Look for Cost-Cutting Measures To Impact Every College Sport, Including Football

The Coronavirus Crisis and Sports considers what the new reality for college sports, which are suddenly facing some new major financial hurdles

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
May 20, 2020 3:00 PM EDT

Although the NCAA is on the doorstep of allowing athletes back on campus, schools are beginning to take steps to cut costs wherever they can.

For example, the Mid-American Conference recently decided that its schools will not house football players in hotels the night before home games.

Akron simply cut athletic programs by eliminating its men's cross country, men's golf and women's tennis. Bowling Green hacked baseball.

This will likely only be the beginning.

Even if college football does play in the fall, it's becoming painfully obvious that it'll been with limited fans in the stands, if any. TV contracts will help minimize the blow, but since most of the revenue athletic departments bring in is through football attendance they're all going to take a huge hit.

Generally speaking, the smaller the football program the bigger the financial hurdles.

"Basically, this is a common sense cost-cutting measure by the MAC, a conference that is really facing difficult economic times, and it makes all kinds of sense to do this," Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde said. "The funny thing is though, a lot of the coaches, according to Bruce Feldman from The Athletic, were announcing their concern about the decision.

"Guys, read the room. Times have never been tougher. Schools are making dramatic and radical cuts in finances all over the place in the Mid-American Conference in athletics."

But not even the SEC is immune. Tuesday afternoon, South Carolina announced “a plan to implement voluntary 10-percent pay reductions for university resident Bob Caslen, several senior-level cabinet administrators and the three highest-paid coaches for fiscal year 2020-21, including Will Muschamp.

The football coach made $4.4 million last year, so he's set to miss out on $440,000. It's a major chuck of the $1.2 million the school hopes to save.

Missouri had already also announced something similar, as had the likes of Arizona, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers, Syracuse, Southern California, Wake Forest, Washington State and West Virginia.

Also, remember that the NCAA ruled that spring-sport athletes didn't lose a year of eligibility, allowing them an opportunity to return next year. So that's a major extra expense that no one had budgeted.

Alabama, which is also in the middle of a massive initiative to renovate its athletic facilities, has not announced any cuts to the athletic department. However, the university as a whole has initiated numerous cost-cutting moves including limited travel and a hiring freeze.

"You have to understand the times that we are in," Forde said. "Everybody will have to sacrifice. And that includes King Football."

Pro Football

We know he's a Tennessee guy, but today's cover story is off the For the Record podcast about Peyton Manning.

Before Tom Brady left New England, Manning's NFL free agency was one of the most talked about in decades.

The quarterback's choice was shrouded in secrecy, and marked by process that included head coaches wearing disguises, decoy SUVs, and tracking a private jet. Peter King tells SI 's Jessica Smetana about some of the best stories from Peyton Manning’s free agency in 2012, and how Manning to the Broncos came to be.

Plus, Albert Breer looks back at his experience covering Manning's free agency in 2012, and answers questions about Jarrett Stidham, Cam Newton, training camp his career path and more in the SI mailbag.