Is UConn dying?

[Psolo12]

UConn athletic department in 2018: generated $40 million in revenue, $81 million in expenses - Hartford Courant

Negative $41 million in revenue, $8.7 million of which is football (shocker) and $5 million of which is Men’s basketball. Also saw that $7.3 million went to team travel. Where are the guys that say we don’t want the big east? Maybe they can get the bill on this one.

 

[intlzncster]

UConn athletic department in 2018: generated $40 million in revenue, $81 million in expenses - Hartford Courant

Negative $41 million in revenue, $8.7 million of which is football (shocker) and $5 million of which is Men’s basketball. Also saw that $7.3 million went to team travel. Where are the guys that say we don’t want the big east? Maybe they can get the bill on this one.

That's gonna continue unless we go P5. The Big East will die a long slow death eventually in and of itself I'm guessing.

Don't look at the now. Look at what will be.

 

[Towney007]

Yeah, it's starting to look like the party could be over soon.

Can't run those kinds of deficits. You've got an obligation to students and tax payers. Sorry to ruin everyone's good time, but it's not gonna happen the longer they're in the conference.

My guess is they stick it out and hope they can cover the football deficit in the next round of negotiations. If they don't, football program gets shuttered within ten minutes of them knowing. That's assuming it gets that far.

Can't run $8.7 million and then have everyone else running $7.8 million in travel expenses, largely to keep the football dream alive. At it's peak - men's hoops was generating something like $16 million for the university. That right there would eat that alone. My guess is they beg, borrow and steal to try to get into the Big East, but that'll be that. Even if they can score a big payday of like $14 million in the Big East and cut both the football deficit and trim travel, they'll still have like $15-$16 million they're going to have to make up.

But $41 million is so far past inexcusable at this point, it's hard to know where to begin.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Not dying. Dead.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Louisville to the ACC over us continues to be the darkest thing to ever happen to this university. Brutal. It hurts me to watch ACC games now. We should be there.

 

[Mano]

 

[polycom]

since joining the AAC revenue has been cut in half but is the big east the long term solution?

for arguments sake, if we cut football that would save us $8.7 million. let's say joining the big east would mean the men's and women's bball teams would at least break even so that would save another $8.1 mill. our share of a potential big east tv deal would be what $5 mill/year? (it's currently just over $4 mill/team) but that's only $3 mill per year more than we currently get from the AAC.

so all told we'd be saving about $20 mill per year plus travel so $30 mill? our deficit would still be about $50 million. only a P5 invite can make up for that chunk of change.

I hope you don’t have any P&L responsibilities in your day job. This is not how it works.

 

[Psolo12]

since joining the AAC revenue has been cut in half but is the big east the long term solution?

for arguments sake, if we cut football that would save us $8.7 million. let's say joining the big east would mean the men's and women's bball teams would at least break even so that would save another $8.1 mill. our share of a potential big east tv deal would be what $5 mill/year? (it's currently just over $4 mill/team) but that's only $3 mill per year more than we currently get from the AAC.

so all told we'd be saving about $20 mill per year plus travel so $30 mill? our deficit would still be about $50 million. only a P5 invite can make up for that chunk of change.

it the numbers worked we would have cut football and been in the NBE by now but they dont

The lack of math behind this is mind boggling

 

[superjohn]

That's gonna continue unless we go P5. The Big East will die a long slow death eventually in and of itself I'm guessing.

Don't look at the now. Look at what will be.

That could be the case 20 or so years from now but we'll be dead way before that if we don't change the conference we're currently in. Planning for stuff so way off in the future for college sports is crazy, the whole nature of college sports is so screwed up now we have no clue what it will look like in 20 years or if it will even exist in the way we're used to.

 

[Towney007]

People worried about TV revenue in the $7-$11 million range when you're running $7.8 million in travel is...


A thing, i guess.

 

[BackAftaThis]

When's the next contract negotiation

 

[yukonfan4]

This is not how it works.

The lack of math behind this is mind boggling

deleted. sorry for cutting corners in an attempt to head off another big east v aac debate. but please feel free to attach an excel spreadsheet showing the accounting down to the last penny.

 

[JMick]

The reality is no one would care about the deficit if we were winning. But we're not, so it's front and center.

 

[intlzncster]

That could be the case 20 or so years from now but we'll be dead way before that if we don't change the conference we're currently in. Planning for stuff so way off in the future for college sports is crazy, the whole nature of college sports is so screwed up now we have no clue what it will look like in 20 years or if it will even exist in the way we're used to.

We need to wait 4-5 yrs or so max to find out if we are in the next rd of P5 restructuring, no? So hold out for that. If we're still stuck, then I'll listen to Big East propositions.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah, it's starting to look like the party could be over soon.

Can't run those kinds of deficits. You've got an obligation to students and tax payers. Sorry to ruin everyone's good time, but it's not gonna happen the longer they're in the conference.

My guess is they stick it out and hope they can cover the football deficit in the next round of negotiations. If they don't, football program gets shuttered within ten minutes of them knowing. That's assuming it gets that far.

Can't run $8.7 million and then have everyone else running $7.8 million in travel expenses, largely to keep the football dream alive. At it's peak - men's hoops was generating something like $16 million for the university. That right there would eat that alone. My guess is they beg, borrow and steal to try to get into the Big East, but that'll be that. Even if they can score a big payday of like $14 million in the Big East and cut both the football deficit and trim travel, they'll still have like $15-$16 million they're going to have to make up.

But $41 million is so far past inexcusable at this point, it's hard to know where to begin.

The fan base is clueless. They're worried about what things will look like in 20 years and think we're just fine sitting here until the next expansion when we'll get selected for a P5. We didn't get selected for a P5 back when we were winning basketball championships and going to the Fiesta bowl. They're sure to take us now that we have the worst football team in America and our basketball team sucks.

 

[JMick]

We need to wait 4-5 yrs or so max to find out if we are in the next rd of P5 restructuring, no? So hold out for that. If we're still stuck, then I'll listen to Big East propositions.

Devil's advocate: is there anything to suggest we will get any sort of invitation?

 

[Towney007]

But it's going to be another $41 million in losses next year.

Then probably another, similar loss close to that.

And then year 3, it might get better. But that's not likely.

'Need to wait another 4-5 years.'

I want all these things too, but jesus.

 

[Rico444]

Devil's advocate: is there anything to suggest we will get any sort of invitation?

Not right now. The thinking is to hope the football team is OK in that timeframe and that our basketball gets back to being a perennial power, and that that is enough to get an invite. The odds are very low, but P5 is almost definitely the only way our school doesn't become smalltime in the next 20 to 30 years, so it's worth holding out on the slim chance things break our way.

 

[intlzncster]

Devil's advocate: is there anything to suggest we will get any sort of invitation?

Not that I'm aware of, but it's a gamble that's worth taking. It means 100's of millions to the University in the future.

If it doesn't pan out, you put your tail between your legs and beg the BE. If that doesn't work. Just shutter all sports (except cheap regional) and become a purely academic institution.

 

[Stainmaster]

Devil's advocate: is there anything to suggest we will get any sort of invitation?

It automatically becomes a "no" if there is no football program attached to the AD. Why make the choice to willingly take ourselves out of the running?

 

[superjohn]

We need to wait 4-5 yrs or so max to find out if we are in the next rd of P5 restructuring, no? So hold out for that. If we're still stuck, then I'll listen to Big East propositions.

You can wait around for Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz to ask you for a threesome while you're at it.

 

[Towney007]

The fan base is clueless. They're worried about what things will look like in 20 years and think we're just fine sitting here until the next expansion when we'll get selected for a P5. We didn't get selected for a P5 back when we were winning basketball championships and going to the Fiesta bowl. They're sure to take us now that we have the worst football team in America and our basketball team sucks.

Honestly, I think if you polled the fan base and asked them right now:

Football, stay in the AAC, maybe ACC if we're lucky, but spend $123 million on that chance and potentially go belly up in the Athletic Department

or

Basketball, Cut football, shave $7.8 million in travel just so football can exist, trim $8ish million in football expense, get $10 millionish more in TV rights, play your old rivals again.

I mean.

Look I was really on board with the football program to begin with AND giving it a shot when it got shaky, but you can't explain this away. This is really, really, really scary.

 

[Towney007]

You can wait around for Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz to ask you for a threesome while you're at it.

That's the best post this year.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

The fan base is clueless. They're worried about what things will look like in 20 years and think we're just fine sitting here until the next expansion when we'll get selected for a P5. We didn't get selected for a P5 back when we were winning basketball championships and going to the Fiesta bowl. They're sure to take us now that we have the worst football team in America and our basketball team sucks.

It's really rough when you put it that way. At our peaks we didn't get an invite.
The only things we have going for us now is the outline of a once strong brand, somewhat of a foothold in the Northeast/NYC markets, and the thought that Dan Hurley will eventually make us a perenniel top 25 team again.

 

[Psolo12]

Not that I'm aware of, but it's a gamble that's worth taking. It means 100's of millions to the University in the future.

If it doesn't pan out, you put your tail between your legs and beg the BE. If that doesn't work. Just shutter all sports (except cheap regional) and become a purely academic institution.

This would never happen, we’ve won too many national championships and still have successful sports teams. However, those sports just don’t generate a ton of revenue.

 

[Stainmaster]

The fan base is clueless. They're worried about what things will look like in 20 years and think we're just fine sitting here until the next expansion when we'll get selected for a P5. We didn't get selected for a P5 back when we were winning basketball championships and going to the Fiesta bowl. They're sure to take us now that we have the worst football team in America and our basketball team sucks.

Wow, ridiculing people for thinking about the future and long-term viability is a dumb move no matter what the conversation is.

UConn should give up only when each and every last door has been permanently closed. Anyone wanting to throw in the towel earlier has a loser mentality.

 

[intlzncster]

You can wait around for Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz to ask you for a threesome while you're at it.

Well, then sports at UCONN is likely finished. Should become an academic institution. Might as well do it now, so as to put those expected losses towards academic pursuits.

Why do people automatically assume the BE would take us on anyway?

 

[Stainmaster]

"Wah wah wah, I give up!"

When did this place turn into loserville? Pathetic.

 

[BFieldHusky]

Honestly, I think if you polled the fan base and asked them right now:

Football, stay in the AAC, maybe ACC if we're lucky, but spend $123 million on that chance and potentially go belly up in the Athletic Department

or

Basketball, Cut football, shave $7.8 million in travel just so football can exist, trim $8ish million in football expense, get $10 millionish more in TV rights, play your old rivals again.

I mean.

Look I was really on board with the football program to begin with AND giving it a shot when it got shaky, but you can't explain this away. This is really, really, really scary.

I'm not taking a conference side but where are you getting the 10 million figure for just bball? Fox pays the big East teams 4.5 million I believe a year. And the ratings aren't great. I don't see that number going up.

 

[intlzncster]

This would never happen, we’ve won too many national championships and still have successful sports teams. However, those sports just don’t generate a ton of revenue.

If you they bleed money in perpetuity, then they are not viable. The budget can't support it.

The only solution is 1. get new revenue 2. cut costs. If you can't do #1, then you have to do #2.