• Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!

EWU

CatGrad-UMGradStu

Well-known member
I have to admit I have more than a passing interest in school finance due to my time elsewhere and what is inevitable with several non-flagship universities but this kind of bothers me. Glad I'm not anywhere near any of those who make these decisions.

https://www-spokesman-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/feb/26/whats-the-future-of-athletics-at-eastern-washingto/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&amp-content=amp&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=16144659661782&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spokesman.com%2Fstories%2F2021%2Ffeb%2F26%2Fwhats-the-future-of-athletics-at-eastern-washingto%2F
 
Surprising to not hear more about UM Athletics financial situation the past few months. Also kind of surprised to not hear of some grass roots fundraising efforts. What do all those athletic department employees and GSA schmoozers do during the pandemic?

This article should be a wake up call to more than just EWU's athletic department.
 
Mousegriz said:
Surprising to not hear more about UM Athletics financial situation the past few months. Also kind of surprised to not hear of some grass roots fundraising efforts. What do all those athletic department employees and GSA schmoozers do during the pandemic?

This article should be a wake up call to more than just EWU's athletic department.

heck I am surprised WGS has not been turned into a homeless camp....be the perfect place if you think about it....
 
retiredpopo said:
Mousegriz said:
Surprising to not hear more about UM Athletics financial situation the past few months. Also kind of surprised to not hear of some grass roots fundraising efforts. What do all those athletic department employees and GSA schmoozers do during the pandemic?

This article should be a wake up call to more than just EWU's athletic department.

heck I am surprised WGS has not been turned into a homeless camp....be the perfect place if you thing about it....

It’s because of the restroom situation.
 
AllWeatherFan said:
retiredpopo said:
heck I am surprised WGS has not been turned into a homeless camp....be the perfect place if you thing about it....

It’s because of the restroom situation.

And because ther's nobody there to stamp your hand so you can get back in after leaving the stadium!
 
AllWeatherFan said:
retiredpopo said:
heck I am surprised WGS has not been turned into a homeless camp....be the perfect place if you thing about it....

It’s because of the restroom situation.

It's impossible. Can't be done.
Now, watch this pregame production that has been the same since before all the players were born.
"They call me cowboy, I'm the singer in black . . . "
 
AllWeatherFan said:
retiredpopo said:
heck I am surprised WGS has not been turned into a homeless camp....be the perfect place if you thing about it....

It’s because of the restroom situation.

you obviously have never spent anytime in a homeless camp have you? see what I did there?
 
CDAGRIZ said:
AllWeatherFan said:
It’s because of the restroom situation.

It's impossible. Can't be done.
Now, watch this pregame production that has been the same since before all the players were born.
"They call me cowboy, I'm the singer in black . . . "

:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
At the root of their issue is that for all the money, public and private, used to upgrade facilities (primarily football) they have seen little increase in revenue created by that capital investment. They are averaging about the same for home games that they were a decade ago and that is with being the best football program in the conference over the past decade. They averaged less than 7,000 per home game in 2019, and they likely are going to have drastically fewer in attendance for the spring season. With all that success they sit fourth fiddle to Idaho, Washington and Washington State on Saturdays. In all reality the perception is that Eastern is more Central Washington or Whitworth than it is similar to its Division 1 partners in the state. For all their success in all sports, they can't translate it into consistent outside financial support from the community (ticket sales), boosters and advertising dollars. It isn't a poorly run business per say, but rather suffers from being perceptually in the region as being an inferior good no matter how high quality that good is.

Eastern is more Sacramento State or even Idaho State in regards to financial dependence on State monies, than it is Montana, Montana State or Weber State where it is competitively. For all the money the football program spends (all do), they just don't generate the type of money to balance the budget. The state of Washington, good or bad, has had little tolerance for its schools not balancing their athletic budgets. That it is having the same conversation Western Washington had almost a decade ago is telling. What I gather, is their shortfall is chronic or could be chronic and as such they needed to outlay a consultant firm to figure out whether their current budget issues can be rectified within the constraints of their current financing structure. They likely don't have a cash cow like Idaho State did with Jared Allen and Meador family to bail them out their predicament.

Montana on the other hand, had conversations as early as last spring about how each program and the department as a whole was going to survive a covid season (without football). The football program was obviously the cash cow to the whole department and at least one thread of the spring cancellation was the negative impact a 1/4 full WaGriz would have on the overall budget. Rather than run huge deficits because football is so expensive, the end benefit of not playing this spring (beyond its extended spring drills) is that it further helped the department manage the shortfall. There are others that can attest to this moreso than I, but the push from the GSA and athletics for donations in the late fall/early winter was to further close the gap to help over come the additional impact of scholarship demands this year and into the next. My understanding, is the department is in reasonable financial health with their austerity measures starting last spring that carried into the this school year for all programs. They are notoriously tight lipped, but my understanding that whatever budget deficit they have this year they feel confident with a full slate of home games and a money game next year with some continue austerity measures, the department could be in the black next year with no long term deficits they need to right.
 
Grizfan-24 said:
At the root of their issue is that for all the money, public and private, used to upgrade facilities (primarily football) they have seen little increase in revenue created by that capital investment. They are averaging about the same for home games that they were a decade ago and that is with being the best football program in the conference over the past decade. They averaged less than 7,000 per home game in 2019, and they likely are going to have drastically fewer in attendance for the spring season. With all that success they sit fourth fiddle to Idaho, Washington and Washington State on Saturdays. In all reality the perception is that Eastern is more Central Washington or Whitworth than it is similar to its Division 1 partners in the state. For all their success in all sports, they can't translate it into consistent outside financial support from the community (ticket sales), boosters and advertising dollars. It isn't a poorly run business per say, but rather suffers from being perceptually in the region as being an inferior good no matter how high quality that good is.

Eastern is more Sacramento State or even Idaho State in regards to financial dependence on State monies, than it is Montana, Montana State or Weber State where it is competitively. For all the money the football program spends (all do), they just don't generate the type of money to balance the budget. The state of Washington, good or bad, has had little tolerance for its schools not balancing their athletic budgets. That it is having the same conversation Western Washington had almost a decade ago is telling. What I gather, is their shortfall is chronic or could be chronic and as such they needed to outlay a consultant firm to figure out whether their current budget issues can be rectified within the constraints of their current financing structure. They likely don't have a cash cow like Idaho State did with Jared Allen and Meador family to bail them out their predicament.

Montana on the other hand, had conversations as early as last spring about how each program and the department as a whole was going to survive a covid season (without football). The football program was obviously the cash cow to the whole department and at least one thread of the spring cancellation was the negative impact a 1/4 full WaGriz would have on the overall budget. Rather than run huge deficits because football is so expensive, the end benefit of not playing this spring (beyond its extended spring drills) is that it further helped the department manage the shortfall. There are others that can attest to this moreso than I, but the push from the GSA and athletics for donations in the late fall/early winter was to further close the gap to help over come the additional impact of scholarship demands this year and into the next. My understanding, is the department is in reasonable financial health with their austerity measures starting last spring that carried into the this school year for all programs. They are notoriously tight lipped, but my understanding that whatever budget deficit they have this year they feel confident with a full slate of home games and a money game next year with some continue austerity measures, the department could be in the black next year with no long term deficits they need to right.
Good, well done. Thanks.
 
Grizfan-24 said:
At the root of their issue is that for all the money, public and private, used to upgrade facilities (primarily football) they have seen little increase in revenue created by that capital investment. They are averaging about the same for home games that they were a decade ago and that is with being the best football program in the conference over the past decade. They averaged less than 7,000 per home game in 2019, and they likely are going to have drastically fewer in attendance for the spring season. With all that success they sit fourth fiddle to Idaho, Washington and Washington State on Saturdays. In all reality the perception is that Eastern is more Central Washington or Whitworth than it is similar to its Division 1 partners in the state. For all their success in all sports, they can't translate it into consistent outside financial support from the community (ticket sales), boosters and advertising dollars. It isn't a poorly run business per say, but rather suffers from being perceptually in the region as being an inferior good no matter how high quality that good is.

Eastern is more Sacramento State or even Idaho State in regards to financial dependence on State monies, than it is Montana, Montana State or Weber State where it is competitively. For all the money the football program spends (all do), they just don't generate the type of money to balance the budget. The state of Washington, good or bad, has had little tolerance for its schools not balancing their athletic budgets. That it is having the same conversation Western Washington had almost a decade ago is telling. What I gather, is their shortfall is chronic or could be chronic and as such they needed to outlay a consultant firm to figure out whether their current budget issues can be rectified within the constraints of their current financing structure. They likely don't have a cash cow like Idaho State did with Jared Allen and Meador family to bail them out their predicament.

Montana on the other hand, had conversations as early as last spring about how each program and the department as a whole was going to survive a covid season (without football). The football program was obviously the cash cow to the whole department and at least one thread of the spring cancellation was the negative impact a 1/4 full WaGriz would have on the overall budget. Rather than run huge deficits because football is so expensive, the end benefit of not playing this spring (beyond its extended spring drills) is that it further helped the department manage the shortfall. There are others that can attest to this moreso than I, but the push from the GSA and athletics for donations in the late fall/early winter was to further close the gap to help over come the additional impact of scholarship demands this year and into the next. My understanding, is the department is in reasonable financial health with their austerity measures starting last spring that carried into the this school year for all programs. They are notoriously tight lipped, but my understanding that whatever budget deficit they have this year they feel confident with a full slate of home games and a money game next year with some continue austerity measures, the department could be in the black next year with no long term deficits they need to right.

What do all those bureaucrats working within the athletic department/ GSA do in a year where there aren't any games? Have any been laid off? What's the real financial outlook for the coming few years? How will a full slate of games and a money game next year solve the problems?

I think UM folks are "tight lipped" because they have no clue and are nervous!
 
retiredpopo said:
Mousegriz said:
Surprising to not hear more about UM Athletics financial situation the past few months. Also kind of surprised to not hear of some grass roots fundraising efforts. What do all those athletic department employees and GSA schmoozers do during the pandemic?

This article should be a wake up call to more than just EWU's athletic department.

heck I am surprised WGS has not been turned into a homeless camp....be the perfect place if you think about it....

I thought it was on Game Days. Cancelling the spring season has really had some far reaching consequences...
 
Mousegriz said:
Surprising to not hear more about UM Athletics financial situation the past few months. Also kind of surprised to not hear of some grass roots fundraising efforts. What do all those athletic department employees and GSA schmoozers do during the pandemic?

This article should be a wake up call to more than just EWU's athletic department.

Shhhhh! You might ruffle the feathers of some well heeled season ticket holders/GSA members.
 
Grizfan-24 said:
They likely don't have a cash cow like Idaho State did with Jared Allen and Meador family to bail them out their predicament.

This is a great post. The ISU input was spot on, having witnessed ISU football for well over a decade.
Despite having Jared Allen, they still didn't sellout Holt, as I recall. Maybe that's why when the NFL players would appear on pre-game TV to tell their college connection, he would say something like Idaho Culinary Arts.
 
Grizfan-24 said:
At the root of their issue is that for all the money, public and private, used to upgrade facilities (primarily football) they have seen little increase in revenue created by that capital investment. They are averaging about the same for home games that they were a decade ago and that is with being the best football program in the conference over the past decade. They averaged less than 7,000 per home game in 2019, and they likely are going to have drastically fewer in attendance for the spring season. With all that success they sit fourth fiddle to Idaho, Washington and Washington State on Saturdays. In all reality the perception is that Eastern is more Central Washington or Whitworth than it is similar to its Division 1 partners in the state. For all their success in all sports, they can't translate it into consistent outside financial support from the community (ticket sales), boosters and advertising dollars. It isn't a poorly run business per say, but rather suffers from being perceptually in the region as being an inferior good no matter how high quality that good is.

This is the root of EWU’s dilemma. I lived in Spokane for a decade and nobody gives a rip about EWU. For football, Wazzu is king even when the Cougs are lousy, then the Huskies or Spuds. After EWU quit playing at Joe Albi in order to build their on-campus game day culture, support in Spokane waned regardless of how well EWU played. The rise of Gonzaga hoops has further diminished EWU’s ability to capture support in Spokane. Hell, the Spokane Chiefs junior hockey team blows EWU out of the water. I think Division II is in EWU’s future, which is a shame.
 
goatcreekgriz said:
This is the root of EWU’s dilemma. I lived in Spokane for a decade and nobody gives a rip about EWU. For football, Wazzu is king even when the Cougs are lousy, then the Huskies or Spuds. After EWU quit playing at Joe Albi in order to build their on-campus game day culture, support in Spokane waned regardless of how well EWU played. The rise of Gonzaga hoops has further diminished EWU’s ability to capture support in Spokane. Hell, the Spokane Chiefs junior hockey team blows EWU out of the water. I think Division II is in EWU’s future, which is a shame.

Exactly. A former colleague who was an EWU graduate said the worst decision they made from a football perspective was to move back to Cheney. They gave up a central location in Spokane that was a better high school field for a worse one in a terrible location.

The football program has a PR problem within campus and from what I gather within the Athletic Department. I don't know the root of the problem to be honest, but as he said to me there is a reason why dropping to DII and keeping football while dropping other sports isn't being pushed more. Someone who understands Eastern dynamics and politics more might be able to speak to that better.

I really doubt they drop football to be honest, but the sense I get is they are going to need the type of booster/outside support to make things work to stay at the FCS and Division I level.
 
Eastern needs some serious outside support from a booster or 5 to stay FCS/Div 1. They just are such a small fish in a big pond and have 0 ways to really recoup the money each year to support their programs. I’m guessing in D2 they would still get fan attendance across all sports that the do now and revenue would stay similar. Sure they don’t get ncaa kick outs like you do at Div 1 but their requirements and expenditures decrease substantially at the D2 level. This savings alone will probably satisfy the board, who seems already ready to move on from D1. The last comments say it all. Ewu will join other NW directions schools very soon at the sub D1 level.

I expect this to be a conversation that many universities have in the near future. It may push the conversation of the NCAA re dividing division 1/fcs/2, atleast in the football world.
 
Back
Top