Why does our state university have any athletic program at all?
/[UConn Athletic Director Benedict] was asked about a recent report that the university’s athletics department is running at about a $40 million deficit.
He said it shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise, considering the Big East money that UConn and the other former Big East teams got when the conference split up six years ago is drying up and will be non-existent next year. Benedict also noted that the school had to renegotiate its multi-media rights deal with IMG for a lower price recently, and that ticket sales have suffered due to poor performances from several different teams.
“Is it sustainable long-term, at this level? That’s for other people to make that decision,” Benedict said. “Certainly, one of the things that I’ve come to learn about UConn and the state of Connecticut since I’ve been here is that there is a strong belief — that I think the majority of people share — that the university is what it is, not just because of our academic success, but because of the athletic success we’ve achieved. In combination, we’ve created a nationally-renowned university.”
But he added that the school had to look at how the athletic department was structured, and wouldn’t rule out the possibility of eliminating certain sports.
“That’s a really tough decision. There are a lot of athletic departments over the last few years that have had to do that. It’s probably one of the most difficult things you could do. As an athletic department, we’re gonna look at all opportunities to try to deal with this prior to that. But, sometimes there are inevitabilities.”
A full breakdown of the huge losses sustained by UConn’s athletic program can be found here
UConn's athletic department spent more than $40 million than it earned in 2018, according to the school.
Connecticut's flagship state university generated $40.4 million in revenue from sports last year, but spent almost $81 million, according to an NCAA financial statement made public Thursday. Both expenses and revenue were down slightly compared to 2017.
UConn, with a majority of its athletic programs in the American Athletic Conference, received $7.1 million in conference distribution funds and $1 from media rights in 2018, the financial statement said.
The steep deficit was plugged with $30 million in institutional support and $8.5 million from student fees.
UConn football remains the department's most expensive team to operate at more than $15.7 million last year. Also, ticket sales for the one-win team in 2018 totaled $2.4 million vs. $3.3 million in 2017.
That resulted in a $8.7 million deficit for the football team.
As of Aug. 2018, the football program's attendance at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford has declined by more than 48 percent since it peaked in 2008 when it averaged 39,331 fans per game, according to the NCAA.
UConn men's basketball lost $5 million, while women's basketball lost $3 million. It cost $11 million to operate the men's basketball team and $7.8 million to manage the women's program, the statement said.
UConn athletics spent nearly $17 million on scholarships and $14.4 million for staff and administrative support.
Possibly, maybe, one percent of UConn’s basketball team players find employment in the NBA, and maybe half that number of the football squad: That would be about three students. The rest of the athletes are just intramural players, and we could afford them that opportunity for a fraction of the cost of what we’re paying now.
