You guys arenāt going to like thisā¦ I hate lack of faith and lack of resolve.
No kidding the students pay for footballā¦ HELLO!!! ITāS NOT SOMETHING THEY DONāT WANT TO DO!!! Given the option, Ms. Schulken (an individual obviously who is completely out of touch with the desires of individuals who are at and support this university), needs to grow a pair.
Good grief, can some people from the freakinā sports department go talk this woman at the O. She sees lack of facts as evidence for the negativeā¦ who in the world thinks like that? We need to write this individualā¦
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/16432583.htm
49er football: Stop the clock and buy time
Who pays for football to make money? The students do, of courseMARY C. SCHULKEN
Itās the first quarter, and the Charlotte 49ers are deep in their own territory. On second down, the ball is snapped. The quarterback turns, fakes, then looks downfield. The linebackers rush.
If youāre Chancellor Phil Dubois, what do you do?
Do you throw, deep and long, aiming for a distant goal line?
Do you fall on the ball to keep from losing yardage?
Or do you discreetly toss the ball out of bounds, stop the clock and buy time?
At UNC Charlotte, the question is not how to play football. Itās whether to play football.
Specifically, do you claw millions of dollars each year from students and boosters to start a football program from scratch? Or do you turn the universityās growing ā but finite ā resources toward its quickly expanding academic mission and enrollment?āFā for foolish?
Dubois labeled it the āFā question when he put football on the agenda for the trustees to discuss last week. Itās a pivotal one for the stateās fourth-largest university, a campus in search of a strong identity among its peers in the state and nation.A high-profile (note those words, please) football program brings a host of benefits to a university, including good feelings, happy alumni and free publicity. Yet winning college programs consume huge amounts of money and campus support. When youāre UNCC ā a young public university forecast to add 12,000 more students in a little over a decade ā kicking off football right now could be a foolās mission.Why the fuss over football?
Sports economists and college presidents call it the āFlutie Effectā: the jump in admission applications sparked by a spectacular gridiron moment. It got that name when Boston College was inundated after Doug Flutieās improbable pass securing the Eaglesā final-second come-from-behind victory over Miami in 1984.That kind of defining moment can draw national attention to a university ā and bring home spoils. Athletic conferences that sent teams to post-season bowls this year will share an astounding $187 million.
Yet it takes an astounding amount of money to build a football team.The San Antonio Express-News reported it would cost between $12 million and $25 million to start a football program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. A Division I-AA team would cost $3 million a year to operate, the campus estimated, while a Division I-A team would cost between $5 million and $7 million.
Bust the myths
Hereās the nasty little secret of college football: At UNCC ā like UTSA ā much of the millions to support it would come from a mandatory student athletic fee.Before the āFā question goes any further, UNCC needs to take a hard look at popular myths versus the reality of college football.
Myth: Football is a money-making sport that supports other sports on campus.
Reality No. 1: According to the NCAA, nearly all the top 25 football schools reported a surplus for football during 2004-2005. Yet the required method of reporting means millions of dollars in student fees or university support often show up as revenue. Also, athletic budgets often do not include big football costs such as stadium construction and debt service.
Reality No. 2: Successful football programs can be revenue-generators by bringing in dollars from television contracts and bowl appearances. But that doesnāt mean they make money. A 2003 NCAA study determined that for every dollar spent on college football or basketball, only one dollar is generated in additional revenues.
Myth: Football success helps a university get the attention of students (and boosters) that otherwise might apply (or donate) somewhere else.
Reality: Quantity doesnāt mean quality, and nobody keeps track of how many applicants sign on at colleges. Also, last year the NCAA released a study that found no evidence showing that increased athletic spending generates additional profit.
None of that means 49er football should be sent permanently to the lockers. The problem is timing. UNCC is an expanding doctoral institution that needs to work on academics first.
Note to Dubois, pondering his options as linebackers rush: Toss the ball out of bounds, stop the clock and buy time.Mary C.
Schulken
Mary C. Schulken is an Observer associate editor. Write her at P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308, or [U][COLOR=#0000ff]mschulken@charlotteobserver.com[/COLOR][/U].
