MD to the Big 11

[atomicfront]

according to huffington post maryland students pay 640 dollars to the atheletic department in fees.  I am guessing that quite a few students would prefer not to pay the fee in lieu of paying out all the athletic schoarships and crazy coaches salaries.  All these stupid tv contracts and having atheletes on campus who have no reason being in college and the students still have to pick up the bill.  Sports in college should be for the students. Not for some jock who most likely doesn't even know how to read.

[BrettnotBritt]

Maryland's athletic department is one of the only ADs in the country that is self-sustaining. If you want to point fingers as to why Maryland is joining the Big Ten, the blame lies on one person: Debbie Yow. She robbed Peter to pay Paul by paying for the athletic department's expenses using future reserves! She then left town for NC State and left incoming AD Kevin Anderson to inherit a financial mess. Anderson had no choice but to cut all those sports because they were left with barely any money to operate with!

On top of that, she built the football suites despite a commission hired by the AD saying otherwise. She even bent laws to get herself inducted into the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame. Additionally, Comcast got a ridiculous deal on the naming rights of the Comcast Center that will last for years to come. Under her watch, women's assistant basketball coaches salaries were higher than men's (you know, the revenue sport). The list goes on and on with her gaffes and she should be locked up for fraud. She cooked the books while at UMD and College Park has been paying the price because of her financial mismanagement.

The move to the Big Ten makes financial sense for Maryland, plus the ACC has been dead for over a decade ever since they did away with round-robin basketball after adding Miami, VT, and BC to the league. A lot of good that did them. Btw, you can buy ACC Football Championship tickets for $5 on StubHub.

[James Ford]

How is something "self-sustaining" if there is a mandatory student fee of $640 per student subsidizing it?

[i am gay and i like cats]

i really wish that each school that wanted to participate in this new age gladiator hero worship program we have going on in this country would get a separate wing to the college for athletes only.  no pressure of "real school" and learning the "hard stuff."  just enough to get by once the sport is over.  the total dedication is to the sport though, the game, the play and the field and the meaning of a team bound by one who will coach them all.  who can really then brag about being the best in the polls or the standings?  they can bring in engineers and fucking scientists to work on that shit.  and all the scholarships stays the same.  good grades in a "special" curriculum you are given early on to get into the college program, mixed with your ability to play/make money potential from there on out.  you think sports are good now.  they would rule then.  rule. 

[hutch]

i really wish that each school that wanted to participate in this new age gladiator hero worship program we have going on in this country would get a separate wing to the college for athletes only.  no pressure of "real school" and learning the "hard stuff."  just enough to get by once the sport is over. 

I think most "serious" athletic programs already have that..

[atomicfront]

Yeah it doesn't take a lot of investigation to realize that most of the college powerhouses that in basketball and football the student/athelete thing is a joke.  Maryland could should shut down sports and the leadership of the university should work on improving academics.  The 600+ dollars a year spent on college sports by each student  could be used for something that actually improves the university.  Even at 600 dollar per student at 40,000 students that amounts to 24 million dollars. Talk about a waste of money. 

That is enough money for 2694 in state full tuition scholarships.  The insanity of the whole maryland atheletic department is unbelievable.

[RatBastard]

The whole problem is that these kids are referred to as student athletes and the mind set that follows.  They are athlete students.  They are students that happen to ALSO be athletes.  Then again it is ONLY college football (one of the two most boring sports ever along with professional kickball, a.k.a. soccer).  Besides I thought he whole point of college was to give the non-athlete students a place to be educated.  Oops there I go thinking again...

[Thousand Made-Up Loves]

Maryland's athletic department is one of the only ADs in the country that is self-sustaining. If you want to point fingers as to why Maryland is joining the Big Ten, the blame lies on one person: Debbie Yow. She robbed Peter to pay Paul by paying for the athletic department's expenses using future reserves! She then left town for NC State and left incoming AD Kevin Anderson to inherit a financial mess. Anderson had no choice but to cut all those sports because they were left with barely any money to operate with!

On top of that, she built the football suites despite a commission hired by the AD saying otherwise. She even bent laws to get herself inducted into the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame. Additionally, Comcast got a ridiculous deal on the naming rights of the Comcast Center that will last for years to come. Under her watch, women's assistant basketball coaches salaries were higher than men's (you know, the revenue sport). The list goes on and on with her gaffes and she should be locked up for fraud. She cooked the books while at UMD and College Park has been paying the price because of her financial mismanagement.

The move to the Big Ten makes financial sense for Maryland, plus the ACC has been dead for over a decade ever since they did away with round-robin basketball after adding Miami, VT, and BC to the league. A lot of good that did them. Btw, you can buy ACC Football Championship tickets for $5 on StubHub.

While I agree with 99% of your take, I believe you are incorrect on MD athletics being self-sustaining. There are only approximately eight schools in the nation who have self-sustaining athletic budgets. Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, likely ND, are a few and what separates them from MD? They're not cutting programs.

Solid take all around, though. How much is Brenda Frese making anyway?

[Thousand Made-Up Loves]

The Baltimore Sun examined the 1,346 state workers whose salaries exceeded Governor Martin O?Malley?s $150,000 haul in 2010, and discovered that the top three earners were all Terps coaches.

The top 10, in fact, were all University of Maryland employees, but no one came close to Williams?s $2,335,890 score. Friedgen checked in at $1,088,980, and Frese earned $957,523.

[Relaxer]

Yeah, you guys are right, no one likes college sports we should just get rid of it all.

[BrettnotBritt]

While I agree with 99% of your take, I believe you are incorrect on MD athletics being self-sustaining. There are only approximately eight schools in the nation who have self-sustaining athletic budgets. Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, likely ND, are a few and what separates them from MD? They're not cutting programs.

Solid take all around, though. How much is Brenda Frese making anyway?

Well that's an easy one - all the schools that you listed have powerhouse football programs, rich in tradition, which generate tons of revenue to fund the non-revenue (Olympic) sports. Not so much the case for UMD, which basically had three great seasons when Fridge first got to College Park (2001-2004) and has been middling since. Bear in mind that they do not receive any money from the university's general fund, and the subsidies from the "student activity fee" make a minimal impact to the overall budget.

The problem was that Yow was more concerned with MD fielding as many programs as possible instead of investing into the sports that actually make the AD money (you know, football & men's basketball), even when times were good for both programs. Plus it doesn't help to have the most abrasive relationships with both of your revenue coaches. Only reason Gary put up with all of it was because he was a Maryland alum, any other coach would have fled.

You'd be amazed how much money Yow spent on women's bball alone - the assistant salaries speak for themselves. So you had a school hosting 27 sports, two of which included women's water polo (?!) and competitive cheer, while blowing money on football suites during a recession in addition to waning season ticket sales. On top of all that, you were using future reserves to pay for running all of these 27 sports. That's just a recipe for disaster.

[atomicfront]

While I agree with 99% of your take, I believe you are incorrect on MD athletics being self-sustaining. There are only approximately eight schools in the nation who have self-sustaining athletic budgets. Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, likely ND, are a few and what separates them from MD? They're not cutting programs.

Solid take all around, though. How much is Brenda Frese making anyway?

Well that's an easy one - all the schools that you listed have powerhouse football programs, rich in tradition, which generate tons of revenue to fund the non-revenue (Olympic) sports. Not so much the case for UMD, which basically had three great seasons when Fridge first got to College Park (2001-2004) and has been middling since. The problem was that Yow was more concerned with MD fielding as many programs as possible instead of investing into the sports that actually make the AD money (you know, football & men's basketball), even when times were good for both programs. Plus it doesn't help to have the most abrasive relationships with both of your revenue coaches. Only reason Gary put up with all of it was because he was a Maryland alum, any other coach would have fled.

You'd be amazed how much money Yow spent on women's bball alone - the assistant salaries speak for themselves. So you had a school hosting 27 sports, two of which included women's water polo (?!) and competitive cheer, while blowing money on football suites during a recession in addition to waning season ticket sales. On top of all that, you were using future reserves to pay for running all of these 27 sports. That's just a recipe for disaster.

WHy are you so concerned about the salaries of the assistant coaches in women's basketball?  They have won a national championship have been in the final 8 in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012.  For the good of the students fielding more sports is good.  No one cares about Maryland football.  Even when they did well they couldn't get to a real bowl game because no one from MD would attend.

I have been to Notre Dame and Ohio State areas.  They are not a lot of things going on.  Columbus has a hockey team but that is about it.  Notre Dame area is a dump.  Penn State is far from the big cities. Maryland is located within 25 miles of two NFL teams with huge stadiums.  Two Major League Baseball teams. An MLS team.  A NHL and NBA team.  No one is ever going to care about the MD football program.   And you don't think that effects recruiting?  It is amateur sports.

[BrettnotBritt]

WHy are you so concerned about the salaries of the assistant coaches in women's basketball?  They have won a national championship have been in the final 8 in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012.  For the good of the students fielding more sports is good.  No one cares about Maryland football.  Even when they did well they couldn't get to a real bowl game because no one from MD would attend.

I have been to Notre Dame and Ohio State areas.  They are not a lot of things going on.  Columbus has a hockey team but that is about it.  Notre Dame area is a dump.  Penn State is far from the big cities. Maryland is located within 25 miles of two NFL teams with huge stadiums.  Two Major League Baseball teams. An MLS team.  A NHL and NBA team.  No one is ever going to care about the MD football program.   And you don't think that effects recruiting?  It is amateur sports.

Wow dude, there are so many factually incorrect statements with this post I don't know even where to begin. Of course fielding more sports is good, but not when you're continually bleeding money and spending future reserves. Come on now. You clearly don't know how the business of college athletics works. There are these things called revenue sports - football and men's basketball - they let you fund all the other Olympic sports. In order to fund programs such as soccer, track/field, etc, you need to generate revenue from your moneymakers. Simple as that. You also can't make ill-advised decisions that detriment the budget (Comcast naming rights, football suites, etc).

How you don't see what's wrong with paying the women's assistants more than the men's is really simple: you're pouring more money into a program that offers zero return. In other words, women's bball does not make any money! Maryland Basketball is the AD's cashcow, yet you're paying the women's assistants higher salaries?? Thankfully this has been addressed under Anderson's leadership.

Maryland football has to compete with not one but two pro teams, as well as reside in the shadow of our nation's capital. But the fact that they can't draw because of all the other things that go on in the area is bogus. Season ticket sales were at their highest when the team was winning on a consistent basis, which included trips to the Orange, Gator, and Peach Bowl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but those are very prestigious bowls that Maryland fans attended in high numbers. Of course if you have a 7-5 or 6-6 season you're not going to go to a nicer bowl. It's also a very fickle fanbase.  As Al David used to say, "Just win, baby".

[James Ford]

Hey Britt,

I think you mean Al Davis, not Al David.

Love,

James

WHy are you so concerned about the salaries of the assistant coaches in women's basketball?  They have won a national championship have been in the final 8 in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012.  For the good of the students fielding more sports is good.  No one cares about Maryland football.  Even when they did well they couldn't get to a real bowl game because no one from MD would attend.

I have been to Notre Dame and Ohio State areas.  They are not a lot of things going on.  Columbus has a hockey team but that is about it.  Notre Dame area is a dump.  Penn State is far from the big cities. Maryland is located within 25 miles of two NFL teams with huge stadiums.  Two Major League Baseball teams. An MLS team.  A NHL and NBA team.  No one is ever going to care about the MD football program.   And you don't think that effects recruiting?  It is amateur sports.

Wow dude, there are so many factually incorrect statements with this post I don't know even where to begin. Of course fielding more sports is good, but not when you're continually bleeding money and spending future reserves. Come on now. You clearly don't know how the business of college athletics works. There are these things called revenue sports - football and men's basketball - they let you fund all the other Olympic sports. In order to fund programs such as soccer, track/field, etc, you need to generate revenue from your moneymakers. Simple as that. You also can't make ill-advised decisions that detriment the budget (Comcast naming rights, football suites, etc).

How you don't see what's wrong with paying the women's assistants more than the men's is really simple: you're pouring more money into a program that offers zero return. In other words, women's bball does not make any money! Maryland Basketball is the AD's cashcow, yet you're paying the women's assistants higher salaries?? Thankfully this has been addressed under Anderson's leadership.

Maryland football has to compete with not one but two pro teams, as well as reside in the shadow of our nation's capital. But the fact that they can't draw because of all the other things that go on in the area is bogus. Season ticket sales were at their highest when the team was winning on a consistent basis, which included trips to the Orange, Gator, and Peach Bowl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but those are very prestigious bowls that Maryland fans attended in high numbers. Of course if you have a 7-5 or 6-6 season you're not going to go to a nicer bowl. It's also a very fickle fanbase.  As Al David used to say, "Just win, baby".

[atomicfront]

WHy are you so concerned about the salaries of the assistant coaches in women's basketball?  They have won a national championship have been in the final 8 in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012.  For the good of the students fielding more sports is good.  No one cares about Maryland football.  Even when they did well they couldn't get to a real bowl game because no one from MD would attend.

I have been to Notre Dame and Ohio State areas.  They are not a lot of things going on.  Columbus has a hockey team but that is about it.  Notre Dame area is a dump.  Penn State is far from the big cities. Maryland is located within 25 miles of two NFL teams with huge stadiums.  Two Major League Baseball teams. An MLS team.  A NHL and NBA team.  No one is ever going to care about the MD football program.   And you don't think that effects recruiting?  It is amateur sports.

Wow dude, there are so many factually incorrect statements with this post I don't know even where to begin. Of course fielding more sports is good, but not when you're continually bleeding money and spending future reserves. Come on now. You clearly don't know how the business of college athletics works. There are these things called revenue sports - football and men's basketball - they let you fund all the other Olympic sports. In order to fund programs such as soccer, track/field, etc, you need to generate revenue from your moneymakers. Simple as that. You also can't make ill-advised decisions that detriment the budget (Comcast naming rights, football suites, etc).

How you don't see what's wrong with paying the women's assistants more than the men's is really simple: you're pouring more money into a program that offers zero return. In other words, women's bball does not make any money! Maryland Basketball is the AD's cashcow, yet you're paying the women's assistants higher salaries?? Thankfully this has been addressed under Anderson's leadership.

Maryland football has to compete with not one but two pro teams, as well as reside in the shadow of our nation's capital. But the fact that they can't draw because of all the other things that go on in the area is bogus. Season ticket sales were at their highest when the team was winning on a consistent basis, which included trips to the Orange, Gator, and Peach Bowl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but those are very prestigious bowls that Maryland fans attended in high numbers. Of course if you have a 7-5 or 6-6 season you're not going to go to a nicer bowl. It's also a very fickle fanbase.  As Al David used to say, "Just win, baby".

If these men's sports are such cash cows why do the students have to contribute 25 million a year and they still can't make ends meet?  Your whole logic is wrong. And the Men's football team payed two coaches last year millions of dollars.  And they won 2 games.  Pathetic.  I am sure they got paid a lot more than the womens basketball team.

And zero return?  They won a championship.  I am sure people go to their games.  Just because it doesn't interest you it might interest others.  If it were about making money than they would need 25 million from students to begin with.  And they have to have womens sports by law.  So I am sorry that you are a sexist but the women's sports will continue to exist as long as there are mens sports. 

My college didn't even have a football team and we were able to have all those stupid olympic sports you so detest. Including 9 women's sports.   Football programs are insanely expensive and I think you overestimate their contribution to the MD atheletic program.  You don't care about the atheletic budget anyway.  That is obvious.  It would be fine with you if they eliminated everything but men's football and men's basketball, I am sure.  So why not go one step further and eliminate all scholarship sports?  They could certainly not have a defecit?