provider before any action could occur.

 

[VaConnFan11]

Could be wrong, but I did read that their parents had to show proof that they had health insurance for their student-athlete children.

But worth finding out for sure.

This link may help out with the insurance issue.
NCAA Insurance

 

[huskymedic]

The program I worked for , although it was DIII, required each team member have their own insurance. This insurance was billed first with any additional costs provided by the college.

UConn Student Athlete Health Insurance Info:

>>Primary and Secondary Insurance: All student-athletes are REQUIRED to have primary insurance coverage at the time of enrollment. If you have an athletic related injury while you are enrolled at UCONN any medical expense will be filed through your primary insurance first. Any remaining balance will then be paid by the secondary insurance (athletics).

Primary insurance is the first policy for which all expenses will be applied. This is the insurance you have through your parents/guardians or that you have purchased (either on your own or through health services).<<

 

[Fairfield Fan]

This link may help out with the insurance issue.
NCAA Insurance

Thank you. Seems we're both right:

"...Assuming all institutions are in compliance with the regulation, the NCAA catastrophic program deductible will be covered by the student-athletes’ or parents’ personal insurance coverage, through a basic accident medical policy maintained by the institution, or through an institution’s formal self-insurance plan."

I also understand that once the student-athlete leaves the university, the NCAA and the university no longer have any responsibility for the individual's medical expenses. That's been a bone of contention with athletes who suffer major injuries requiring years of follow-up care.

 

[EdSaid]

student athletes are required to have their medical insurance. The athletic department has secondary insurance to pick up anything not covered by the primary. Rehab costs can easily get out of hand. Batouly and evina's rehab cost plenty.

At a small school I worked at in the 80's rehab costs forced our secondary carrier to drop us. We had been paying $40k. To renew it, the cost was $120k back in the 80's. Small school with no football. Larger schools rehab with their own staff. It saves money, but that medical/training staff is expensive.

 

[bluedevil]

Transfer money from non essential departments to atheletics..I mean the English aint a very important one and history is so yesterday...math? students already knows 2+2 is mostly 4...the astronomy dept. we know there is no life there....philosophy department? it doesn't take 4 years to think therefore I am. Budget solved...

 

[Zanzman]

Awful