Dropping sports

[bluedevil]

So with Uconn dropping 4 sports and reducing all budgets will the wbb program suffer...is the dynasty finally history or are all schools in the same predicament?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Everyone is in the same boat. With the recent spikes of Covid-19 in southern states, the college football season may be in jeopardy. For the first time, some schools, big schools, are talking about possibly not having a season. Guess the calculus changes quite a bit when the outbreak isn't just in some far-flung city like New York, but is now in your backyard.

 

[bluedevil]

If high school games are cancelled it will be tough to scout future talent.

 

[Wally East]

We'll never attract a big now.

 

[Argonaut]

If they started to shave away at the athletics department, I promise that the men’s and women’s basketball teams would be the last (wo)men standing when all is said and done.

Soccer is safe because of the new field.
Baseball is safe because of the new field.
Field hockey is safe because they’re really damn good.

Anyone beyond that should worry.

 

[stamfordhusky]

If high school games are cancelled it will be tough to scount and evaluate talent in the future

What matters is AAU tournaments. Coaches rarely scout HS games. And when a coach does go to a HS game, it is mostly to wave the flag, not to scout, since HS competition is generally weak and a potential D1 player should always dominate.

 

[bluedevil]

Intramural touch football could replace the current model..just a thought.

 

[soxfan23]

We'll never attract a big now.

We were NEVER going to attract a big without a respectable football team!

 

[Zanzman]

We were NEVER going to attract a big without a respectable football team!

You mean women that are tall really like good football teams that is their main concern

 

[CL82]

Soccer is safe because of the new field.
Baseball is safe because of the new field.
Field hockey is safe because they’re really damn good.

Soccer is safe because it draws fans and it has an outstanding history at UConn. Baseball is safe for the same reasons. Neither of these programs were saved because of field construction. Do agree regarding field hockey. You don't cut one of the best programs in the country. That's why I think Geno may just have some job security.

 

[oldude]

This story has a number of chapters yet to write, particularly when it comes to restarting colleges in the fall, let alone restarting college sports. I think that right now everyone is looking around at everyone else not wanting to be the first school to cancel in-person fall classes or fall sports. Stay tuned.......

 

[Argonaut]

Soccer is safe because it draws fans and it has an outstanding history at UConn. Baseball is safe for the same reasons. Neither of these programs were saved because of field construction. Do agree regarding field hockey. You don't cut one of the best programs in the country. That's why I think Geno may just have some job security.

I don’t disagree, but the reason UConn has let (and continues to let) football bleed so much money in FCS is because of Rentschler, so to say it wouldn’t be the biggest factor in keeping soccer and baseball is naive.

 

[soxfan23]

I don’t disagree, but the reason UConn has let (and continues to let) football bleed so much money in FCS is because of Rentschler, so to say it wouldn’t be the biggest factor in keeping soccer and baseball is naive.

UConn has let the football team bleed so much money because they were delusional and thought they could turn the program around, thus getting an invite to a Power 5 conference.

 

[bluedevil]

Could it be with all that is going on college sports are just not important any more? Yale went without a football team for 171 years and still did pretty good. Just playing (blue) devil's advocate.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

What matters is AAU tournaments. Coaches rarely scout HS games. And when a coach does go to a HS game, it is mostly to wave the flag, not to scout, since HS competition is generally weak and a potential D1 player should always dominate.

Tell Geno. He started attending Paige Bueckers HS games when she was an eighth grader and made a steady habit of it. Heck he went after she commited.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Everyone is in the same boat. With the recent spikes of Covid-19 in southern states, the college football season may be in jeopardy. For the first time, some schools, big schools, are talking about possibly not having a season. Guess the calculus changes quite a bit when the outbreak isn't just in some far-flung city like New York, but is now in your backyard.

Those schools in the SEC and the Big 10 , though, will be able to weather the storm.

 

[CL82]

I don’t disagree, but the reason UConn has let (and continues to let) football bleed so much money in FCS is because of Rentschler, so to say it wouldn’t be the biggest factor in keeping soccer and baseball is naive.

I guess Dave Benedict is naïve:

Q: Why wasn't football cut or moved to FCS level?
A: The savings from such a move would be outweighed by a significant decline in revenue opportunities. The newly-signed agreement with CBS Sports Network, would be nullified by a reclassification to FCS. Similarly, our multi-media marketing rights deal with Learfield/IMG College and our all-sport equipment deal with Nike would suffer greatly or not exist if we dropped to the FCS level. Currently, revenue from these two agreements is nearly $3.7 million annually.

Additionally, UConn would forfeit the ability to maximize revenue generation by securing premium guarantee games and would no longer have the ability to secure quality opponents such as Purdue, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland and Boston College in home-and-home series.

UConn football has a proud history and has proven to be a rallying point for alumni and fans in support of the state's flagship institution. Dropping the program to the FCS level may diminish overall interest from our constituents, inhibit its potential to be a rallying force, and hinder its ability to drive revenue.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Could it be with all that is going on college sports are just not important any more? Yale went without a football team for 171 years and still did pretty good. Just playing (blue) devil's advocate.

This^^^^

Not saying that they are without value, it's just that other things that weren't even on our radar six months ago are now terribly important.

And I say that as a sports nut who was Sports Editor of the Louisville student newspaper as a senior and a guy who bought his first Louisville season tickets in 1978 (MBB), 1987 (football) and 2007 (WBB), plus two seasons of Louisville volleyball in the early 2010s and more Louisville baseball games than I can count.

 

[Argonaut]

I guess Dave Benedict is naïve:

Q: Why wasn't football cut or moved to FCS level?
A: The savings from such a move would be outweighed by a significant decline in revenue opportunities. The newly-signed agreement with CBS Sports Network, would be nullified by a reclassification to FCS. Similarly, our multi-media marketing rights deal with Learfield/IMG College and our all-sport equipment deal with Nike would suffer greatly or not exist if we dropped to the FCS level. Currently, revenue from these two agreements is nearly $3.7 million annually.

Additionally, UConn would forfeit the ability to maximize revenue generation by securing premium guarantee games and would no longer have the ability to secure quality opponents such as Purdue, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland and Boston College in home-and-home series.

UConn football has a proud history and has proven to be a rallying point for alumni and fans in support of the state's flagship institution. Dropping the program to the FCS level may diminish overall interest from our constituents, inhibit its potential to be a rallying force, and hinder its ability to drive revenue.

And you believe it?

 

[CL82]

And you believe it?

Sure. What don't you believe?

 

[Argonaut]

Sure. What don't you believe?

I think when they made the jump from FBS to FCS and poured all of that money into the stadium, they created a situation where it would make the athletics department look terrible if they admitted it was a waste and they made a mistake — and they’re not willing to do it.

So they’re trying to sell people on all of these big name games, but all UConn will become (or continue to be, really) an FBS doormat. More people will show up to see a good FCS team than a terrible FBS team.

There isn’t an alum in my circle (Neag ‘11, here) who looks at the football team as a point of pride.

Dave Benedict will continue to spout what he feels like people (read: boosters) want to hear, whether or not it aligns with reality.

 

[CL82]

I think when they made the jump from FBS to FCS and poured all of that money into the stadium, they created a situation where it would make the athletics department look terrible if they admitted it was a waste and they made a mistake — and they’re not willing to do it.

So they’re trying to sell people on all of these big name games, but all UConn will become (or continue to be, really) an FBS doormat. More people will show up to see a good FCS team than a terrible FBS team.

There isn’t an alum in my circle (Neag ‘11, here) who looks at the football team as a point of pride.

Dave Benedict will continue to spout what he feels like people (read: boosters) want to hear, whether or not it aligns with reality.

So a few things:

1) You do know that Rentschler Field isn't owned by UConn, right?

2) FCS average attendance is 7853. Last year UConn's "attendance" as that term is typically used is was 21,000 a game. That number would really be better called "distributed tickets." The actually in the gate attendance was 14,000.

3) As pointed out in the AD comments, the IMG and Nike contracts derive a lot of their value from football. That's just how it is. Those two contracts are worth $3.7M.

4) UConn is getting paid by CBSSN to broadcast their games nationally. The value of that deal is $500K.

5) UConn football will be doing one buy game a year. UConn gets paid between $1.5M and $1.95M per game.

It doesn't seem like you have much familiarity with this stuff.

 

[UConnCat]

So a few things:

1) You do know that Rentschler Field isn't owned by UConn, right?

2) FCS average attendance is 7853. Last year UConn's "attendance" as that term is typically used is was 21,000 a game. That number would really be better called "distributed tickets." The actually in the gate attendance was 14,000.

3) As pointed out in the AD comments, the IMG and Nike contracts derive a lot of their value from football. That's just how it is. Those two contracts are worth $3.7M.

4) UConn is getting paid CBSSN to broadcast their game nationally. The value of that deal is $500K.

5) UConn football will be doing one buy game a year. UConn gets paid between $1.5M and $1.95M per game.

It doesn't seem like you have much familiarity with this stuff.

That's right. There are no easy answers or quick fixes but what Benedict is doing makes the most sense right now. Moving to FCS would make things worse, not better.

 

[Argonaut]

So a few things:

1) You do know that Rentschler Field isn't owned by UConn, right?

2) FCS average attendance is 7853. Last year UConn's "attendance" as that term is typically used is was 21,000 a game. That number would really be better called "distributed tickets." The actually in the gate attendance was 14,000.

3) As pointed out in the AD comments, the IMG and Nike contracts derive a lot of their value from football. That's just how it is. Those two contracts are worth $3.7M.

4) UConn is getting paid CBSSN to broadcast their game nationally. The value of that deal is $500K.

5) UConn football will be doing one buy game a year. UConn gets paid between $1.5M and $1.95M per game.

It doesn't seem like you have much familiarity with this stuff.

I should have been clearer. I know the Rent is owned by the state and that UConn isn’t exactly in financial good graces as it is. The move to the FBS and UConn’s agreement with the state were all one package.

And it doesn’t matter how much money is coming in when it‘s supposedly a revenue sport that isn’t actually generating positive revenue.

I know my opinion is worth the same as everyone else’s (not a damn thing), but I’m not sold on the anything he’s spouting about football.

 

[Steelerone]

So with Uconn dropping 4 sports and reducing all budgets will the wbb program suffer...is the dynasty finally history or are all schools in the same predicament?

Bluedevil, I'm pretty sure that while all schools face predicaments they will be of varied degrees. The Power 5 schools should not be that greatly affected with the television revenue and the donor bank. The Ivy League schools probably have more money in the bank than Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos combined. Per usual it's leagues like the Big East, Atlantic Ten, and the rest of the "middle class" schools who will really feel the pinch. The ones I really feel sorry for are the young men and women who participate in sports like cross country, rowing, tennis, and other of the lesser known athletic endeavors. They don't do this for money or fame but for love of the sport and suddenly it's ripped from them.