Looks like Hawaii is considering it. And to quote Rick Minter, "This is a disgrace."

Hawaii athletics director says Warriors football could be 'going away'
Hawaii athletics director Ben Jay painted a grim picture for the future of his football program while speaking to the university’s board of regents on Monday afternoon.

"There's a very real possibility of football going away," Jay reportedly told the Board. "But even if football goes away, all the revenues that football drives goes away and then it becomes a costlier venture for the university."

Jay is hoping the board will ask the state for the direct funding. Hawaii is currently facing a $1.5 to $3-million budget deficit this year and has worked under a budget deficit during 11 of the past 13 years.

And the football program isn’t helping.

Because the program has not had a winning season since 2010 and has won just four games in the past two seasons, interest is down. By the end of July, Hawaii had sold just 15,568 season tickets for the team’s seven-game home schedule. Hawaii has sold at least 18,000 season tickets every year since the 1970s.

Last year, it sold just 18,354 season tickets.

Even when the team posted an undefeated regular season and played in the Sugar Bowl, season ticket sales for the following year only swelled to 27,700 in 2008.

Aloha Stadium seats 50,000.

Earlier this month, Jay noted that the NCAA ruling to give the five richest conferences autonomy also could hurt Hawaii’s bottom line. As the Mountain West attempts to keep up with the “Power Five,” it might also want to add cost-of-attendance scholarships, which has been a hot topic with the power conferences. There’s also talk of different recruiting rules and insurance benefits for players, all things that would cost a significant amount of money.

He put out a retraction as soon as he got back to his office and realized what he had done.

"My comments at the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics' meeting were made in order to convey a sense of urgency regarding the need to address our current funding model. In no way was I indicating that a decision on program reduction of any sport was under consideration. Rather, I was suggesting that the department's financial situation required that all possible scenarios be reviewed. Hopefully, going forward, there will be a priority placed on discussing the future financial needs of the UH Athletics Department. President David Lassner has expressed his support and we'll call upon our many loyal stakeholders to help us ensure that we remain competitive within the future landscape of intercollegiate athletics. We owe that to our student-athletes and passionate fans."

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/break...=271782181

That being said, I do think eventually we will start seeing a few times bow out. CFB has become a high stakes poker game and the buy-in has gotten to steep for many already and will be even more expensive in the future. Even the Navy AD and HC made a comment about it the other day.

It's amazing how inept many of these schools appear to be at the concept of running a business that adequately compensates their workforce.

Here's a tip, stop paying the coaching staff and administrators salaries they don't deserve.

I really hate the way college sports(mainly football and basketball) are trending.It used to be that kids were thrilled to get a free ride into college to play the game they grew up loving now like everything its getting to be about the almighty dollar.The value of a college scholly at some of these institutions can be close to $250,000 over 4 years and all of a sudden this isnt enough, it also provides these kids a stage for them to display their talent and get trained and coached by top flight people which will give them an opportunity to earn millions of dollars at the next level.I would love for the major sports leagues to all adopt the rules of going straight from high school to the pros,that way if the student athlete feels like they are being exploited then skip college and see if you are good enough to actually get paid.Sorry if i feel a little jaded by this but as a parent of a student who has been paying for college for the last 4 years it is hard for me to feel sorry for the student athlete.The sad thing about this is that is not really the athletes bringing this all about besides(ed obannon case) its the greedy presidents of these power 5 conferences,I really think down the road this is going to be really bad for the majority of people involved in college sports.

(08-19-2014 02:31 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  That being said, I do think eventually we will start seeing a few times bow out. CFB has become a high stakes poker game and the buy-in has gotten to steep for many already and will be even more expensive in the future. Even the Navy AD and HC made a comment about it the other day.

I think Hawaii is a special case considering their location and travel. I think many schools who bow out will just drop down to a smaller division that will have a more localized schedule.

(08-19-2014 02:48 PM)mikecat Wrote:  I really hate the way college sports(mainly football and basketball) are trending.It used to be that kids were thrilled to get a free ride into college to play the game they grew up loving now like everything its getting to be about the almighty dollar.The value of a college scholly at some of these institutions can be close to $250,000 over 4 years and all of a sudden this isnt enough, it also provides these kids a stage for them to display their talent and get trained and coached by top flight people which will give them an opportunity to earn millions of dollars at the next level.I would love for the major sports leagues to all adopt the rules of going straight from high school to the pros,that way if the student athlete feels like they are being exploited then skip college and see if you are good enough to actually get paid.Sorry if i feel a little jaded by this but as a parent of a student who has been paying for college for the last 4 years it is hard for me to feel sorry for the student athlete.The sad thing about this is that is not really the athletes bringing this all about besides(ed obannon case) its the greedy presidents of these power 5 conferences,I really think down the road this is going to be really bad for the majority of people involved in college sports.

This just isn't how it really works in a lot of places. These athletic programs are raking in serious money, that money is going to ridiculous coaching salaries (head coaching salaries in college basketball and football represent a higher percentage of revenue than they do in those respective pro sports), assistant coaching salaries, administrative salaries (as an example, the athletic director at texas of nonrevenue sports makes something like $370,000 a year), and very expensive construction projects, which line the pockets of those companies and their investors.

All while students who get these scholarships that are supposed to be worth so much, have their compensation limited (that doesn't happen in free markets), are shuffled into majors that fit with their sports schedule, not what are necessarily beneficial to the student, the scholarships are often given to students who simply are incapable of using them because they aren't qualified, thus they are being "paid" in a currency they can't use, schools have even created fake classes like they did at UNC, even Notre Dame which is one of the better academic powerhouses is undergoing a scandal right now, and very many student athletes don't graduate. They aren't even guaranteed a scholarship all 4 years. They can lose it any year without any recourse.

This is all for the schools gain at the student's expense. There is a severe imbalance of market power. I'm sorry you have to pay for your kids education, but that simply isn't relevant. That's not how the real world works.

(08-19-2014 03:31 PM)Overrated Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 02:48 PM)mikecat Wrote:  I really hate the way college sports(mainly football and basketball) are trending.It used to be that kids were thrilled to get a free ride into college to play the game they grew up loving now like everything its getting to be about the almighty dollar.The value of a college scholly at some of these institutions can be close to $250,000 over 4 years and all of a sudden this isnt enough, it also provides these kids a stage for them to display their talent and get trained and coached by top flight people which will give them an opportunity to earn millions of dollars at the next level.I would love for the major sports leagues to all adopt the rules of going straight from high school to the pros,that way if the student athlete feels like they are being exploited then skip college and see if you are good enough to actually get paid.Sorry if i feel a little jaded by this but as a parent of a student who has been paying for college for the last 4 years it is hard for me to feel sorry for the student athlete.The sad thing about this is that is not really the athletes bringing this all about besides(ed obannon case) its the greedy presidents of these power 5 conferences,I really think down the road this is going to be really bad for the majority of people involved in college sports.

This just isn't how it really works in a lot of places. These athletic programs are raking in serious money, that money is going to ridiculous coaching salaries (head coaching salaries in college basketball and football represent a higher percentage of revenue than they do in those respective pro sports), assistant coaching salaries, administrative salaries (as an example, the athletic director at texas of nonrevenue sports makes something like $370,000 a year), and very expensive construction projects, which line the pockets of those companies and their investors.

All while students who get these scholarships that are supposed to be worth so much, have their compensation limited (that doesn't happen in free markets), are shuffled into majors that fit with their sports schedule, not what are necessarily beneficial to the student, the scholarships are often given to students who simply are incapable of using them because they aren't qualified, thus they are being "paid" in a currency they can't use, schools have even created fake classes like they did at UNC, even Notre Dame which is one of the better academic powerhouses is undergoing a scandal right now, and very many student athletes don't graduate. They aren't even guaranteed a scholarship all 4 years. They can lose it any year without any recourse.

This is all for the schools gain at the student's expense. There is a severe imbalance of market power. I'm sorry you have to pay for your kids education, but that simply isn't relevant. That's not how the real world works.

I get what you are saying on a certain level,the big programs are making big money alot of the smaller programs and even some in the power5 are not,I was reading about how west va athletic dept. was even struggling because of a decline in BB and football attendance.I also think there has to be some personal responsibility on the kid and his parents to make sure he takes classes that are going to lead to him getting some kind of degree.

(08-19-2014 03:45 PM)mikecat Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 03:31 PM)Overrated Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 02:48 PM)mikecat Wrote:  I really hate the way college sports(mainly football and basketball) are trending.It used to be that kids were thrilled to get a free ride into college to play the game they grew up loving now like everything its getting to be about the almighty dollar.The value of a college scholly at some of these institutions can be close to $250,000 over 4 years and all of a sudden this isnt enough, it also provides these kids a stage for them to display their talent and get trained and coached by top flight people which will give them an opportunity to earn millions of dollars at the next level.I would love for the major sports leagues to all adopt the rules of going straight from high school to the pros,that way if the student athlete feels like they are being exploited then skip college and see if you are good enough to actually get paid.Sorry if i feel a little jaded by this but as a parent of a student who has been paying for college for the last 4 years it is hard for me to feel sorry for the student athlete.The sad thing about this is that is not really the athletes bringing this all about besides(ed obannon case) its the greedy presidents of these power 5 conferences,I really think down the road this is going to be really bad for the majority of people involved in college sports.

This just isn't how it really works in a lot of places. These athletic programs are raking in serious money, that money is going to ridiculous coaching salaries (head coaching salaries in college basketball and football represent a higher percentage of revenue than they do in those respective pro sports), assistant coaching salaries, administrative salaries (as an example, the athletic director at texas of nonrevenue sports makes something like $370,000 a year), and very expensive construction projects, which line the pockets of those companies and their investors.

All while students who get these scholarships that are supposed to be worth so much, have their compensation limited (that doesn't happen in free markets), are shuffled into majors that fit with their sports schedule, not what are necessarily beneficial to the student, the scholarships are often given to students who simply are incapable of using them because they aren't qualified, thus they are being "paid" in a currency they can't use, schools have even created fake classes like they did at UNC, even Notre Dame which is one of the better academic powerhouses is undergoing a scandal right now, and very many student athletes don't graduate. They aren't even guaranteed a scholarship all 4 years. They can lose it any year without any recourse.

This is all for the schools gain at the student's expense. There is a severe imbalance of market power. I'm sorry you have to pay for your kids education, but that simply isn't relevant. That's not how the real world works.

I get what you are saying on a certain level,the big programs are making big money alot of the smaller programs and even some in the power5 are not,I was reading about how west va athletic dept. was even struggling because of a decline in BB and football attendance.I also think there has to be some personal responsibility on the kid and his parents to make sure he takes classes that are going to lead to him getting some kind of degree.

Personal responsibility is a great thing to teach your children, but it doesn't help fix problems of market imbalance. When a school wants you to play football and steers you to a degree you may not have any interest in (for example, do you really think UC has been seeking out all of these basketball players that have an interest in criminal justice?), you have very little recourse. There are obviously exceptions of students getting great degrees, but that isn't the rule.

The fact is these players are expendable to these schools and are treated as such because of the rules put in place by the NCAA, which acts as a cartel representing the interests of universities.

Now they don't do a great job of this for every school. A lot of schools really struggle to keep up (UC is one of those). But that doesn't change the fact that students are being exploited. They are worth more than the scholarship they receive. That couldn't be more obvious given the ridiculous money college athletics brings in.

Treating college players doesn't even have to start at compensation though. Guaranteed scholarships until they graduate, guaranteed medical care should they get hurt, better concussion protocols in football, and actually allowing the students a voice in the business of the sport where they currently have no say is a good place to start.

Hawaii averaged over $18,000 season ticket holders since the 1970's for a very poor product. Granite they are not competing with any professional teams! But I was suprised they were even averaging that much. Now they have dropped to the $15,000-$16,0000 range. UC generally averages around $15,000 season tickets annualy. Does that figure seem correct or is it higher?

(08-19-2014 05:13 PM)Bearcat Jimmy-93 Wrote:  Hawaii averaged over $18,000 season ticket holders since the 1970's for a very poor product. Granite they are not competing with any professional teams! But I was suprised they were even averaging that much. Now they have dropped to the $15,000-$16,0000 range. UC generally averages around $15,000 season tickets annualy. Does that figure seem correct or is it higher?

First, we are talking people here, not dollars. The entire island of Oahu (the island where Honolulu and the college of Hawai'i Manoa is located) is only approximately ~950,000. So for them to get an average of 18K season ticket holders is actually much better than Cincinnati and the local metro population of well over ~2.2M. People in Oahu love their Rainbow Warriors but they are like fans all over. If you keep losing, they are not going to show up for the losses. There are too many things to do in Hawai'i than to waste time on a losing program. June Jones was (and still is) a complete piece of sh!t as a person, but he was able to build a winning program and brought in good crowds. Once he left, the program has gone on a down hill slide and doesn't seem like it is in a position to improve very rapidly.

Think about the programs that quit or reduced. The Wichita Wheat Shockers, San Francisco Dons, Univ. Of Chicago (B10), Dayton (winning record vs. UC), etc. I am surprised others have not quit such as Rice, Tulsa, Tulane or downgraded.

(08-19-2014 05:13 PM)Bearcat Jimmy-93 Wrote:  Hawaii averaged over $18,000 season ticket holders since the 1970's for a very poor product. Granite they are not competing with any professional teams! But I was suprised they were even averaging that much. Now they have dropped to the $15,000-$16,0000 range. UC generally averages around $15,000 season tickets annualy. Does that figure seem correct or is it higher?

18k = people not $

(08-19-2014 05:13 PM)Bearcat Jimmy-93 Wrote:  Hawaii averaged over $18,000 season ticket holders since the 1970's for a very poor product. Granite they are not competing with any professional teams! But I was suprised they were even averaging that much. Now they have dropped to the $15,000-$16,0000 range. UC generally averages around $15,000 season tickets annualy. Does that figure seem correct or is it higher?

(08-19-2014 08:55 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 05:13 PM)Bearcat Jimmy-93 Wrote:  Hawaii averaged over $18,000 season ticket holders since the 1970's for a very poor product. Granite they are not competing with any professional teams! But I was suprised they were even averaging that much. Now they have dropped to the $15,000-$16,0000 range. UC generally averages around $15,000 season tickets annualy. Does that figure seem correct or is it higher?

(08-19-2014 06:09 PM)dossbig Wrote:  Think about the programs that quit or reduced. The Wichita Wheat Shockers, San Francisco Dons, Univ. Of Chicago (B10), Dayton (winning record vs. UC), etc. I am surprised others have not quit such as Rice, Tulsa, Tulane or downgraded.

Tulane had a full board review of athletics about 10 years ago and came within a vote or two of going D3 in football. Even the suggestion set the program back years as it was used against them in recruiting long after the issue was settled.

(08-19-2014 08:55 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 05:13 PM)Bearcat Jimmy-93 Wrote:  Hawaii averaged over $18,000 season ticket holders since the 1970's for a very poor product. Granite they are not competing with any professional teams! But I was suprised they were even averaging that much. Now they have dropped to the $15,000-$16,0000 range. UC generally averages around $15,000 season tickets annualy. Does that figure seem correct or is it higher?

LOL awesome

(08-20-2014 06:21 PM)#41 Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 06:09 PM)dossbig Wrote:  Think about the programs that quit or reduced. The Wichita Wheat Shockers, San Francisco Dons, Univ. Of Chicago (B10), Dayton (winning record vs. UC), etc. I am surprised others have not quit such as Rice, Tulsa, Tulane or downgraded.

Tulane had a full board review of athletics about 10 years ago and came within a vote or two of going D3 in football. Even the suggestion set the program back years as it was used against them in recruiting long after the issue was settled.

Smartest thing they did was get that on campus stadium done. Season Tixs are sold out I think.