LSU sprinter rips into student newspaper

[DecaRag]

I have a hard time believing that most university FB and BB programs loose money... with all the ticket sales, sold out stadiums, TV deals, bowl game money... I still have to believe that these are considered the "revenue" sports. Otherwise, how have they been able to sustain themselves financially for such a long period of time?

Track and Field is in most cases is surely not considered a revenue sport (I'm speculating) with a few exceptions at high profile locations. But, it is an original "pure" sport - run fast, jump high, jump and throw far! If other sports trained as track athletes do (especially decathletes), they would have better athletes. In fact, I've seen a few decathletes go on to other professional sports (football, bobsled, etc...) and were very successful. Others like sprinters, hurdlers, and shot putters have played pro football successfully.

Too bad track and field is not followed by the specators like FB, BB, and BaseB... only at the Olympics.

On another note: I read an article the other day about the prospect of having a US Olympic games, where each state sent a representation of athletes. What are other's thoughts on this? Would it be good for T&F?

[vaultman18]

I played basketball and ran track in college and i can assure you that the basketball practices were much harder. I'm not saying that track athletes don't work hard they do.
As far as football programs making money very few do less than ten nation wide. But they also help fund minor sports like track. I know we had to work the football game concession etc. so our sport could make money. Track at the college and high school level need football to help fund it. Keep in mind that all athletes that are successfull work hard otherwise they wouldn't be successfull.

[SlickVT]

I'm not sure where you all are from, but MOST D1 football programs bring in ALOT of money, and I mean alot. I can see how small school football could be unprofitable, but I know most SEC, ACC, Big East, Pac-10, Big 12, and Big 10 teams rake it in.

Take VT for example. We have 26 luxury boxes in our new stadium expansion. 100,000 buck a pop per seasonnot including tickets, and they were sold out in less than a week. Our stadium holds 69000 plus change, and I know a couple people who got last dibs on season tickets because they only donated a couple thousand dollars to the football program. If you want any seats near the 50 yard line, you better be thinking an $80000 plus donation. And you still have to pay for tickets.
Factor in bowl profit sharing, advertising, TV contracts, and everything else, and our football team keeps the athletic program running here. (Our basketball program sure doesn't).
Put it this way: In the middle of the stadium expansion, we were already drawing plans for a new football field house and a new basketball arena.

And our football team didnt make a BCS bowl.

So, with all due respect, anyone that says only about 10 D1 football programs make money is way way incorrect. They make money, and lots of it.

[rainbowgirl28]

I'm not sure where you all are from, but MOST D1 football programs bring in ALOT of money, and I mean alot. I can see how small school football could be unprofitable, but I know most SEC, ACC, Big East, Pac-10, Big 12, and Big 10 teams rake it in.

Take VT for example. We have 26 luxury boxes in our new stadium expansion. 100,000 buck a pop per seasonnot including tickets, and they were sold out in less than a week. Our stadium holds 69000 plus change, and I know a couple people who got last dibs on season tickets because they only donated a couple thousand dollars to the football program. If you want any seats near the 50 yard line, you better be thinking an $80000 plus donation. And you still have to pay for tickets.
Factor in bowl profit sharing, advertising, TV contracts, and everything else, and our football team keeps the athletic program running here. (Our basketball program sure doesn't).
Put it this way: In the middle of the stadium expansion, we were already drawing plans for a new football field house and a new basketball arena.

And our football team didnt make a BCS bowl.

So, with all due respect, anyone that says only about 10 D1 football programs make money is way way incorrect. They make money, and lots of it.

They bring in a lot of money, but they also spend a lot of money.

[Lax PV]

Not really pole vault... or basketball... but they had 3 guys run < 46.0 in 400m and a nother 2 ran <47. Pretty nuts when your FIFTH guy runs a 46.8..

[dtrack28]

With the Pac 10 bowl purse being right around $20 million, each team in the Pac 10 is getting $2 million for doing nothing but being in the conference. This doesn't count ticket sales or tv deals or donations to the program, etc. Expenses would include traveling, clothing/equipment, coaching contracts, and scholarships (if that money actually does come out of the football budget). Lets take Washington State as an example). Their whole coaching staff probably makes a little over 1 million dollars, traveling and equipment wont cost $1 million, In d3 football we travel just as much and just as far and get free clothes as well, and there is no way it could cost 1 mill because we wouldn't have a football team if it did, but lets say it does. Lets throw in scholarships and any other miscillaneous expenses that the football budget may have to cover and say thats 1.5 million. a total of about 4 million dollars. they get 2 million just to be in the pac 10, and if martin stadium sold each ticket for 15 dollars (the cheapest ticket you can get at only a few of the games...USC game and apple cup tickets cost more) and an average of 30,000 people per game for 6 home games, thats 2.7 million dollars. I wont even count private donations because there is no need as WSU is already + .7 million dollars. I would be willing to bet that every school in the pac ten turns a profit when it comes to football. only 10 schools make money??? D1 football wouldn't exist if this were true.

[TreyDECA]

i don't think anyone's complaining around here (UT) when our big $$ sports do well... we've won a few national titles in the last year and i don't think any non-revenue sports are complaining... we reap the benefits as well ($$$$$$)... and as of right now our men's cross country and men's basketball are the worst men's teams at texas. X-C WAS 7TH AT NCAA'S AND OUR BBALL TEAM WAS IN THE ELITE 8.

when your big $$ sports do well, then other teams do well. just what i've seen, with very few exceptions.

yea, press coverage sucks sucks... i got a little anecdote on the second page when i broke the record and donovan got the same when he won the title... but don't bite the hand that feeds you. i would have taken it up with the SID or maybe even gone to your head coach or even the AD with the problem if it bothered you that much. the press can help you tremendously if they're on your side... getting a pitty article cause you complained doesn't get you as far as waiting for your time to come. (especially if you compare yourselves to the LSU basketball team, final 4??) (i still can't believe we lost that game )

see you at the relays edwin, i'm doing the deal

[VTechVaulter]

I played basketball and ran track in college and i can assure you that the basketball practices were much harder. I'm not saying that track athletes don't work hard they do.
As far as football programs making money very few do less than ten nation wide. But they also help fund minor sports like track. I know we had to work the football game concession etc. so our sport could make money. Track at the college and high school level need football to help fund it. Keep in mind that all athletes that are successfull work hard otherwise they wouldn't be successfull.

maybe at your school, but i dont think you can make that as a generalization. you have zero idea what most track programs put in, and zero idea what most basketball teams put in. im not saying you guys aren't working hard, but theres alot of T&F athletes putting in some ridiculous hours

[TreyDECA]

I played basketball and ran track in college and i can assure you that the basketball practices were much harder. I'm not saying that track athletes don't work hard they do.
As far as football programs making money very few do less than ten nation wide. But they also help fund minor sports like track. I know we had to work the football game concession etc. so our sport could make money. Track at the college and high school level need football to help fund it. Keep in mind that all athletes that are successfull work hard otherwise they wouldn't be successfull.

maybe at your school, but i dont think you can make that as a generalization. you have zero idea what most track programs put in, and zero idea what most basketball teams put in. im not saying you guys aren't working hard, but theres alot of T&F athletes putting in some ridiculous hours

and not to bash "pure" pole vaulters, but you guys got it easy!!!!! switch places with you in a heartbeat!!

[VaultMarq26]

He is right....I tried multi's my freshman year.....forget that....the workload is ridiculous

[SlickVT]

Pfffft. Decs are wusses.








Obviously I'm kidding.

[VTechVaulter]

I played basketball and ran track in college and i can assure you that the basketball practices were much harder. I'm not saying that track athletes don't work hard they do.
As far as football programs making money very few do less than ten nation wide. But they also help fund minor sports like track. I know we had to work the football game concession etc. so our sport could make money. Track at the college and high school level need football to help fund it. Keep in mind that all athletes that are successfull work hard otherwise they wouldn't be successfull.

maybe at your school, but i dont think you can make that as a generalization. you have zero idea what most track programs put in, and zero idea what most basketball teams put in. im not saying you guys aren't working hard, but theres alot of T&F athletes putting in some ridiculous hours

and not to bash "pure" pole vaulters, but you guys got it easy!!!!! switch places with you in a heartbeat!!

so do it and stop making pointless posts. especially when you have no idea how hard some of us work to not see half of the success that you have earned. im sure you work extremely hard, and to be perfectly honest i have a tremendous amount of respect for what you done. but again, you dont know what everyone does, so why say its easy