Uconn Reviewing Approach with Sports

[fortebleedsblue]

Among other things in an effort to gain more money and cut costs. Per WTIC article possible targets for cuts are coaching salaries and sports travels.. possible targets for revenues are jacking ticket costs for sporting events....

http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2011/11/10/report-details-ways-uconn-could-save-money/

" Other recommendations included:

_ Increasing ticket prices for basketball and football games, potentially charging premium prices for the highest-demand games and setting up annual reviews through UConn’s business school to study supply, demand and ticket price structures.
_ Reviewing whether UConn should spend as much as it does on sports: $10 million on scholarships, $12.5 million on coaching salaries and $6.4 million on team travel, among the highest in the Big East. The consultants said the expenses might reflect the necessary costs of maintaining such a successful athletics program but, given UConn’s financial constraints, they are worth reviewing."

 

[ruskin]

Here's an idea to save money. Don't spend $3.9 million for a no- report.

Jesus, we have a national champion men's hoop team that is just barely selling out marquee games as it is, a top-flight women's team that needs special price cuts to sell out, and a football team where secondary-market tickets are plentiful no matter who the opponent is (exception will be when Michigan/Tenn. come to town). Pendergast is making right moves by cutting prices to get attendance back to where it should be. Does anybody remember half-empty XL Center for UConn-UMass at $75 per ticket?

This study is Example No. 1 why college tuition is so high. Very easy to spend other people's money mindlessly.

 

[Huskies187]

yes because you can get the entire summary of what the report contains in a news report. Give me a break ruskin

 

[buckley503]

yes because you can get the entire summary of what the report contains in a news report. Give me a break ruskin

You must be a consultant?

 

[SubbaBub]

You must be a consultant?

I think the word you are looking for is, "expert." Just like doctors, lawyers, and mechanics, there are good ones and crappy ones.

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[FluxTZ]

Here's an idea to save money. Don't spend $3.9 million for a no- report.

Jesus, we have a national champion men's hoop team that is just barely selling out marquee games as it is, a top-flight women's team that needs special price cuts to sell out, and a football team where secondary-market tickets are plentiful no matter who the opponent is (exception will be when Michigan/Tenn. come to town). Pendergast is making right moves by cutting prices to get attendance back to where it should be. Does anybody remember half-empty XL Center for UConn-UMass at $75 per ticket?

This study is Example No. 1 why college tuition is so high. Very easy to spend other people's money mindlessly.

http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-efficiency-study-uconn-1111-20111110,0,5937270.story

UConn trustees didn't immediately decide on the recommendations or say which ones they favored, but said the $3.9 million paid to McKinsey will be recouped by June 2012 with savings the school has already put in place based on the report.

/endthread

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I think the word you are looking for is, "expert." Just like doctors, lawyers, and mechanics, there are good ones and crappy ones.

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I have personally met good doctors, lawyers, and mechanics. But good consultants are like unicorns...I have heard about them, but never actually seen one in person. Maybe one day!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Whether we are willing to face it or not, if we want to truly be a bigtime athletic department, we need to start generating far more revenue than we currently do from our fan base. It can be argued that the fan base is currently contributing what the programs warant, but if this is true, we then really aren't bigtime as many schools outclass us on this level.

The reality is that we need more fans. We need more wealthy fans (those who become very high level boosters as we are well short of what all top programs have in this regard) and we need far more blue collar and white collar fans (again, we are well short of most top programs here as well).

We can quit b!tch!ng about what should have been but wasn't done in the past iun terms of promoting the programs while there was success, hope that Herbst was sincere about acting on the identified need of promoting the school and its athletic programs in parts of the state (lower Fairfield county) that have been neglected and do what we can to support the programs (even if the product may be a bit below what we see as our standards). I do personally have a bit of a gripe towards those who view our attendance as fine. Michigan had a couple of terrible seasons recently yet still packed the Big House every game (if their attendance fell to only 85k-90k for a game or two there could be a case made for our attendance). We need to continue to grow our fan base.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I do personally have a bit of a gripe towards those who view our attendance as fine. Michigan had a couple of terrible seasons recently yet still packed the Big House every game (if their attendance fell to only 85k-90k for a game or two there could be a case made for our attendance). We need to continue to grow our fan base.

Out of curiosity, for a team in a small state, that has only been playing FBS Football for a decade, what would you deem "fine" in regards to attendance? I think we're doing a pretty damn good job all things considered.

 

[Revrat]

I would start by scheduling more games against teams people want to see. Year in and year out the basketbal home schedule is a joke and they have the nerve to wonder why the games don't sell out. Maine,Wagner,Columbia, Harvard, Holy Cross,Fairfield,North Carolina Ashville. I understand the need to schedule regionally and have a few cupcakes but you can't do that and raise prices and wonder why the seats are empty.

 

[gars44]

Whether we are willing to face it or not, if we want to truly be a bigtime athletic department, we need to start generating far more revenue than we currently do from our fan base. It can be argued that the fan base is currently contributing what the programs warant, but if this is true, we then really aren't bigtime as many schools outclass us on this level.

The reality is that we need more fans. We need more wealthy fans (those who become very high level boosters as we are well short of what all top programs have in this regard) and we need far more blue collar and white collar fans (again, we are well short of most top programs here as well).

We can quit b!tch!ng about what should have been but wasn't done in the past iun terms of promoting the programs while there was success, hope that Herbst was sincere about acting on the identified need of promoting the school and its athletic programs in parts of the state (lower Fairfield county) that have been neglected and do what we can to support the programs (even if the product may be a bit below what we see as our standards). I do personally have a bit of a gripe towards those who view our attendance as fine. Michigan had a couple of terrible seasons recently yet still packed the Big House every game (if their attendance fell to only 85k-90k for a game or two there could be a case made for our attendance). We need to continue to grow our fan base.

True, but the only way to do it is to market the program much better in New Haven, Bridgeport, and FFC in general. As you say, we can hope that the administration addresses this need. I wish we had spent $3.9 Mill on hiring a Madison Avenue firm to market the program to Fairfield County, to Waterbury, Danbury, in fact all points to the south and west of Hartford. We need to be in the schools, the Pop Warner leagues, give discounts to youth groups and senior citizens, grass roots attendance building, almost the same as a political campaign. It's shocking how this aspect has been neglected. What do people think? You put in a college football team where before there was nothing, and all of a sudden it is wildly popular? Standing room only? It's just a real cow field mentality up in Storrs.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I'm not claiming that the $3.9 mm was well spent and in all candor, considering the general infancy of our football program, I believe that if we approached it correctly, we could double our fan base over the next two decades. Whether we do or do not accomplish this is to be seen but the potential absolutely is there. It kind of sucks that the previous leadership of our athletic department behaved (in terms of the fan base) as if we accomplished everything that we wanted to so no more effort was required but the past is the past. and cannot be changed.

My comments weren't that we haven't developed the fan base that we should have at this point for football but rather that whether anyone does or does not want to admit it, if we want what we claim to want, we need to do far more as a fan base. Those who are already in as football fans (most of this board and a very large portion of those who attend games) are fine. I am however a bit discouraged by the fact that we sold more seats (per both published reports and what I've seen in person) in 2005. We need more to get in. We need far more and this should be priority one.

The idea of discounting tickets to youth groups is something that many (including me) have been preaching since before they opened the Rent. If Police Athletic Leagues, Boys and Girls clubs, youth football leagues, primary and secondary schools were given discounted tickets we would be cultivating a fan base of people who in a generation could become paying customers. This is something we completely missed the boat on but fortunately that ship hasn't completely sailed.

 

[SubbaBub]

I would start by scheduling more games against teams people want to see.

^^^^ This. And do whatever it takes sell the place out and get as many students as possible to the game.

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