NYT: Big (Football) Boosters Calling the Shots on Campus

[DeepModem Mom]

Big Boosters Calling the Shots on Campus
By SELENA ROBERTS

Published: January 2, 2005


THERE is a sticker price for a messiah coach. For $16 million, the University of Florida recently banished Ron Zook with a $1.8 million buyout, paid the Utah Utes what amounted to a savior transfer fee of $250,000 and committed $14 million over seven years for Urban Meyer to compete with Steve Spurrier's visorly ghost....

***

This is the era of the über-booster. So it's worth asking any messiah coach: who's your sugar daddy?

The most meddling of the boosters aren't the cheap-suit fans tailgating on the back of a Ford pickup; some are Forbes-list executives buying vicarious ownership of their college teams....

***

Why give to a university's general fund if you don't care a lick about how many cadavers the science labs have? Why pay for orchestra flutes when you can help develop the next Doug Flutie? Incorporating the booster clubs as fund-raising arms for athletics provided friends of the program a tax break, as well as ticket priorities, parking passes and foam index fingers that indicate "We're No. 1."...

***

Coaches at public universities may seem like state employees, but unofficially they are the kept men of the private donors, particularly of those who give up to seven figures a year to the programs. Some contributors are more than boosters; they are powerful trustees who mistake their gifts for entitlement....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/sports/ncaafootball/02roberts.html

[HereSince1628]

1. Slow news day...this is culturally embedded common knowledge

And it is the stuff of which movies have been made...think about all those whacky professor "flubber" movies.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. I've never thought about these donations being tax-deductible --

but, it seems, they are.

[hatrack]

21. Thank you - this is "news"?

:eyes:

[Botany]

2. I live in Columbus, Ohio

I love college football and basketball but the time has come to shut down these
oversized ego inflated programs. The mission of a university is education,
and to help the public good. Big time sports are not part of that mission.

[Botany]

3. Also ......

The University of Michigan players should learn to tackle too. I swear Coach Carr
has an allergy to roses.

[Benhurst]

5. In fascist societies, educational institutions are dangerous.

I think the present system, sadly, strikes just the right balance for BushAmerica. Bread and circuses keep the masses happy. Go, team!

[Catfight]

6. I agree Botany, time to tax the boosters donations and put an end

to big contributions. If state colleges are to get state funds then boosters should not be able to contribute to athletics but to the college as a whole. I'm sick of the whole thing, college football was always about rules, structure and heart, now it's just an extension of the NFL. Players should be required to get a degree or pay back every cent of the scholarships plus a default fee so that college football isn't just a 2 year spring-board into the NFL. The NFL should have caps for any college student leaving college to join the NFL early and the bigger salaries should go to the students who stayed for four years. The whole idea that sports is bigger money than academics has always been a sign of our ignorant times anyway.

[Botany]

8. I disagree .....

After seeing big time college football up close as the business it is I think a player
who has the skills to go pro should. It is just a business. I think the bigger question is why these state supported Universities have gotten into the big time sports businesses. Very few big time Athletic Departments break even.

[Scout1071]

11. Couldn't disagree more

Are you kidding me? You want kids who go pro to pay back their scholarship money? So, let me get this straight. The NCAA makes millions, if not billions of dollars of the student athlete. The student athlete does not get one single damn penny. They get the opportunity for an education. And they work more hours than a full-time job in most cases - all this on top of going to class full-time. The percentage of athletes that actually make it to the NFL or any professional league is slim to none. Most student athletes never even come close to going pro. But those that do...you want them to be rewarded by paying back their tuition? Get real. Don't blame the athletes....blame the system and the NCAA. Follow the money.

[Catfight]

16. So what's your answer? I agree with your statement that the NCAA

is making loads of money off these kids, but why do athletes get private tutors, passed in those classes and handed money from boosters? Anyone else has to pay back student loans why do athletes who go on to make big money and leave the college to go pro not have to pay it back when they can afford it? I know that not all students get to go pro, but they still get their education for free. Maybe if they considered playing sports for a college is in some ways a job, they could pay those students a salary while playing for the college, that way they don't have to work during college as well as play sports for the college. Whatever the answer, the current system is corrupt.

[Scout1071]

19. They "pay it back" everyday by winning, losing, practicing, training,

working out and generally representing the University as ambassadors. They "pay it back" everyday with their blood, sweat and tears. They effectively work for the University and earn every damn dime of their tuition. Personally, I believe that they should be paid. These athletes work so many hours in the classroom and the gym that they do not have time to work part-time like many students. The NCAA makes a shit ton of money literally off of their blood, sweat and tears. Give the players a stipend. You would hope that this would lessen their dependence on boosters. You have to remember that these are 17-22 yr old young men and women. Many (not all) come from economically challenged backgrounds. Grown men who happen to be millionaires throw money, cars, etc at them. Why is that their fault? If it weren't for those $100 handshakes, they wouldn't have any spending money at all.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but the whole system makes me sick. And honestly, the people who get screwed the most are the athletes - that is why I defend them. Those boosters are ridiculously wealthy adults influencing poor student athletes. We need to have stricter punishments for the boosters and the athletic dept's when they are caught. I worked for a well-known program with a clean reputation......and I saw it all over the place. The NCAA needs a radical shake-up. If my old school can have a reputation like that and have such obvious violations, the NCAA isn't looking around too hard if you know what I mean.

[tx_dem41]

25. Lets see...practicing, training, etc...

sounds like what I did in a sense when I was getting my engineering degree at Rice. And, I consider myself an ambassador of my alma mater just as much as a student-athlete.

[tx_dem41]

24. The student athlete surely does get more than "one single damn penny"...

...they get a free 4-year education that at some colleges is worth over $100,000. And over time of their lives will be worth much more than that.

[Scout1071]

32. So, let's see. $100K for 4 yrs = $25K per year. Sorry, but they bring in

billions of dollars in revenue. And yes, every alumni is in a sense an ambassador, but be honest here - often times they are the face of the University. When you attended school, was every meal interrupted by people wanting your autograph? Were reporters tracking you down for comment? Did everything that you did or say while out being a student get reported the next day on message boards all over the Internet? Ummm...doubtful.

If the school makes a few million dollars a year on merchandise featuring your name, why shouldn't you receive a small percentage of that? I mean, the school is going to market you big-time. They are going to use the athletic success to market the university to the maximum. In the case of schools like Rice, they definitely emphasize the academic a bit more, but with most successful Division I programs, the University uses athletic success to market the school. When people think of Nebraska or Texas or Miami, do you think they say....oh yea, they have that great engineering program? No. They say....they've got an awesome football team and a great fan base. I'm not saying that those academic programs aren't a big factor with some people when selecting a school, but success on the field/court definitely attracts more students. I'm not saying it's right, just the way it is.

[tx_dem41]

34. I understand you're not saying its right...

its more than $25K a year....its the additional $50K or more a year they make over their lifetime by having a college degree. And, I'm sorry a single school (which is where a student-athlete goes too), brings on average a few million dollars in revenue (save 8 BCS schools), not "billions".

Life was not easy for anyone in college so you are not going to convince me how rough it is for student-athletes. Sure they practice a lot of hours. During those hours I was studying differential equations and field theory without getting a single dollar in scholarship money. I resent it when people talk about how hard student-athletes have it. I resent the stereotype it puts on student-athletes as well. I knew plenty of football players and I never heard one complain about how oppressed they were. Everyone was grateful for the opportunity they got with their full-paid scholarship. (I have never heard of a student asking a student-athlete for an autograph...sounds horribly sad to me).

I can't argue most of your points, because I don't believe in the whole system. So you are asking me to make a choice that I don't feel I should ever have to make. Get rid of professionalism in college athletics by setting up minor leagues. Your solution just continues to support the WRONG system.

[Scout1071]

36. I appreciate what you are saying and yes, the system is not working

And I never claimed that single school makes billions, but rather the NCAA as a whole. A quick search found these articles:

From CSTV:

"Fans of college sports are an attractive demographic for sponsors and advertisers because they fall into the lucrative high-income category. With annual revenue of approximately $11bn, the college sports category is as large as the NBA, NFL and MLB combined. More than 120m people in the US have either graduated from college or attended college, creating a massive, passionate and loyal audience for CSTV programming, both on television and online"

(link: http://www.sportandtechnology.com/index.php?pageId=0147)

And this one from '97:

(link: http://www.redmen.com/Reviews-req-showcontent-id-3.html)

Snippet:

"In the last 23 years, the NCAA's total revenues have increased 8,000 percent. This decade alone corporate sponsorships are on a pace to increase sevenfold, and the NCAA's $1.7 billion television contract is bigger than any single professional sports le ague deal with any network."


I dunno. In the end, I think we both agree the system needs to be changed. I just got a bit fired up by the poster who said that the athlete should have to pay back their tuition. IF that's the case, the player should get a percentage of the revenue gained by their success and have it turned over to them when they graduate. Revenue from ticket sales, merchandise such as jerseys, books, DVD's, video games, etc.

[Scout1071]

37. And then there is the dirty little fact that fewer than 50% of football

players actually receive diplomas. 55% of male student athletes graduate and 70% of women for an average of 62% overall. That is per the NCAA's annual report.

[tx_dem41]

38. How do those numbers compare to the numbers of ...

non-athletes?

[Scout1071]

39. According to the NCAA

non-athletes graduated at a rate of 60%. So, according to the NCAA student-athletes have a 2% greater rate of graduation. HOWEVER, as you (or another poster) pointed out in this thread, these athletes are usually coddled with private tutors. Especially football and basketball with a much longer season. The sad thing is that many of these players that do "graduate" are not educated in the least. I've worked with and for many pro athletes - many of whom could not even write a simple letter. That high NCAA rate is really propped up by women's sports and those "country club" sports such as golf, tennis and swimming. They bring those graduation rates right up. Alot of big-time Div I football teams graduate less than 30 or 40% of their players.

Basically, the bottom line is that the NCAA is making billions and the players that bring in most of that revenue are aren't receiving the money or an education.

Here's an article about NCAA Bowl Team graduation rates:

Study Eyes Bowl Teams' Graduation Rates
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Twenty-seven of the 56 schools with bowl-bound football teams graduated less than half their players, according to a study released Tuesday.

The annual study by the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida also showed that 39 of the schools graduated less than half of their black players.

Among the bowl teams, 51 of 55 graduated at least 40 percent of their white players, according to the study, while just 30 schools graduated at least 40 percent of their black players.

Link: http://www.790thezone.com/APNews/APArticle.aspx?APNewsID=82010

[tx_dem41]

40. I saw that survey....very sad....

my answer is get rid of big-time sports in universities.

Just call me an idealist.

[Scout1071]

41. Also, look around the benches of Div I Basketball and Football

during a game. Any coincidence that many of these 2nd and 3rd and even 4th stringers have very high GPA's? Not a chance. They are simply there to practice against and prop up GPA averages. Watch the NCAA Tourney and wait for that moment when a star player fouls out or gets injured and that screen shot of the 2nd or 3rd stringer taking off his warm-up jersey and going in with a fuzzy little story about what a shining academic star they've been and what a hard worker they've been without any playing time.

[0007]

12. 'Tis time also to shut the TV off, I'm tired, drained and pissed

at watching one mindless commercial after another, with boring announcers, and insipid color men/women giving interviews and trying to add pomp with their expertise to what was once an enjoyable spectacle to watch.

Fuck 'em

[AstronautGirl7]

26. Too Much Football

The kids aren't learning to have a social conscience

[DeepModem Mom]

28. Good point, AstroGirl -- and welcome to DU!

[spanone]

29. College Football : NINE BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY

Just like the rest of America....it's all about the money.

[tx_dem41]

30. And, sadly, its the people who need the money the most...

...that feed it soooo well.

[saigon68]

4. AVARICE AND ENVY 2 of the seven deadly SINS

Thanks for posting this. !!!!!!

[ixion]

9. nothing new, really

I was in college in the 80's at UNL and the all important football program received the lion's share of financial resources. The library and many departments were dying on the vine, but the football program got a new workout room and dining hall and their own educational resource center, all state-of-the-art.

Just goes to show where academic admins priorities lie.

[sally343434]

10. A friend says that football is the perfect outlet

A friend of mine says that football is the perfect outlet for society's closet cases. Its homoerotic nature keeps them occupied and satisfied, in a deniable way.

[ixion]

31. lol... that's an astute observation

and pretty accurate I would say. ;-)

[quaoar]

13. In a bizarre sort of way football keeps other sports going

Title IX aside, universities do want to maintain at least the appearance that they are not totally obsessed by football and have other programs for other students, so they continue to offer other collegiate sports such as synchronized swimming and golf and tennis, etc.

Without football there might not be any need to maintain this charade.

[Scout1071]

14. Ahhhhhh, yes. Those country club sports.

I've worked with a major Div I Athletic Dept. There is an incredible financial drain on the Ath Dept's because of these sports. The irony is that most of these are what we call "Olympic Sports" or what I called "Country Club" sports. Golf? Tennis? Swimming? Sorry, but for the most part these are sports that are generally learned by kids who come from some substantial money. Do you have any idea how much money it takes to maintain a major indoor swimming facility every year? Or indoor tennis courts, etc. Then add in the expenses for team travel, etc. Why should the rest of us have to pay for this? All of these sports are paid for by football.

[quaoar]

18. There are also the sports

that don't cost much, relatively speaking. Like track and cross country. Would colleges bother with any of them -- country club or blue collar -- if not to demonstrate their athletic programs are about more than football?

[GoBlue]

15. Ah yes the wonder's of the AD at a Football university.

I was once involved in a drive to raise funds to support research at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. We quickly ran into trouble for approaching potential donors without the AD departments approval. It was made clear to us that the AD had first dibs on all donations.

[Davis_X_Machina]

17. Why have pro basketball and football...

...been able to outsource the vast majority of their player-development costs onto mostly public universities when baseball runs its own minor leagues? (Granted, there is NCAA baseball, but minor league football and basketball are tiny by comparison with baseeball's minor leagues.)

[Scout1071]

20. Yep, they've been able to totally outsource it.

Now, the percentage of players who make it to NFL and NBA is relatively small. But those in baskestball who go to the NBA early should have some required classes regarding money management, etc. It is either the responsibility of the leagues or the NCAA or both to make sure these kids are ready for "the life." Actually, future NFL players should have to take them as well.

I've worked with alot of pro athletes and it is shocking how many of them don't even have the basic skills to pay their monthly bills. I know many an ahtlete who has his electricity, phones, etc. shut off on regular basis because of non-payment. Not because they don't have the money, but because they have ZERO idea how to manage it. It's sad really.

[tx_dem41]

27. Good point on the money management classes...

I would say its the responsiblity of the league, not the NCAA.

[Scout1071]

33. I agree on league responsibility, but I believe that if a Head Coach

has a kid that clearly is going to leave school early to head to the pros, I believe it is their duty to steer that student to as many classes as possible to help that kid manage the various money and PR aspects that will soon consume them. It really is so sad to see pro athletes blow all of their money thru mismanagement. Even if they don't blow all of it, they still get cars repo'd, phones disconnected, etc. There are so many people out there waiting to take advantage of them. Don't get me wrong, the players in this situation are to blame as well, but it most cases, they simply don't know any better.

[tx_dem41]

35. Make it part of the business curriculum and availabe to ALL ..

students (for credit) and I might not have a problem with it.

[Coventina]

22. Jock-cracy: dumbest form of gov't EVER!

One thinks one can escape it after H.S.
Nope, one encounters it through the whole life-span.
:puke:

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Own your own Play Army

This is so fucked up. Football, I'm sure everyone can agree, is based on a model of war. Who remembers George Carlin's old riff comparing football to baseball? (In baseball we play on a field. In football, we play on gridiron. We have the blitz. etc.)

These people who pay the big bucks to college football programs and then exert all sorts of influence, it seems to me, are simply endowed with the "war gene" and love to play war. This is a way to do it.

Own your own Play Army.