This article is the second in a series examining intercollegiate athletics using Big Ten EADA reports. These reports were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
In Wisconsin, the past two years have brought on a 37.5 percent tuition increase. If Gov. Jim Doyle passes the Board of Regents’ plan for the new biennium, that cost will again rise — this time by 4.3 percent.
With such a hefty price tag on higher education, some are looking for areas to cut costs.
Former Regent Nino Amato, whose suggestion of a tuition freeze in Wisconsin did not sit well with his colleagues, said in an interview that the state legislature should call for an audit of the athletic department and “get a sense of prioritization.”
“The last time it was done it was an embarrassment to the university,” he said.
Amato referred to the athletic department as one of the University of Wisconsin’s “sacred cows,” and suggested the UW system needs a common accounting system to make expenses more transparent.
An analysis of the reports of seven Big Ten schools, including UW, shows Big Ten men’s football, basketball and ice hockey all rake in big money for the universities. All other sports, however, lose money.
Of the UW moneymakers, men’s football earned $527 per UW undergraduate in 2002, according to Wisconsin’s report. Men’s basketball and ice hockey earned $265 and $77 respectively.
Each football player earned the UW $128,000 that year. Each basketball player brought in $528,000 and each hockey player $77,000. The athletic department then uses profits from moneymaking sports to cover losses from other sports.
Based on Wisconsin’s report, all other intercollegiate sports lost UW a total of approximately $9 million, or $313 per undergraduate. The greatest loss came from women’s basketball at $1.4 million. Women’s ice hockey and women’s rowing lost almost $1 million each.
It cost UW over $90,000 per player to field the women’s basketball team. Women’s ice hockey, tennis, volleyball and men’s swimming and diving each cost the UW $30,000 per player.
Pollard said men’s football, basketball and ice hockey do not keep all the money their teams earn.
“It’s run as a department, not as a sport,” he said. “Those three are the catalysts. Only a couple of sports nationwide make money, but we see it as offering opportunity.”
It appears Big Ten conference rules force UW to shell out large amounts of money for money-losing sports. Pollard said for UW to participate in Division I athletics and the Big Ten Conference it must offer a certain number of varsity sports.
Melanie Stinton Newby, UW vice chancellor, said in an e-mail athletic departments would be unlikely to drop women’s sports and unprofitable men’s sports in favor of less costly intramural sports.
“An athletic department may drop sports for whatever reason it sees fit, but it is still required to meet one of the gender equity tests under Title IX,” she said.
Pollard confirmed Title IX requires varsity women’s sports.
Amato said while Title IX’s intent was excellent, some hard questions are in order.
Asked if athletic department revenues could help support UW, Pollard said there was no rule against it.
“In theory, we could make a donation to other departments,” he said. “That’s just how it operates. A large part of our revenue comes from donations and fundraising. The business school could make a donation to the Union, but it doesn’t usually work that way.”
