This came from an article concerning cuts to the PAC-10 sports programs. I was wondering what is happening at NIU. Note Oregon State's problem the schools in Oregon are in particularly bad shape because the state government is restricted from raising revenue.
Up and down the Pacific-10 Conference, athletic departments are feeling the economic pinch.
Washington is cutting its men’s and women’s swim teams.
Stanford will chop $1.8 million from its athletic department budget this year, and $3.3 million next year, after its endowment lost about a fifth of its value, and UCLA’s budget will take a $1.5 million to $2 million hit.
Oregon State may cut sports if it can’t raise more money from donors. Arizona State’s coaches are taking unpaid furloughs.
The struggling economy has been the main topic of conversation, in board rooms and at cocktail receptions, during the annual spring meetings of Pac-10 athletic directors.
It's a widespread trend. Last week Northern Iowa announced the elimination of its baseball program. Only a matter of time before we see the impact in the MAC I'm afraid.
Where the hell is all that BCS money going to? All the advertising revenue? All the booster money, the ESPN money, all the local donations, all the seat sales?
Well, f*** it because I do know the answer - it goes to Football, basketball and stupid Athletic Adminstrator salaries. Nutin' like paying an Assistant Compliance Officer $100k a year when that could fund how many scholarships? How many Football Assistant Coaches need to make huge salaries? The examples are myriad, and I do know there is nothing that I can do about it. To be competitive to bring in the money, you have to have the best coaches etc etc etc blah blah blah.
Not like 45 swimmers and 1,000's of Swimming Alum at Washington ever added anything to their university...... or baseball players at UNI, or example after example.
College Athletics will soon be nothing more than Football season, the BCS and March Madness. Why should Div 1 even pretend it is about anything else? Maybe some of that missing TARP money could go to a non-revenue sports bucket to funds those that aren't football and basketball players, and allow those athletes to play their sports at the highest collegiate levels.....
bangs head, goes searching for a small DIII school to support because I enjoy the spector of college athletics, not just college football and basketball.......
I think you sorta speak the truth. In my opinion we are on the cusp of a major separation in college football where the days of 120 Division I programs are numbered. I bet within a few years we see Division I football pared down to about 75 or so schools max. Leaving the majority of mid-majors downgraded to the football status of a Southern Illinois.
I also believe we will see the end of ancillary athletic programs on ALL college campuses. Sports like golf, swimming, etc. Instead the move will be to sanctioned "clubs" in things like golf, swimming, soccer, hockey.
Talk about an overreaction. One little recession and Alum's crying chicken little.
While it's premature to forecast how deep and widepread the downsizing of college athletics may be in the years ahead, it's also a poor hyperbole & characterization of the climate as one little recession. It's unquestionably the biggest economic downturn since great depression.
It will take years for the value of homes to return to pre-crash figures according to a very highly educated, experienced and successful realtor handling sale of our family property. In real terms properties NOT AT RISK of foreclosure have been losing 1% monthly since Sept. It's not chump change to compute the impact on home values.
It will take years before retirement annuities recoup what has been lost.
It will take college athletics years to restore what will likely be reduced or eliminated. It may negatively impact preparing for 2012 and '16 US Olympic teams as well.
If there is any silver lining for NIU and other IL schools, state money does not fund athletics unlike many U's elsewhere. ...but the downturn will likely lead to unfortunate hits to Huskie athletics.
One little recession it is NOT.