College Baseball Championships vs Economics

[VolnJC]

You would think it would be as simple as "Win them and they will come" Them, of course means championships and they means dollars. There are roughly 300 college baseball programs and over 270 of them lose money. Success also doesn't mean revenue. Florida, Texas Tech, and Arkansas, 3 very successful programs all lost millions even though they were winning and going to CWS. I'm all for paying CTV to try to get him to stay, but honestly if LSU comes calling I'm not sure many coaches could turn down that opportunity. Just don't expect a great season and a few more bleacher seats to magically make UT baseball a revenue producing sport, odds are against it. UA baseball program turns rare profit in 2019; athletic department hits record revenue total - Talk Business & Politics.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I think it’s well known amongst the fanbase that college baseball is not revenue generating for most programs.

I do think there is a good argument for investing in a winning program though. Operating at a $3-$5 million loss is not too bad when you consider the potential spillover effect and positive externalities that a truly elite baseball program could have on the rest of the university.

Plus, over time, I believe if TV keeps the ball rolling Tennessee is in the unique position where it could be one of those fabled 30 programs that break even or turn a profit. Just think about what the ESPN crew said during the title game Sunday….it was the most crowded they had ever seen Hoover and it was majority Vol fans….after 1 good season…food for thought.

 

[VolnJC]

I think it’s well known amongst the fanbase that college baseball is not revenue generating for most programs.

I do think there is a good argument for investing in a winning program though. Operating at a $3-$5 million loss is not too bad when you consider the potential spillover effect and positive externalities that a truly elite baseball program could have on the rest of the university.

Plus, over time, I believe if TV keeps the ball rolling Tennessee is in the unique position where it could be one of those fabled 30 programs that break even or turn a profit. Just think about what the ESPN crew said during the title game Sunday….it was the most crowded they had ever seen Hoover and it was majority Vol fans….after 1 good season…food for thought.

I agree, you can tell from the increase here in this forum and at how many more UT fans interact with the Vol baseball Twitter, Vol fans are hungry for any type of championship, I just hope the money we are putting into the much needed improvements is "new" money, because we need football to get back to at least being competitive because it will always be the cash cow to feed the other programs

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I agree, you can tell from the increase here in this forum and at how many more UT fans interact with the Vol baseball Twitter, Vol fans are hungry for any type of championship, I just hope the money we are putting into the much needed improvements is "new" money, because we need football to get back to at least being competitive because it will always be the cash cow to feed the other programs

To be fair, money is not even close to the issue with the football program and it’s lack of success. We’ve poured countless dollars into that failing program and nothing has changed. Football will never get better until one of our coaches….well…knows how to coach players up.

 

[VolnJC]

Looks like Vols are around 50 in revenue/loss for baseball about 2 million per year...that said, what the Hades women's rowing, you all eating steaks and drinking Voss water every meal? 2.25 million loss per year

 

[golfballs]

To be fair, money is not even close to the issue with the football program and it’s lack of success. We’ve poured countless dollars into that failing program and nothing has changed. Football will never get better until one of our coaches….well…knows how to coach players up.

Where were poured countless dollars is for our bad hires to leave, not upfront to attract good hires. Nothing has changed because we don’t spend what it takes to attract a good enough coach. I think the university a) doesn’t really care about winning, and b) knows that no matter what mediocre coach they hire and what middling results they consistently produce, fans still support the program

 

[VolnJC]

We've actually turned it around with just a 2 million loss, in 2016 we were dead last in the SEC, losing over 4 million.

 

[golfballs]

To be fair, money is not even close to the issue with the football program and it’s lack of success. We’ve poured countless dollars into that failing program and nothing has changed. Football will never get better until one of our coaches….well…knows how to coach players up.

Where were poured countless dollars is for our bad hires to leave, not upfront to attract good hires. Nothing has changed because we don’t spend what it takes to attract a good enough coach. I think the university a) doesn’t really care about winning, and b) knows that no matter what mediocre coach they hire and what middling results they consistently produce, fans still support the program

So, having said that, if we’re able to get by making bargain hires in football and will continue to do so and can still rake in massive profits, then why not spend some of that on supporting an actual good coach we have in TV

 

[golfballs]

We've actually turned it around with just a 2 million loss, in 2016 we were dead last in the SEC, losing over 4 million. View attachment 371327

Is the revenue mostly from ticket sales?

 

[VolnJC]

Did I see the figure 35 million for improvements for LNS? Florida just spent 65 and MS State 68 million on their stadium upgrades. We really don't have another on campus site option do we? Its either work on existing stadium or move to a new one outside campus? Past Renderings Show The Potential Future Of Tennessee Baseball | Rocky Top Insider

 

[VolnJC]

Is the revenue mostly from ticket sales?

That and were we paying CDS more than CTV?

 

[walkenvol]

I think it’s well known amongst the fanbase that college baseball is not revenue generating for most programs.

I do think there is a good argument for investing in a winning program though. Operating at a $3-$5 million loss is not too bad when you consider the potential spillover effect and positive externalities that a truly elite baseball program could have on the rest of the university.

Plus, over time, I believe if TV keeps the ball rolling Tennessee is in the unique position where it could be one of those fabled 30 programs that break even or turn a profit. Just think about what the ESPN crew said during the title game Sunday….it was the most crowded they had ever seen Hoover and it was majority Vol fans….after 1 good season…food for thought.

Proves UT fans are hungry for some winning athletics. Baseball hasn’t enjoyed much fan support in the past but after 15 years of terrible football folks are looking for other sports to support.