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UAB fires AD and is planning to shut down UAB football program

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CB4

CB4

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UAB football is the "Christmas puppy". The kids talk with great glee how they want mom and dad to get them a puppy. And the parents, wanting to make the children happy, give in. In a few weeks, the puppy has lost it's appeal to kids and the parents are the ones who feed, groom, take it for it's walks, and pay all the vet bills. Then, when mom and dad say "We're putting the dog up for adoption because we don't have the time nor the money to take care of him anymore", the children begin to whine and cry about "how much they love their dog".

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a UAB graduate and formerly a basketball season ticket holder. I spoke with a fellow alumnus yesterday that was all "chapped" because of this. His argument was that the program was growing and on the cusp of turning the corner, pointing to increased attendance at games. Asked him to tell me how money of those in "attendance" had actually reached into their pockets and bought a ticket? He couldn't answer. I told him that I would be willing to guess that less than half of those were paying customers.

He then played the "we need football for the c-usa conference affiliation" card. He honestly said "I'm a basketball season ticket holder, but if they get dropped by c-usa I'm certainly not going to buy season tickets for an A-Sun conference schedule". I told him he just proved my point. If he loved his school and the athletics programs, he would be willing to support financially and with his attendance whomever it was they played whether it was Duke or Little Sisters of the Poor.

It is said that "if you want to know how important something is to you, what you truly value, then open up your bank statement and see where you're spending your money". I be willing to bet many of those protesting, marching and playing "Twitter Activist" can't find UAB athletics on their financial radar.
 
J

JDTide

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BigEasyTider said:
Wouldn't be able to speak on UAB or way or another, but that last statement is demonstrably false. Most FBS football programs make incredible amounts of money. It's a huge cash cow, and I can't think off-hand of a single FBS football program that actually loses money. If the UAB football program loses money, then they are very much the exception to the rule.
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Actually, James Eagle was fairly close ("I realize that monetarily it is a loser but so are 90% of the college football programs.")

“What’s more, there’s actually a kind of hierarchy among the top-tier football programs. According to Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, authors of The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football (2013), figures from the 2010-11 academic year show that only 22 of the 120 top-tier football programs broke even or made a profit. That means that while these big-time teams generate millions of dollars of revenue, the cost of running such programs usually exceeds that revenue. To put that more starkly, even within the so-called top tier, 82% of college football teams actually take away money from the university’s budget, rather than generate net revenue.”

http://www.ethosreview.org/intellectual-spaces/is-college-football-profitable/
 
Jon

Jon

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JDTide said:
Actually, James Eagle was fairly close ("I realize that monetarily it is a loser but so are 90% of the college football programs.")

“What’s more, there’s actually a kind of hierarchy among the top-tier football programs. According to Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, authors of The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football (2013), figures from the 2010-11 academic year show that only 22 of the 120 top-tier football programs broke even or made a profit. That means that while these big-time teams generate millions of dollars of revenue, the cost of running such programs usually exceeds that revenue. To put that more starkly, even within the so-called top tier, 82% of college football teams actually take away money from the university’s budget, rather than generate net revenue.”

http://www.ethosreview.org/intellectual-spaces/is-college-football-profitable/
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that is mostly because Universities are near as bad (or good depending on your POV) as Hollywood when it comes to accounting and spending money.

I've covered SLED (State, local and education) as a vertical in my career and trust me when I say the amount of waste is mind boggling, even when you are the beneficiary of that waste
 
C

Capt. Jack

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bama70 said:
For me, the athletic programs at UA were a big part of my college experience. I would have been deeply hurt if UA had discontinued football/basketball during my on campus years. For this reason, I feel sorry for the students at UAB. Not everything that is offered by a university makes money or is designed to do so. I hope UAB football will somehow survive. I often question to myself many who post on this and other forums expressing their joy that UAB is dropping their program. If you think UAB is a threat to UA football you are seriously living in a fantasy world.
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Well, apparently that wasn't the case for students at UAB because their attendance at football games was abysmal.

So what if they don't shut the program down? Let's say the football team is bowl eligible again next year. Then their coach leaves for greener pastures and they're a sub-.500 for another decade. UAB football was a pipe dream from the start.
 
TIDE-HSV

TIDE-HSV

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rgw

rgw

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TIDE-HSV said:
That analysis totally ignores the economic situation in our state, where we struggle to adequately fund education at all levels. In that context, 18 million is unconscionable. Rutgers? Sure. I'm certain most are aware that NJ is one of the very richest states in the union. They can afford it. We can't...
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Yep, like I said earlier...nobody except the top tier FBS programs are running in the black. These programs are ran to recruit students so you can almost see the deficits as recruiting budget. I'd argue that 18mil isn't huge money on the University scale of things though. In a similar way that the extra 5-10mil our AD reinvests into University of Alabama general fund isn't huge money either. But it is something and our state isn't exactly in the position to fund 18 million dollars worth of extraneous right now.

What's got the UAB faithful chapped about this decision is kinda what I was hinting at above. The state could find 18mil for UAB football if they wanted to fund it. Nobody fought hard for it until the decision was already made. They needed a Bill Clark type hire a decade ago, not at the funeral wake.
 
rgw

rgw

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I'd also suggest that UAB's leadership have a lack of foresight and willingness to adapt the program in the name of sustainability are huge factors too.


Tightening the budgets and seeking relegation to FCS might have made their program more sustainable in the eyes of the BoT and state at large.
 
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