As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

(11-30-2009 09:25 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  Considering the recruiting and travel budgets for the one-time football program and the golf team at ETSU, it would be tough to argue that the football program at ETSU DID NOT live within their means.

Football lost more money than anything else by far, maybe they should have spent even less?

(11-30-2009 09:32 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

VERY few college football programs in the nation break even, I think fewer than 20. To think ETSU football would ever come close to break even AND win any games is delusional.

(12-01-2009 04:59 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(11-30-2009 09:32 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

VERY few college football programs in the nation break even, I think fewer than 20. To think ETSU football would ever come close to break even AND win any games is delusional.

If you are talking specifically about football, the number is actually quite good, around 68 of the 118 FBS schools (2008 data). Only one FBS conference school made money on women's basketball. I'm having trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Drop any sport that doesn't break even?

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/20/...s-profita/

(12-01-2009 05:33 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 04:59 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(11-30-2009 09:32 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

VERY few college football programs in the nation break even, I think fewer than 20. To think ETSU football would ever come close to break even AND win any games is delusional.

If you are talking specifically about football, the number is actually quite good, around 68 of the 118 FBS schools (2008 data). Only one FBS conference school made money on women's basketball. I'm having trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Drop any sport that doesn't break even?

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/20/...s-profita/

No, any sport that can't even begin to support itself AND bring the university to it's knees. If they only lost a small percentage of the university budget like say women's basketball, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The problem is that to prop up football at ETSU you have to bankrupt the institution to keep something that very few people were interested in. If more people cared ETSU football would have had better attendance than 5K a game. If enough people cared about ETSU football there would have been more donations and attendance at games. Most college football fans in the tri-cities are in Knoxville on Saturdays during the fall so they don't miss ETSU not having football. The 5K who weren't didn't generate enough money to get the program NEAR the black.

(12-01-2009 06:32 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 05:33 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 04:59 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(11-30-2009 09:32 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

VERY few college football programs in the nation break even, I think fewer than 20. To think ETSU football would ever come close to break even AND win any games is delusional.

If you are talking specifically about football, the number is actually quite good, around 68 of the 118 FBS schools (2008 data). Only one FBS conference school made money on women's basketball. I'm having trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Drop any sport that doesn't break even?

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/20/...s-profita/

No, any sport that can't even begin to support itself AND bring the university to it's knees. If they only lost a small percentage of the university budget like say women's basketball, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The problem is that to prop up football at ETSU you have to bankrupt the institution to keep something that very few people were interested in. If more people cared ETSU football would have had better attendance than 5K a game. If enough people cared about ETSU football there would have been more donations and attendance at games. Most college football fans in the tri-cities are in Knoxville on Saturdays during the fall so they don't miss ETSU not having football. The 5K who weren't didn't generate enough money to get the program NEAR the black.

Thanks for the clarification. You and I disagree. I would submit that following your logic, any sport that doesn't break even is "draining" money from something else at a college or university. In your analysis why stop at athletics? Why support student activities at all?

You can bleed to death from an aortic aneurism, or you can bleed to death a few drops at a time. In the end the result is the same.

(12-01-2009 07:05 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 06:32 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 05:33 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 04:59 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(11-30-2009 09:32 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

VERY few college football programs in the nation break even, I think fewer than 20. To think ETSU football would ever come close to break even AND win any games is delusional.

If you are talking specifically about football, the number is actually quite good, around 68 of the 118 FBS schools (2008 data). Only one FBS conference school made money on women's basketball. I'm having trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Drop any sport that doesn't break even?

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/20/...s-profita/

No, any sport that can't even begin to support itself AND bring the university to it's knees. If they only lost a small percentage of the university budget like say women's basketball, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The problem is that to prop up football at ETSU you have to bankrupt the institution to keep something that very few people were interested in. If more people cared ETSU football would have had better attendance than 5K a game. If enough people cared about ETSU football there would have been more donations and attendance at games. Most college football fans in the tri-cities are in Knoxville on Saturdays during the fall so they don't miss ETSU not having football. The 5K who weren't didn't generate enough money to get the program NEAR the black.

Thanks for the clarification. You and I disagree. I would submit that following your logic, any sport that doesn't break even is "draining" money from something else at a college or university. In your analysis why stop at athletics? Why support student activities at all?

You can bleed to death from an aortic aneurism, or you can bleed to death a few drops at a time. In the end the result is the same.

I could live a long life bleeding a few drops at a time. The aortic aneurism that was ETSU football will kill you in seconds.

(12-01-2009 07:34 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 07:05 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 06:32 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 05:33 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(12-01-2009 04:59 PM)NorthEastTennesseeTiger Wrote:  

(11-30-2009 09:32 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  As has been said many times before, football and men's basketball are the two sports that can ever come close to paying for themselves. And the school goes out and drops one of these main sports. It is still painful to think about.

VERY few college football programs in the nation break even, I think fewer than 20. To think ETSU football would ever come close to break even AND win any games is delusional.

If you are talking specifically about football, the number is actually quite good, around 68 of the 118 FBS schools (2008 data). Only one FBS conference school made money on women's basketball. I'm having trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Drop any sport that doesn't break even?

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/20/...s-profita/

No, any sport that can't even begin to support itself AND bring the university to it's knees. If they only lost a small percentage of the university budget like say women's basketball, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The problem is that to prop up football at ETSU you have to bankrupt the institution to keep something that very few people were interested in. If more people cared ETSU football would have had better attendance than 5K a game. If enough people cared about ETSU football there would have been more donations and attendance at games. Most college football fans in the tri-cities are in Knoxville on Saturdays during the fall so they don't miss ETSU not having football. The 5K who weren't didn't generate enough money to get the program NEAR the black.

Thanks for the clarification. You and I disagree. I would submit that following your logic, any sport that doesn't break even is "draining" money from something else at a college or university. In your analysis why stop at athletics? Why support student activities at all?

You can bleed to death from an aortic aneurism, or you can bleed to death a few drops at a time. In the end the result is the same.

I could live a long live bleeding a few drops at a time. The aortic aneurism that was ETSU football will kill you in seconds.

Like I said, we disagree; in the end, the patient is still dead and the family grieves.

Dr. Stanton isn't leaving until 2011 - he wants to be there through the centennial and has said so many many times. Health concerns caused his previous attempted retirement but those seem to have passed.

He looks deceased.