UMass' total athletics revenue for 2017 came in at $48,054,005, and increase of $5,703,094 over their 2016 revenue total. Athletic department expenses also increased in 2017, checking in at $47,535,791. That expense number is an increase of $4,743,511 over their 2016 expenses.
For the 2017 athletic year, UMass operated in the black to the tune of $518,214. That is their first profit since the 2014 athletic year when they made $400,676. Last year the department ran a deficit of -$441,369, and in 2015 their deficit was -$384,938. Last year’s article and figures can be found here.
2017 was the second year in a row where both revenue and expenses came in at over $40 million.
Revisiting some of the individual categories we touched on last year:
UMass’ ticket sales revenue dropped from 2015 to 2016, but it rebounded in 2017 back up to $1,369,717. That is an increase of $175,352 over 2016’s numbers, and while it is not at the level of 2014’s or 2015’s ticket revenue, it is again trending in the right direction.
UMass’ facilities/overhead expenses jumped once again, this time to $7,054,316. That is an increase of $1,207,257 over 2016’s numbers. UMass has been putting a lot of work in over the past several years to both athletic space and academic space intended specifically for athletes, like the new weight room for the hockey team in the recently renovated Mullins Center. This number is sure to continue to rise over the next few years with the department and its programs progressing with improvements.
UMass' allocated funds percentage, or subsidy percentage, was 77.52% in 2017, which is down from 80.88% last year. That is a good sign as there was less money percentage-wise coming from student fees and institutional support than in 2016 (the subsidy and subsidy percentage are calculated based on the amount of athletic department revenue that comes from student fees, institutional support, and state money). UMass was also does not have the highest subsidy percentage inside the Top 63, that belongs to #62 James Madison at 81.14%. In a related piece from Arkansas State’s 247 network site AStateNation.com, they have listed the Group of Five schools from this report in order of self-generated revenue, which is money coming from sources other than students or the school itself. The article, which can be found here, includes that chart at the bottom and shows that UMass ranks #36 among G5 schools listed with $10,804,075 in self-generated revenue last year.
For the second year in a row UMass has reported their highest-ever revenue coming in from contributions at $2,281,046, and it is the first time that number has been over $2 million. That is an increase of $552,455 over 2016’s figure and is up almost $1 million from two years ago. That is a good sign and hopefully the athletic department will continue to see donation numbers rise in both total quantity and dollars.
