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

[eebmg]

Mike Anthony: The only answer for UConn is to cut numerous athletic programs

Years into an expanding fiscal nightmare that includes a gap between revenue and expenses of more than $40 million, the UConn athletic department is well past the point of combining half-measures w…

www.courant.com

Mark Anthony's summary to close the budget gap.

UConn, which has more than 650 student-athletes in a given year, sponsors six more programs than the Big East average of 18, and more than most of its NCAA Division I peers. Don’t do that anymore. Get down to 16, the minimum required for Division I participation.

 

[VaConnFan11]

I think it is going to happen at a lot of schools. I think Bowling Green just eliminated baseball and East Carolina just eliminated 4 sports.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

An unfortunate reality. I wonder if anyone has studied the administrative structure and cost. Does anyone believe it is immune from the bloat of government?

 

[eebmg]

An unfortunate reality. I wonder if anyone has studied the administrative structure and cost. Does anyone believe it is immune from the bloat of government?

Cardinal rule of administrations. Cut services, not administration.

 

[CL82]

Our admin costs are high and need to be looked at. I think that Benedict added two fairly high level positions.

When sports are $45M bleed, $10M is not a cure, but it is a start.

 

[Sonny44]

The world would never miss our football program oh, that's for sure.

 

[EricSD]

I skimmed thru the article - did not see any sports mentioned as on the chopping block. What sports are they looking to eliminate? Anyone know?

 

[pacific 44]

Since Stefanie "bunny ears" Dolson took her bubbly personality to the wnba,the only comic relief we had at Uconn was the football team.If they eliminate football,perhaps they can start a "riddled with athleticism," curling team to provide a few laughs on campus.

 

[Carnac]

Hopefully if UConn is forced to cut any sports teams, it will only be a short term 3-5 year cancellation, and not a permanent one. Hopefully economic stability will be restored by then, and those programs can be reinstated.

 

[bluedevil]

I'll gladly donate a couple of boards to save the chess team but the scrabble team has got to go.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This is why I'm so glad that the Tiddywinks Club has remained independent!

 

[Zorro]

How much does the UConn football program lose per year?

 

[BobbyJ]

How much does the UConn football program lose per year?

Last 10 years- 8.4 games a year.

 

[Alydar]

How much does the UConn football program lose per year?

That's my question. And I wouldn't be shocked to learn that football is the biggest $$$ loser at UConn, if only for the size of their budget. My guess is that most sports spend less money in a year than the football team spends on one road game.

 

[HopJim]

Would DII football cut costs?

 

[EdSaid]

Its happening

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We'll see who is the first to drop a football team. That's where the big money saving could come from.

After 30 years in college athletics I'm glad I'm out. I wouldn't want to slice and dice a good athletic program. Talking to friends still in the business, most of them have no idea what lies ahead.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Its happening

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We'll see who is the first to drop a football team. That's where the big money saving could come from.

After 30 years in college athletics I'm glad I'm out. I wouldn't want to slice and dice a good athletic program. Talking to friends still in the business, most of them have no idea what lies ahead.

I could see some football teams dropped. I forget the school, but someone did drop it a few years back, only to start it back up. Not UAB, but some association with that area, I think. Not, obviously, in the P5.

While football is probably the biggest loser at a lot of the non-P5 school, it does also tend to bring in a lot of money compared to other sports. But dropping it would be a big savings at many schools, as you say.

I'm glad I was never in college sports. Way too much book cooking, in the end.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I skimmed thru the article - did not see any sports mentioned as on the chopping block. What sports are they looking to eliminate? Anyone know?

Check out the list of BE sponsored sports and also take note of any UConn teams that are very successful. As a first guess, if a program isn't on those lists, its on the block.

I have no idea what UConn plays, exactly. When Rutgers cut (probably close to 20 years ago, I guess) the sports chopped included Fencing, Men's Crew and Men's Swimming, plus a couple more. Typically, golf and tennis as well as swimming are probably candidates, especially on the men's side. Things like Track and Cross Country are (generally) safe (I suspect they are not expensive) and I doubt anyone will cut the more popular "team" sports - volleyball and women's soccer come to mind, plus Field Hockey / LAX in the east.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

It's starting already at ECU (East Carolina University), and I suspect that this is just the beginning at ECU, as well as at other Colleges and Universities (D-1, D-2, & D-3) throughout the country. East Carolina University cuts four sports

 

[huskymedic]

I have no idea what UConn plays, exactly.

List of Sponsored Scholarship Sport @ UConn:

Ignore highlighted sports - it means nothing (just hyperlinks)

 

[X conn]

An interesting comparison would be a breadown of which sports are making money, and which are not. We know that most don't make any money at UConn. Probably none.
The question is what sports should we have at UConn. Obviously Golf, Volleyball, Tennis, Cross Country etc.will, and have never made money. What sport should pay its own way? The obvious answer is none. It is College sports, It is amateur sports.

 

[topogigio]

A good, symbolic place to start would be to rip up Queen Herbst's contract which paid her close to $800K this year for a "sabbatical" while a new President was in place, and an upcoming $375K for teaching 2 courses a year (forever) at the Stamford Branch. The $100 million for the new Student Recreation Center may also not have been a great idea. Administration is grossly overstaffed, and many professors are outrageously overpaid for what they contribute to the institution.

 

[EdSaid]

UConn's athletic deficit grows by $2M, totals $42M

UConn is reporting its athletic department deficit increased by $2 million in 2019 to more than $42 million

abcnews.go.com

UConn's numbers from a year ago:
The school's football program lost almost $13.3 million, generating just $3.3 million in revenue. Men's basketball lost $3.9 million. Women's basketball, a perennial power, had a deficit of almost $3.5 million.

 

[EdSaid]

There are many ways an athletic department will present financials to justify themselves.

Fully funded Div I (Power 5) programs have large overhead and can't really use the example below, but must instead depend upon Ticket sales, advertising, tv/radio, concessions, and donations.

Mid and smaller D I and D 2 & 3 generate an annual report for presentation. an example with round numbers:

Cost of school 20,000
Parents contribution 14,000
Student loans 3,000
Athletic Grant-In-Aid 2,000
School Grant 1,000

In theory the school and Athletic department are paying out $3,000 and the Student/family are paying $17,000 to the school. X amount of students. Big question???? Would student attend school if not for Athletics? No

A big reason why you see large roster sizes at D 2 & 3 schools

 

[soxfan23]

If they cut a large roster men's sport like football, they would be forced to cut 2-3 women's sports because of Title 9.

 

[Alibi Ike]

The world would never miss our football program oh, that's for sure.

It seems really strange that a university would abandon its football program, as UCONN seemingly has. They are usually the cash cow for most athletics departments.

 

[oldude]

It seems really strange that a university would abandon its football program, as UCONN seemingly has. They are usually the cash cow for most athletics departments.

Yes, at many programs football is a cash cow. Unfortunately, at UConn football is more of a black hole.

 

[bluedevil]

Isn't that why they re-joined the Big East?

 

[CL82]

It seems really strange that a university would abandon its football program, as UCONN seemingly has. They are usually the cash cow for most athletics departments.

UConn hasn't abandoned football by going independent. The AD has put together a surprisingly strong schedule and doesn't seem to behaving problems getting decent teams to come to Storrs. UConn's biggest (none Corona virus) issues are winning and attendance. They are closely related. Whether we can recruit as a northeaster independent is an open issue, but the AD hasn't abandoned football.

 

[reno tony]

Why don't they get rid of some of those highly paid coaches and hire some cheaper ones? Just made me think what Geno would be worth on the open market. Do you think TENN would pay him big bucks to wear the Orange? Would he like Indiana as his new home? Could Duke afford him? Just thinking out loud.