Athletic Budget Update #52

Quinnipiac's volleyball team may still face elimination after a court injunction prevented the school from dropping the team.  It appears that the addition of "competitive cheer" has exceeded expected participation numbers and that the school may still consider dropping the team since compliance with Title IX may no longer be in question.  Particularly noteworthy are the comments of the University's president, John Lahey "Volleyball, you can look at it as just a volleyball and athletic program as most people have done. For me, its five additional full-time professors that we can add or retain here at Quinnipiac, and I still believe students come to Quinnipiac to get an education," he said. "While sports, I understand, are important, we still have 18 remaining sports. I do think making reductions in sports athletic programs is an appropriate thing and helped us last year, and in the future will protect the academic institution and have more faculty for our students."


Demonstrating the difference between the "haves" and the 'have-nots", Idaho's football coach has their team bowl eligible after reaching their 6th win and will now receive a bonus for the achievement - $11,923.20. 

Harvard's budget cuts, which eliminated hot breakfasts for students and cookies for faculty, have also hit student athletes more directly with the elimination of sweatsuits and gear for student athletes and a reduction of individual competition opportunities for athletes from teams such as tennis. 

Elsewhere in the Ivy League, Cornell is dealing with a $915,000 budget cut on top of a two-year, $1.3 million endowment payout reduction.  Cornell has eliminated 15 staff positions, reduced travel and cut media guides.  Cornell also anticipates further budget cuts in the next fiscal year. 

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division III) is changing its scheduling format in football.  Effective in 2011, each conference member will play a second game against a WIAC member.  The second game will be considered a non-conference game.  The arrangement will reduce travel costs.  They also plan to establish later start times to eliminate overnight travel and are freezing officials fees.

Central Florida is trying to negotiate a compromise with adidas over their $3 million apparel contract. Freshman Marcus Jordan (son of Michael) is refusing to wear school issued shoes in deference to his father's longstanding ties with Nike. The adidas deal had been in place at UCF years prior to Jordan's arrival on campus.

I'm not sure how the Jordans missed this when choosing a school after dad's prior experience in this area.  The elder Jordan needed to conveniently drape an American flag over his shoulder during the medal ceremony at the 1992 Olympics to hide a Reebok logo on the Team USA sweatsuits.  And in an age where sneaker money (funnelled through AAU basketball) influences where many prospective student athletes go to school, how someone whose father is so aligned with Nike went to an adidas school is hard to figure out.