We had a thread a few weeks ago discussing the University of Illinois' Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and how much of its funding came from student fees.
Now, we have this (figures are for 2004-2005):
It appears that DIA gets about $4.7 million (about 10 percent of revenue) from the UI and its students. (I'll be the first to admit that I though the DIA was entirely self-supporting, although I'm not sure why I thought that...)
- $2.75 million in "non-program specific" student fees
- $1.96 million in "direct institutional support"
Also, it looks like just $650,000 in "endowments/investments," which seems awfully low to me.
Regardless, I thought it would make for an interesting discussion.
(Hat tip: IlliniBoard, of all places)
Well I feel so much better knowing that student fees are keeping athletics out of the red while our seats compromised and moved to the North End Zone.
I think that they are still self-supporting. The students get big discounts on tickets - what is it, something like $13 for $42 tix? (And yeah, the student end zone seats is a pretty sucky thing for DIA to do.) The students are paying into the system for what they are getting - big discounts - just like they do for their support for a certain, unnamed mass transit agency which they use for free (after paying their fees, of course), which is to say that it's not really free at all. And getting *some* support from the university only seems right - they are the Fighting Illini, after all, not the Fighting Generic Athletes From Nowhere in Particular. Included in the athletic program is tutoring and academic advising to get them through the juggling act of being both full-time athletes and full-time students. Seems like something the UI could pay for.
I think that we are all arguing the wrong point. Whether the athletic depts of universities should get lots of support from the universities as a whole or not has already been decided more than a decade ago. For mature programs like Big Ten schools, they are largely self-sustaining. Rather than making it less about money, however, the result was that it was more about money than ever, and the athletes became more like pseudo-pro athletes. It's not about how much athletic depts get in general univ or state support (answer - very little), it's about the professionalization of college support. Next up: shouldn't Juice Williams et.al. be drawing a salary?
If you really want to see the sad state of college athletics in this country should read Murray Sperber's book 'Beer and Circus.' It will open your eyes, big time. By the way, these statements are not accurate, it's called "creative accounting." Every big time athletic program spends more than they bring in, that's known fact in higher ed. circles. But, who cares, as long as we're goin' to the Rose Bowl, right?
"By the way, these statements are not accurate, it's called "creative accounting." Every big time athletic program spends more than they bring in, that's known fact in higher ed. circles."
Do you have any documentation for that claim?
Thanks for posting this Gordy. As you know, student support that goes to make millionaires out of coaches and the athletic director is something I find incredibly offensive.
However, it is not clear that institutional support necessarily comes from students. The U of I has other sources of income besides tuition and fees.
By the way, where did you get this document?
Jay
"By the way, where did you get this document?"
It was linked on IlliniBoard.com, a message board site for Illini athletic fans, and the link is from the Indianapolis Star newspaper. They appear to have numbers from most Division I schools.
Thanks for the little bit of research into the question. Looking at the numbers, I don't see where the $116 million to renovate the stadium comes from. Someone earlier mentioned that the $116 million comes from all private donations. I don't see that in the budget posted.
These numbers are from 2004-2005, well before the stadium renovation was announced. Also, It may be that the stadium renovation is in a seperate budget, as I do recall hearing that the renovation was entirely funded by donations.
So the DIA raised $116 million for the stadium in less than two years? Wow. I wonder where we can see this seperate budget. If the DIA is indeed a seperate private enterprise, with an apparent annual budget of $48 million, is it possible to buy shares in the DIA "company"?
"So the DIA raised $116 million for the stadium in less than two years?"
Actually, I think they're still raising it.
"I wonder where we can see this seperate budget."
FOIA.
"If the DIA is indeed a seperate private enterprise, with an apparent annual budget of $48 million, is it possible to buy shares in the DIA "company"?"
Who said anything about private?
Ok it looks like some people are looking for an Ox to gore.
Actually it is funded by donations; I like the new Stadium and the fact that private funds are bringing the stadium to current standards makes it even better. Just by putting 112 million dollars into the stadium it has added a lot of jobs to the area let alone, the jobs from those businesses supporting the construction. We will have a stadium that is state of the art and can be used to bring even more money to the University though fund raising at the different halls of the new addition. Take a look for yourself; it is almost as impressive as the current team playing there. Think about what a message this sends to those across the country that visit there.
http://www.athletics.uiuc.edu/renaissance/
The down side is of course the upheaval caused by the moving of seats, I don't know what choice they have as the University looks to the future.
Sorry to sound like a commercial.
I am amazed the U of I operates a women's basketball program with an operating deficit substantially greater than its annual revenues - wow! That program is bleeding money. I wonder how that compares to wrestling and tennis?
Why should one penny of our tax dollars be spent on supporting the athletics program? Shouldn't that be supported by the fans, the NFL and the NBA for the privelege of being part of it all?
Yeah, I know - I'm in a minority in this flatland about Illinois athletics. But it seems to me that the people who benefit from this level of college athletics should be kicking into it, and those of us who could not care less about what goes on at the stadium or Assembly Hall should NOT be covering the costs.
The one comment about them being athletes, then students, tells it all. They are students, who have ELECTED to dedicate themselves to a time commitment for an extracuricular activity. If they can't cut it, as a student, without freebie extra help, then so be it.