Structural and Financial Problems in CFB.

[bchampy]

Maryland’s Woes Are A Warning To Some SEC Schools | Saturday Down South

The structural problem of all college athletics is that it’s structured as owner less, heavily regulated not-for-profit entities. That means profit takes a back seat to spending. No athletics department wants to cut programs unless, as in Maryland’s case, it becomes absolutely impossible to proceed otherwise. There is always a bias towards spending as much money on as many programs — and accompanying luxuries — as possible.

What all this really speaks to is the need to fully separate football from the rest of college athletics. That’s easier said than done, of course, but the Maryland situation shows why this is an inevitability. Title IX and media pressure won’t be enough to overcome the laws of economics and the ongoing changes to the worldwide financial system. All schools, even those in SEC, face long-term budgetary and fundraising pressures, and the non-revenue sports are a bourgeois luxury that can no longer be sustained through football subsidies alone.

 

[metal_frk_334]

Sounds like Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas and Texas A&M can depend on their fan bases. Auburn not being one of those schools might seem somewhat shocking, unless you live here and know what that fan base is like.

 

[johnshadows64]

The South Carolina baseball team lost money last year ( i believe around $200,000), despite the fact that they draw 8,000 fans a game, and won their 2nd straight national championship. And only half of the players are on full scholarship. TV money is just not there for the sport.

The travel expenses were one of the main objections I had to bringing A&M and Mizzou into the conference. USC is now going to have to send the women's basketball team (and others) to College Station, and the other Columbia. The conference should have been kept regional - at least bring in an east division team like Clemson or FSU to defray that. My guess is that the rubber will hit the road and the conference will have to adjust scheduling accordingly. They've already done away with divisions in Bball. More changes will have to come, and some programs at some schools are going to fall. That's economic reality.

 

[ACC_HOKIES]

College athletics is the same as it's always been. Most universities have struggled like this for decades, susidizing athletic programs with student fees and tuition. Maryland, like a growing number of states, forces the athletic department to balance the budget without using state or tuition funds. As a result, Maryland has scrapped by for years, while accumilating tons of debt on the Comcast Center and Byrd Stadium renovations. This isn't some new reality, just one that many are starting to wake up to.

Maryland football sucks right now, basketball has been falling since their NC run, and their athletic leadership nose dived at the tail of their last AD's term and with their new AD now. They built a huge press box with suites that no one wants to buy. They let go two long time, well liked, coaches and replace with a bum and a half. Their fans are extremely fair weather, so losing games really hurts the bottom line.

In contrast, the University of Virginia shares some of the same territory, has a similar facilities, similar athletic sponsorships, similar travel requirements, and has had similar results in the two revenue sports. UVa does fine because they have better leaders, and frankly, although I and my fellow Hokies give them heck, they have better fans than Maryland that donate money.