(01-10-2012 11:41 AM)TheShadow Wrote:  Think of losing money like a ship taking on water (we are the Buccaneers after all)...

If your ship springs a leak, the first thing you have to do is plug the leak. Then you bail the water out.

By cutting football, they don't gain $1 million, they simply don't lose it -- there is a difference. The football budget is simply re-allocated to other sports. You still have all the water in the boat that you have to then pump out of the boat before you are back to 100%.

Apparently, the powers that be felt that it was better to the use the additional funding (you mentioned $500k, I don't know where that number comes from but I will just use that) to "bail the water" and get the other sports afloat first because they felt that $500k would be better served after the leak had been fixed.

According to the NCAA website, the team only averaged 5,400 fans its last year, down 886 from the previous year, and only 38% of the then-14,000 seat capacity of the Dome.
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_r...e/2003.pdf Thats a big leak to be fixed...apparently a little drydock time.

I have no problem with cutting football then, however the subsequent rift in the fanbase, bashing of individuals, and condecending/deameaning tone on both sides troubles me. Its also troubling that the current issue of growing fan apathy (for a myriad of reasons) is being met with a 'head in the sand attitude' by officials.

The leak is fixed. The water is bailed. It is time to crank the engine and get a rudder back on this ship before it drifts into some rocks.

(Apologies for the over-use of nautical terms and cheesy analogy...but I thought it fit fairly well)