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wfduck
10-06-2003, 12:33 PM
I found it interesting he flat out said only about 25 schools make money...ouch

Q & A with Big Sky Commissioner and CCA President Doug Fullerton


Big Sky Conference Media Relations, Paul Grua





Ogden, Utah -- In June of 2003 Doug Fullerton, Commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, was elected President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA). Fullerton became the first I-AA commissioner to ever hold the post. As President of the CCA he will help set the agenda for all organization functions.

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What would you want your colleagues and the public in general to learn about I-AA?

I think the most remarkable aspect of I-AA football is that for the most part, these institutions have a clear idea of what they want from their athletics programs. They understand their goals and they understand how much this should cost them as an institution. Competing at the I-AA level is a conscious, informed decision. This is unlike some of fourth quartile I-A institutions who muddle along trying to find some success in I-A but ultimately spend more and more institutional money on a program that does not market the University in a positive way. For the most part, the successful programs in I-AA are far more financially efficient than those in last quartile of I-A. But at these I-A schools, their institutional ego keeps them chasing a dream that is really nonexistent for them. Much of the recent reform suggested for I-A would encourage those programs to be more like the best I-AA programs with real student-athletes and reasonable salaries and expenditures.

But what about the argument that I-AA doesn’t make any money?

That is true. However, practically no one makes money at this enterprise. All but maybe 25 institutions in the NCAA need an unearned subsidy from either their institution or students in order to survive. When an athletics director says that he or she is "in the black" - that simply means they "made budget". When a President says they ran a deficit in their athletics programs what that means is they were over budget or have a shortfall of revenue. Since there is by definition a deficit in everyone’s budget (except for the twenty five schools mentioned earlier), what "running a deficit" really means is that you are talking to someone who doesn’t understand the dynamics of funding an athletics program. I-AA by its very nature does cost money - but it costs a lot less money than those schools in I-A spend.

JBB
10-06-2003, 12:48 PM
There were only 1.550 fans at the California St. Marys/Montana State game. It was St. Marys homecoming. State won 40-0.

SDSUFAN
10-06-2003, 06:09 PM
The more you find out about St Mary's you really wonder how they are surviving at D1AA. *There has to be some big endowments somewhere that keeps them going. *Then again they do not offer 20 sports like some of the NCC schools do. Football was big in the 1930's for this school, but lately not too much is happening.

sausage
10-07-2003, 04:04 AM
It's not about making money. It's about raising enough money to put back into the program(s) to keep it successful and whatever money you do raise you spend it on growing the programs with new facilities,etc.

BisonBryce
10-22-2003, 06:41 AM
agreed on not making money. but rather it is an investment for the school as well to bring money to other areas and for student recruitment overall.

the Irish have the contract with NBC or whoever it is for a reason. not just to recruit football players but to get any college bound kid to get the desire to go there. (hence why too many people like the Cubs/Braves...if you watch them all your life since they are on tv all the time the idea might get into your head that you like them or want to go there). There football/tv contract is a nice big ad for prospective students and alumni $$.

wfduck
10-22-2003, 12:04 PM
I'll agree on the Cubs/Braves and Fightin' Irish--but dont think simply having going d1 is the equivalent.