Terrific article on declining football attendance

[dupuyer griz]

The peanut inning is just about enough to keep me away from games. Luckily beer helps ease my anxiety.

I just like yelling penis really loud and getting away with it... My wife doesn't let me go a lot

 

[RABIDAWG]

The peanut inning is just about enough to keep me away from games. Luckily beer helps ease my anxiety.

I just like yelling penis really loud and getting away with it... My wife doesn't let me go a lot

No isht! :lol:

 

[mcg]

I doubt students know or consider how much money is hijacked from the football program to reduce costs elsewhere in the University like the bookstore and the food service, not to mention the AD paying facilities rent to the general fund when the AD has provided most of the capital.

You know, this really isn't accurate. Athletics still takes more from the General Fund (taxpayers) than it provides. Yes, our State share is less than MSU's. But let's not kid ourselves into saying that football is paying the salaries of the Econ profs.

Mr. EverettGriz has it about right. Griz football subsidizes the other sports sponsored by the Athletic Department and the state provides an additional subsidy to balance the Athletic Department budget.

 

[kemajic]

I doubt students know or consider how much money is hijacked from the football program to reduce costs elsewhere in the University like the bookstore and the food service, not to mention the AD paying facilities rent to the general fund when the AD has provided most of the capital.

You know, this really isn't accurate. Athletics still takes more from the General Fund (taxpayers) than it provides. Yes, our State share is less than MSU's. But let's not kid ourselves into saying that football is paying the salaries of the Econ profs.

OK, I'll bite. Please point out anything that I said that is inaccurate.

 

[EverettGriz]

I doubt students know or consider how much money is hijacked from the football program to reduce costs elsewhere in the University like the bookstore and the food service, not to mention the AD paying facilities rent to the general fund when the AD has provided most of the capital.

You know, this really isn't accurate. Athletics still takes more from the General Fund (taxpayers) than it provides. Yes, our State share is less than MSU's. But let's not kid ourselves into saying that football is paying the salaries of the Econ profs.

OK, I'll bite. Please point out anything that I said that is inaccurate.

While your statement is technically accurate (funds from ticket sales are used elsewhere in the University), the sentiment is completely inaccurate. The department still receives more state money than it gives to other departments. So even if they kept all their revenue, they're not self-sufficient. It really doesn't matter whether the money used comes from their ticket sales, from the sale of food at the food zoo, from the sale of sweatshirts in the bookstore, or from the tax payer. It's all state money, and how it is individually distributed is essentially meaningless.

To make a long story short, your statement is misleading. Since it's a zero sum game, if athletics weren't supporting other departments, that support would have to come from somewhere else in UM's budget, reducing the amount of state dollars available to be allocated to athletics. The amount allocated to athletics would be the same in either scenario.

 

[Catsrback76]

Great article! Well written and cleverly articulated! Words of warning for sure!