The Daily Republic: Cost of canceling college football could exceed $4B

[TopFrog]

The Daily Republic: Cost of canceling college football could exceed $4B

No college football in 2020 would come at the cost of $4 billion and the elimination of other non-revenue sports across the NCAA, according to a report from ESPN.

Already facing massive reductions in revenue from the abrupt end of the college basketball season, including the absence of postseason tournaments in men's and women's basketball, schools are attempting to address the potential for an even bigger hit this fall if the coronavirus pandemic forces college football off the field.

ESPN reported Thursday, May 21, the loss could exceed $4 billion -- approximately $1.2 billion of it in ticket-related revenue -- and the ripple effects would last decades.

"If there's no football season, or if football season is interrupted or shortened, there will be a massive fallout," TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati told ESPN. "There would have to be massive cutbacks. Could the department go on? Sure. It would probably look smaller. There would potentially be fewer sports and much less programming."

Read more at https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/sp...of-canceling-college-football-could-exceed-4B

 

[Atomic Frawg]

How did we do seemingly more with less for so long? When we were in the MWC, WAC, and CUSA we flew all over the place with the same sports except for volleyball and sand volleyball as far as I can tell. Does the school still have a no debt policy for buildings? They make it sound doom-dayish when we operated for eons on a fraction of the costs. I know the more you have, the more you spend, but damn.

 

[Eight]

How did we do seemingly more with less for so long? When we were in the MWC, WAC, and CUSA we flew all over the place with the same sports except for volleyball and sand volleyball as far as I can tell. Does the school still have a no debt policy for buildings? They make it sound doom-dayish when we operated for eons on a fraction of the costs. I know the more you have, the more you spend, but damn.

would bet we weren't paying near what we are now for the coaching positions in various sports, the recruiting budgets have been increased,and the cost of scholarships has gone up.

we got by with less because everyone we competed against spent less on their coaches, their recruiting etc...we chose to move up in competition and with each step came more costs just to stay on level with our peers

 

[froginaustin]

TCU most certainly wasn't paying then what is paid now for coaching for football, men's basketball, and baseball. And facilities have been added that may have increased routine maintenance, etc., even if building costs are covered off the recurring budgets.

 

[Pure Purple]

Could be wrong...but didn't Jim Wacker's salary fall in the $75,000 - $80,000 range?

 

[westoverhillbilly]

I hope like hell that we have a football season.. But if we don't, maybe these athletes and coaches in these other sports will come to fully realize who their sugar daddy is- Football.. Speaking of salaries, I remember it being thrown around that Gary's initial salary as head coach in 2001 was $400,000..

 

[HG73]

I read something the other day from one of the G5 conference commissioners, I think it was the MAC. He recommends keeping the current conference structure for football and basketball but letting all the non revenue sports affiliate with schools nearby. Or within bus driving range. They all would be coached by faculty members or volunteers. No scholarships. Basically club teams.

Football and basketball would not need as much TV money since they no longer need to pay for the non revenue (mostly women's) sports.

This could work well for TCU since we could still have a baseball conference with UT, Baylor (gag), OU, OSU and add teams like Dallas Baptist, UTA, SMU, etc. Of course SMU would need to add baseball and track.

This could save everyone a lot of money and enhance the student athlete's experience by encouraging fans to travel.

While we are saving money the football/basketball conferences could realign to more regional conferences and simplify the playoff structure by having 8 conferences with 9 teams per conference. This gives each team a balanced schedule of 4 home and 4 away games and 4 OOC games. The eight conference champions would play an 8 team playoff for the NC. Traditional bowls could fill out the postseason with the money going to the conferences and not the bowl promoters.

Conference realignment could look something like this:
PAC: UW, WSU, UO, OSU, CAL, STAN, USC, UCLA and Utah.
Southwest: UT, TCU, BAY, TECH, OU, OSU, ARIZONA, ASU AND COLO.
PLAINS: MINN, IOWA, ISU, NEB, KANS, KSU, MISSOURI, WISCY and NW.
GREAT LAKES: ND, MICHIGAN, MSU, INDY, PURDUE, KY, LOUISVILLE, OHIO and ILLINOIS.
SOUTHERN: AGGY, LSU, ARKY, OLE MISS, MSU, ALA, AUBURN, TENN and VANDY.
SOUTHEAST: UGA, CLEM, FLA, FSU, USC, UNC, NCS, DUKE and WAKE.
YANKEE: BC, SYRACUSE, PENN STATE, PITT, WVU, RUTGERS, MD, UVA and VT.

That's seven of the 8 conferences. The eighth conference would be composed of P5 leftovers MIAMI and GEORGIA TECH and the seven G5 teams that move up, say, FRESNO, SDS, BOISE, BYU (YUCH), UH, MEMPHIS and CINCINNATI. This eighth conference could have a few more teams with divisions if necessary.

Nice, tidy, regional rivalries mostly in driving distance except for the PAC (who will always have this problem) and the G5 conference but those moving up should be happy with the better payout and exposure.

Or just divide the present 65 P5 teams by eight and remove Baylor.

 

[BrewingFrog]

Left unsaid, of course, is how much ESPN would lose without College Football.

Within the next three weeks, the ridiculous idea of "social distancing" at a sporting event will die on it's own. If we can go to Home Depot, HEB, or our local watering hole and pay no attention to "social distancing" and otherwise live our lives in a normal manner, why can't we go to a damned ballgame?

 

[Pharm Frog]

I read something the other day from one of the G5 conference commissioners, I think it was the MAC. He recommends keeping the current conference structure for football and basketball but letting all the non revenue sports affiliate with schools nearby. Or within bus driving range. They all would be coached by faculty members or volunteers. No scholarships. Basically club teams.

Football and basketball would not need as much TV money since they no longer need to pay for the non revenue (mostly women's) sports.

This could work well for TCU since we could still have a baseball conference with UT, Baylor (gag), OU, OSU and add teams like Dallas Baptist, UTA, SMU, etc. Of course SMU would need to add baseball and track.

This could save everyone a lot of money and enhance the student athlete's experience by encouraging fans to travel.

While we are saving money the football/basketball conferences could realign to more regional conferences and simplify the playoff structure by having 8 conferences with 9 teams per conference. This gives each team a balanced schedule of 4 home and 4 away games and 4 OOC games. The eight conference champions would play an 8 team playoff for the NC. Traditional bowls could fill out the postseason with the money going to the conferences and not the bowl promoters.

Conference realignment could look something like this:
PAC: UW, WSU, UO, OSU, CAL, STAN, USC, UCLA and Utah.
Southwest: UT, TCU, BAY, TECH, OU, OSU, ARIZONA, ASU AND COLO.
PLAINS: MINN, IOWA, ISU, NEB, KANS, KSU, MISSOURI, WISCY and NW.
GREAT LAKES: ND, MICHIGAN, MSU, INDY, PURDUE, KY, LOUISVILLE, OHIO and ILLINOIS.
SOUTHERN: AGGY, LSU, ARKY, OLE MISS, MSU, ALA, AUBURN, TENN and VANDY.
SOUTHEAST: UGA, CLEM, FLA, FSU, USC, UNC, NCS, DUKE and WAKE.
YANKEE: BC, SYRACUSE, PENN STATE, PITT, WVU, RUTGERS, MD, UVA and VT.

That's seven of the 8 conferences. The eighth conference would be composed of P5 leftovers MIAMI and GEORGIA TECH and the seven G5 teams that move up, say, FRESNO, SDS, BOISE, BYU (YUCH), UH, MEMPHIS and CINCINNATI. This eighth conference could have a few more teams with divisions if necessary.

Nice, tidy, regional rivalries mostly in driving distance except for the PAC (who will always have this problem) and the G5 conference but those moving up should be happy with the better payout and exposure.

Or just divide the present 65 P5 teams by eight and remove Baylor.

I can see why the MAC would like this. Screw that

 

[westoverhillbilly]

I read something the other day from one of the G5 conference commissioners, I think it was the MAC. He recommends keeping the current conference structure for football and basketball but letting all the non revenue sports affiliate with schools nearby. Or within bus driving range. They all would be coached by faculty members or volunteers. No scholarships. Basically club teams.

That's good in theory, but according to Title IX, for every male scholarship, one has to be given to a woman. With 85 scholarships for football and 13 for men's basketball, that's 98 women that must be given full athletic scholarships.

Now, your idea of making the "lesser" sports play a tidliwinks schedule with volunteer coaches could keep all universities perhaps solvent unless there's something in Title IX that edicts that the opponents have to be the same as the breadwinner sports..

 

[Punter1]

$4B sounds extremely lite....

 

[HG73]

Did you forget to post your reply? Fall asleep? Should we call the paramedics?

Please let us know you are okay.

 

[HG73]

I can see why the MAC would like this. Screw that

Can you elaborate? Wouldn't you rather play Dallas Baptist than a Kansas team? Wouldn't really matter if you were home or visitor, you could drive to every game.

 

[Pharm Frog]

Can you elaborate? Wouldn't you rather play Dallas Baptist than a Kansas team? Wouldn't really matter if you were home or visitor, you could drive to every game.

We do already

 

[Pharm Frog]

Can you elaborate? Wouldn't you rather play Dallas Baptist than a Kansas team? Wouldn't really matter if you were home or visitor, you could drive to every game.

I wouldn't travel 3 miles from my house to see a college baseball club team play anything against anybody. I would not have any interest in a college team coached by a professor of sociology. I would not attend a single club volleyball match between TCU and Southwestern Assemblies of God coached by a volunteer who would be using their TCU affiliation to build their club program. I wouldn't make any effort to watch or follow a tennis team under similar circumstances. However, I would likely begin traveling over to Weatherford more often to watch JUCO baseball being played by real players and coached by real coaches because that's where the talent would be.

 

[BABYFACE]

Can you elaborate? Wouldn't you rather play Dallas Baptist than a Kansas team? Wouldn't really matter if you were home or visitor, you could drive to every game.

I sure wouldn’t want to turn those other sports in the club sports.