SHANE WILSON
You know the economy isn’t doing so hot when sports are affected. Teams nowadays have to seriously cut down on spending, and some athletic departments have to shut down entire sports programs all together.
And to think, most people believe that athletic departments fund themselves.
In a few rare circumstances, some sports departments are able to fully fund themselves without the help of central administrations. For all of the other schools in the country, the opposite is the case.
The economy might not be entirely to blame in this instance. For example, the National Collegiate Athletic Association came out with a report in 2009 stating that average athletics spending increased 43 percent between 2004 and 2008, but average revenue only increased 33 percent over the same time period. The NCAA also reported in 2005 that between 2001 and 2003, athletics spending increased almost four times faster than regular institution spending.
The facts are simple. Athletics departments around the country are spending entirely too much to be sustainable. Spending in terms of salaries is also included in the argument.
Presidents of major universities agree.
According to an October 2009 Knight Commission report, when asked about salaries across Football Bowl Series institutions nationally, an overwhelming majority (85%) of FBS presidents indicate they feel compensation is excessive for football and basketball coaches.
In addition, less than a quarter of presidents believe intercollegiate athletics are sustainable in their current form at FBS institutions nationally.
These findings make the situation seem direr than ever. Athletic directors have been facing these sorts of problems for years. Now that a majority of FBS school presidents believe that a different, more practical approach is necessary for future stability, eyes are beginning to open to the severity of the situation.
So how is Emporia State affected by all of this? They’re no FBS school, that’s for sure.
ESU is just as susceptible to a declining economy as the larger schools are – maybe even more so. At an institution that receives far less financial support to the likes of KU or Ohio State (where over 30 different sports are offered to student-athletes), a rough stretch in the market can spell disaster. Without private donations and fiscal aid from central administration, the program would be in dire straights.
So yes, even sports can be affected by a poor economy. More so than I’m sure you originally thought. But unless the departments themselves take active steps in reducing the amount they spend, it might not be the economy that takes them down.
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