Post by Realm on Aug 15, 2011 2:52:00 GMT -5
Article by Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune
Mountain West facing financial struggles
LAS VEGAS — Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson rang a few alarm bells Wednesday about the financial struggles facing his league in the shifting sands of college sports.
“It cannot continue as it is,” he said.
Thompson made his remarks to media gathered for his annual “state of the conference” address in Las Vegas.
Among issues he cited:
Television: The Pac-12 Conference television rights deal will give each member school about $20 million per year. By contrast, Mountain West member schools this year each will get about $1.5 million as part of a 10-year, $120 million deal TV contract that started in 2006. When that contract ends, it might not get much better because Mountain West markets only cover about 5 percent of the U.S. population, Thompson said.
Such a disparity is why Utah and Texas Christian decided to leave the conference for the Pac-12 and Big East, respectively. Brigham Young left for similar reasons and will be unaffiliated with a conference in football.
“Does that then mean more people will leave the Mountain West?” Thompson asked. “Well, it’s two-fold. One, have you been invited to go to someplace else? And two, is that who you are? Does it really make sense?”
Resource disparity: Traditional powerhouse Michigan recently underwent a $226 million stadium renovation, which included a new press box. By contrast, Mountain West schools have undertaken about $840 million in facility upgrades in 11 years combined.
“Michigan’s press box is $200 million. C’mon,” Thompson said. “Our league spent $840 million, but a $200 million press box for one school?”
Realignment: With such a disparity in resources between the rich and poor in college football, what can be done about it? Should the poor leagues give up and let the six elite leagues just break off and form their own division without the likes of the Mountain West?
“Not yet,” Thompson said. “I think we’re in the mode of ‘sell the boat, go to a smaller college (with) less tuition, take a second job.’ I’m talking real life, whatever it’s going to take to maintain what we have. We have not had those conversations (about the elite conferences breaking away). Knock wood, we won’t have to have them real soon. We may have to have them sooner than we would hope.”
One reason the elite leagues might not be inclined to break away to form their own division is scheduling. If teams in elite leagues only played each other, they might cannibalize each other’s win-loss records.
“They have to play somebody,” Thompson said. “Who are they going to play?”
The Mountain West has had conversations with Conference USA about forming a giant super league. Another idea is having their champions play each other, with the winner possibly getting a berth in a lucrative Bowl Championship Series game. Thompson said the Mountain West wasn’t interested in combining the two leagues but said that having each league’s champion play each other for a BCS berth change might “dramatically” change the structure of college football’s postseason. It’s only an idea right now, though.
In the meantime, Thompson said there have been no further talks about the Mountain West expanding beyond next year, when the league loses TCU but adds Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii in football.
Rising costs and cuts: In 1999-2000, Thompson said the average athletics budget in the MWC was about $17 million. Now it’s $38 million. Meanwhile, state budget cuts have forced schools to raise tuition, which increases the cost of athletics scholarships. State cuts also have led athletic departments to cut more resources, including San Diego State, which had to furlough coaches and cut 25 full-time jobs in the past three years. The football office at SDSU is down to one secretary and one athletic trainer.
"One of the biggest challenges is just keeping the doors open," Thompson said.
Solutions: So what can anybody do about it?
The league is on the verge of earning automatic access to BCS bowl games for 2012 and 2013, just like the six elite leagues. But that may only mean an extra $1 million or so per school, which is dwarfed by the disparity in television revenue between the haves and have-nots.
Thompson said he hopes private boosters come through for member schools and that each school’s chief executive stays committed to athletics. For example, about half of SDSU’s $32 million athletics “revenue” comes from student fees and university support, which has been under the command of the university president.
Mountain West member Air Force recently raised private funds to open a $15.5 million football practice facility, a sign of hope for Thompson. It was the largest privately funded capital project in the academy’s history.
“We’re finding ways,” Thompson said. “They (Air Force) flipped. They got into the rat race.”
Yet the challenge continues.
“We sound like we’re bankers, and it’s money,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, it is.”
Notable
--Thompson called for stronger penalties for those who cheat NCAA rules. He cited the recent rash of major violations and investigations among top programs and said he was concerned that discipline wasn’t tough enough to keep them from becoming repeat offenders.
There have “got to be debilitating penalties or it’s going to continue,” he said.
--Thompson said the Mountain West may add the Hawaii Bowl to the conference bowl lineup next year, when league membership increases to 10.
--A year since Colorado and Utah left their conferences for the Pac-12, Thompson recalled how the Mountain West was waiting out the shifting sands to see if it might land Colorado or other Big 12 teams. At the time, several Big 12 teams were considering joining the Pac-10, which would have destroyed the Big 12 and left many of its members looking for new conferences.
How close did the Mountain West get to adding Colorado, Kansas State or Iowa State?
“Colorado had gone (to the Pac-10) on Thursday (June 10, 2011), and we added Boise State on Friday morning (June 11).,” Thompson said. “Are Kansas State and Iowa State going to need a spot? That was very much alive that weekend.”
LINK: www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/27/mountain-west-facing-financial-struggles/
Mountain West facing financial struggles
LAS VEGAS — Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson rang a few alarm bells Wednesday about the financial struggles facing his league in the shifting sands of college sports.
“It cannot continue as it is,” he said.
Thompson made his remarks to media gathered for his annual “state of the conference” address in Las Vegas.
Among issues he cited:
Television: The Pac-12 Conference television rights deal will give each member school about $20 million per year. By contrast, Mountain West member schools this year each will get about $1.5 million as part of a 10-year, $120 million deal TV contract that started in 2006. When that contract ends, it might not get much better because Mountain West markets only cover about 5 percent of the U.S. population, Thompson said.
Such a disparity is why Utah and Texas Christian decided to leave the conference for the Pac-12 and Big East, respectively. Brigham Young left for similar reasons and will be unaffiliated with a conference in football.
“Does that then mean more people will leave the Mountain West?” Thompson asked. “Well, it’s two-fold. One, have you been invited to go to someplace else? And two, is that who you are? Does it really make sense?”
Resource disparity: Traditional powerhouse Michigan recently underwent a $226 million stadium renovation, which included a new press box. By contrast, Mountain West schools have undertaken about $840 million in facility upgrades in 11 years combined.
“Michigan’s press box is $200 million. C’mon,” Thompson said. “Our league spent $840 million, but a $200 million press box for one school?”
Realignment: With such a disparity in resources between the rich and poor in college football, what can be done about it? Should the poor leagues give up and let the six elite leagues just break off and form their own division without the likes of the Mountain West?
“Not yet,” Thompson said. “I think we’re in the mode of ‘sell the boat, go to a smaller college (with) less tuition, take a second job.’ I’m talking real life, whatever it’s going to take to maintain what we have. We have not had those conversations (about the elite conferences breaking away). Knock wood, we won’t have to have them real soon. We may have to have them sooner than we would hope.”
One reason the elite leagues might not be inclined to break away to form their own division is scheduling. If teams in elite leagues only played each other, they might cannibalize each other’s win-loss records.
“They have to play somebody,” Thompson said. “Who are they going to play?”
The Mountain West has had conversations with Conference USA about forming a giant super league. Another idea is having their champions play each other, with the winner possibly getting a berth in a lucrative Bowl Championship Series game. Thompson said the Mountain West wasn’t interested in combining the two leagues but said that having each league’s champion play each other for a BCS berth change might “dramatically” change the structure of college football’s postseason. It’s only an idea right now, though.
In the meantime, Thompson said there have been no further talks about the Mountain West expanding beyond next year, when the league loses TCU but adds Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii in football.
Rising costs and cuts: In 1999-2000, Thompson said the average athletics budget in the MWC was about $17 million. Now it’s $38 million. Meanwhile, state budget cuts have forced schools to raise tuition, which increases the cost of athletics scholarships. State cuts also have led athletic departments to cut more resources, including San Diego State, which had to furlough coaches and cut 25 full-time jobs in the past three years. The football office at SDSU is down to one secretary and one athletic trainer.
"One of the biggest challenges is just keeping the doors open," Thompson said.
Solutions: So what can anybody do about it?
The league is on the verge of earning automatic access to BCS bowl games for 2012 and 2013, just like the six elite leagues. But that may only mean an extra $1 million or so per school, which is dwarfed by the disparity in television revenue between the haves and have-nots.
Thompson said he hopes private boosters come through for member schools and that each school’s chief executive stays committed to athletics. For example, about half of SDSU’s $32 million athletics “revenue” comes from student fees and university support, which has been under the command of the university president.
Mountain West member Air Force recently raised private funds to open a $15.5 million football practice facility, a sign of hope for Thompson. It was the largest privately funded capital project in the academy’s history.
“We’re finding ways,” Thompson said. “They (Air Force) flipped. They got into the rat race.”
Yet the challenge continues.
“We sound like we’re bankers, and it’s money,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, it is.”
Notable
--Thompson called for stronger penalties for those who cheat NCAA rules. He cited the recent rash of major violations and investigations among top programs and said he was concerned that discipline wasn’t tough enough to keep them from becoming repeat offenders.
There have “got to be debilitating penalties or it’s going to continue,” he said.
--Thompson said the Mountain West may add the Hawaii Bowl to the conference bowl lineup next year, when league membership increases to 10.
--A year since Colorado and Utah left their conferences for the Pac-12, Thompson recalled how the Mountain West was waiting out the shifting sands to see if it might land Colorado or other Big 12 teams. At the time, several Big 12 teams were considering joining the Pac-10, which would have destroyed the Big 12 and left many of its members looking for new conferences.
How close did the Mountain West get to adding Colorado, Kansas State or Iowa State?
“Colorado had gone (to the Pac-10) on Thursday (June 10, 2011), and we added Boise State on Friday morning (June 11).,” Thompson said. “Are Kansas State and Iowa State going to need a spot? That was very much alive that weekend.”
LINK: www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/27/mountain-west-facing-financial-struggles/
