Hey UMASS fans....what's up with this?

[CharlestonAppFan]

Found this out on the "Truth & Rumors" section of Sports Illustrated:

No public college or university in the country has reported losing more money on a Division 1-AA football program in recent years than UMass. UMass officials said the annual shortfall of at least $2.6 million has been budgeted as the price of sustaining a competitive football program.
-- Boston Globe

At least you guys field a pretty good team.....

[ncguitarplyr]

i wonder if that accounts for increased alumni donations and increased applications because more people wanna go to a school with a competitive football program

[89Hen]

I could comment, but then the thread would have to be moved to the political board.

[CharlestonAppFan]

By all means, please comment...it's a discussion thread remember...

[DrG]

These numbers are skewed by the fact that UMass, unlike some other schools, does not report institutional (i.e. state) support or student fees as football revenue. If all institutions used the same accounting method, my guess is these numbers wouldn't look as bad. But yes, we are grateful that our administration is willing to step up to the plate! A competitive football program, even at the FCS level, serves as sort of a "loss leader" to encourage alumni support, participation, etc.

[ccd494]

i wonder if that accounts for increased alumni donations and increased applications because more people wanna go to a school with a competitive football program

Negligeable at best. There are too many colleges stratified in New England to make a difference.

If a kid in the region is picking a school because they want to cheer for a top athletic team, they are going to BC or UConn. And the typical UMass applicant isnt also applying to BC.

In New England, you apply to UMass, UConn, URI and the other state flagships. And generally stay in state because its cheaper, unless you can be a part of a tuition sharing program because another New England school offers a major yours doesn't (i.e. Maine resident paying instate tuition to study pharmacy at URI).

Or you apply to the Catholics (BC, PC, Stonehill, Holy Cross). Or, you apply to the Ivies (Brown, Harvard, Yale). Or you apply to the NESCAC schools (Williams, Amherst, Colby, Bowdoin, Middlebury). Very rarely do you cut across the swath and say "Well, I was thinking of applying to the Catholics, but UMass had a good football season, I'm in." or "I was gonna go to URI, but Holy Cross's near upset of Duke has me thinking otherwise."

[UNH_ORACLE]

What's Don Brown's contract??? Isn't it a fairly large contract for 1-AA standards?

[bkrownd]

i wonder if that accounts for increased alumni donations and increased applications because more people wanna go to a school with a competitive football program

I seriously doubt either of those things could be significant. Athletics can increase the general public familiarity a school, but football is one of the lower profile sports at UMass. I can't imagine anyone other than football players picks their university based on the football program.

When I went to UM students got free tickets to the games.

[Borat]

I'm not sure if anyone has posted a link to this
story : www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2006/12/08/the_bottom_line

[appfan2008]

i wonder why georgia southern lost 2 mil last year?

[bustingnut]

buying a new coach, thats where

[Sam Adams]

I went to UMASS because I wanted to go to UMASS.