Last night, the University of Maryland issued a damning report from the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which recommended that eight of its teams be eliminated in face of budget deficits that could balloon up to $17 billion by 2017 if proper action is not taken.
According to the report, the following sports will be cut: men’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s acrobatics and tumbling (formerly competitive cheer), women’s swimming and diving, and women’s water polo. The sports would be officially eliminated on July 1, 2012 if the Commission’s recommendations are approved.
Financial downturns in the University’s two revenue sports, football and men’s basketball, have contributed to the athletic department’s budget woes. In fiscal year 2006, basketball raked in $6,748,164 of net revenue while football brought in $3,535,774. In 2011, basketball produced $4,482,714 while football lost $64,891. Over that five-year span, revenue has dropped 34 percent for basketball and 102 percent for football.
Furthermore, between 2008 and 2011, fundraising revenue dropped a staggering 40 percent. While a fledgling economy is also partly to blame, both football and basketball underperformed during that time compared to the earlier part of the decade.
Should the University follow the recommendation and eliminate the aforementioned eight programs, the school plans to honor all athletic scholarships to current student athletes through graduation as well as provide transfer assistance if needed. Incoming recruits for the Fall 2012 semester will also have their scholarships honored. Furthermore, affected coaches’ contracts will be upheld for the duration of their contract.
Other recommendations for increasing athletic department revenue outlined by the President’s Commission include revamping outreach and fundraising activities, as well as reinvesting resources into the 19 remaining teams. Maryland currently invests $67,389.71 into each student athlete, the second lowest figure in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Under the new plan, Maryland plans to invest $107,849.78, projecting them sixth in the conference. In comparison, Florida State currently invests $118,813.87 per student-athlete, 43% more than Maryland.
In a telephone interview with the Washington Post, athletic director Kevin Anderson commented on the situation. “Besides a relative dying, this has been one of the worst times in my life, having to face these young people and tell them of the possibility of us discontinuing their programs,” he said.
With this year’s football team currently sitting at 2-8 and men’s basketball going under a rebuilding process with first-year coach Mark Turgeon, the University is sitting between a rock and a hard place if they want to start generating more cash in the short-run.
Proposals in the report call for raising membership for the Terrapin Club, the University’s booster club, by 2.5 percent each year, as well as utilizing the Comcast Center as an entertainment venue outside of Maryland athletics. The basketball arena is sparsely used for revenue-generating events outside of men’s and women’s basketball. It once hosted a WNBA game, but to this writer’s recollection, not one concert or special event since it opened its doors back in 2002.
