The time for what University of Tennessee men’s athletic director Mike Hamilton described as “uncomfortable choices’’ is at hand in a collegiate landscape of escalating costs.
While UT’s athletic budget remains sound, Hamilton told the spring meeting of the Athletics Board on Saturday that rising costs will force the university to examine its “institutional priorities” relative to successful athletics.
“Our directive is to run a first-class, model program for college athletics and what that means is to compete for championships,’’ Hamilton said.
“And that comes at a cost.’’
The cost for fiscal 2009 will be $86.3 million.
Football ticket prices that have been hiked for 2008 will “without question” go higher down the road.
Some of the “uncomfortable choices’’ have included asking students to pay for season tickets for the first time and reducing the discount for staff and faculty.
Donations from the athletic department to the university’s academic budget could be another issue to be re-considered.
“If you have the directive of producing championship teams and not having a deficit budget,’’ Hamilton said, “it’s clear you have to make decisions that are uncomfortable sometimes.’’
The Vols and Lady Vols had another good year on the field and in the bank account.
Men’s basketball, long an under-achieving revenue source, has become a welcome cash cow the past three years since coach Bruce Pearl arrived.
UT sold a record 15,891 season tickets for the 2007-08 season, averaging 20,267 in attendance per game.
And they’re buying popcorn. Concessions at men’s basketball were up 22 percent last season.
“You’ll continue to see incremental growth over the years,’’ Hamilton said, “but the largest gap we had in revenue production has now been closed.’’
Two of the costs that impact athletic budgets the most are coaching salaries and facility improvements.
Hamilton said he expects to finalize contract revisions with Pearl and football coach Phillip Fulmer in the next two to three weeks.
UT’s upcoming budget will show significant debt service related to a number of facility projects, including a $100 million-plus facelift at Neyland Stadium.
A $39 million extension to the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center will break ground in early 2009. It includes new dressing, training and weight areas and will make room for 110 employees being displaced from the closure of Stokely Athletics Center.
Improvements at Thompson-Boling Arena include the Riverview Club, a new elevator and a bridge from the G-10 parking garage to the concourse level.
Volleyball will play in Thompson-Boling Arena in 2008, which is a “stop-gap” measure according to women’s athletic director Joan Cronan.
Eventually, a new facility for volleyball and indoor track will be built but the athletic department must wait for the university to allocate space.
Cronan and Hamilton said UT is the heaviest-taxed program in the nation due to state and local taxes that total 14.25 percent.
Other items of note:
n Thirteen secondary NCAA violations were self-reported, including four in football. UT hasn’t had a major violation since 1986.
n Men’s basketball absorbed the loss of one scholarship in 2007-08 due to falling short of the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate. The Vols can return to 13 scholarships in 2008-09.
Hamilton said UT is appealing an APR penalty against baseball.
n At men’s basketball games, student attendance increased 14 percent to 1,918 per game. The average was 575 in 2004-05.
n UT has entered a marketing agreement with DISH Network that will include a year-long tribute to the 1998 championship team.
n The SEC’s negotiations for a new TV contract are being closely watched. Tennessee is one of a few league schools that generate significant revenue from the “secondary” rights (pay-per-view, Internet streaming) that the conference might absorb in the new contract.
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Comments » 29
pdhuff#552644 writes:
BOHICA.
newtonrail writes:
I don't understand why Stokely has to be torn down. The office space and Lady's volleyball can utilized for many years, with minor upgrades necessary to save on H/AC, etc.
dvols27 writes:
Make a BCS Bowl every once in a while and there shouldn't be any budget choices.
GerryOP writes:
Yup, BOHICA -- and again, and again, and again ... it is a business.
Wonder what a SEC championship, BCS bowl, and ... shhhhh ... NC would add to the coffers?
bugman (Inactive) writes:
it's easy. take 1 million from fulmer
Mr_Bandman writes:
I'm as big a UT football fan as anyone, and I am still a grudging supporter of Fulmer, but to suggest he's done more for UT athletics than Pat Summitt is absurd. She's as recognizable, as associated with the whole Big Orange thing, more succesful, and more universally respected outside the UT community (& I'll bet inside it, too).
GerryOP writes:
Ahh ... a few years ago there was also a gentleman by the name of Robert Reese Neyland, aka General Neyland. He kind of helped put Tennessee football on the map.
tennecwingrider writes:
Quit spending more than you take in and expecting us to pay the bill.
jlight#347852 writes:
"Oh no, that building is almost _____ years old. We had better build a new one!"
I'm sorry, but if you feel like you're recruiting is so reliant on having new facilities, then your coaches aren't great at recruiting. Sorry, but the new aquatic center was needed about as much as another Bush term in the White House.
hcjournals#206623 writes:
jlight-
Tap on the brakes....The surge is working. Oh....by the way....Sorry, but McCain will be the next president. Everybody hates Hil and Obama is wet behind the ears....Thanks for bringing politics in here...not necessary.....
fulmersbelly writes:
You know, I personally did not welcome the upgrades at Neyland at all. Well, the "addition" of the club seats anyway. Essentially what happened was money was spent to remove seats from the stadium, reducing the total capacity to make way for more expensive seats that generally go unused because all the fat cat boosters are too busy stuffing their faces with catered food, watching games on screens. Hows about you guys go down to the UC and eat a super expensive meal and watch it on the TV there and let fans who want to see the game live see it?
Not bitter.. at all.
philfan writes:
Thirteen secondary NCAA violations were self-reported, including four in football. UT hasn’t had a major violation since 1986.
We should be proud of that statistic more than any other. Some of us are not too fond of Fulmer, but we should be proud of his almost squeaky clean image and genuine honesty. If he could win a SEC trophy for a change, I would be ecstatic.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Gen F, when is Phil scheduled to return his 2nd mil? After UCLA or Fla?
Is that like a reverse mortgage?
weisgarber2003#313889 writes:
Posted by dvols27 on April 19, 2008 at 3:25 p.m.
"Make a BCS Bowl every once in a while and there shouldn't be any budget choices."
That clearly isn't going to happen with the "big one" in charge of FB. Giving him a pink slip would be a step in the right direction, but Mikey Twirp doesn't have that power.
BigSwitch writes:
I've recently found Mike Hamilton's tone interesting. When Mike first took the job as AD, he said on Sportstalk that he expected the football program to WIN a SEC Championship twice every ten years. Now his current tune is we "compete" for championships. What ever happen to the expetation of winning them Mike?
jasvol writes:
General Fritter: sounds like you think we will lose to Georgia. IF were to win the Sears Trophy how many loses will we have and to whom?
I'm with you; I want to win it as well but....
I already know Georgia won't win the NC because they are heavily favored to. Florida or us seems realistic but we have to finally get a win in the SEC championship game (0-3 since 2000). I don't see us getting by LSU unless... gulp, coaching aka Clawson puts us over the hump.
utchris writes:
Newton..
You mentioned Stokely. The Fire Marshall ruled that they are no longer allowed to hold any events in the building. I believe that they can practice in there, but can't hold any events. That said, the people that are located in there (office wise) as well as the Lady Vol Training Room, Weight Room, and Locker Rooms all needed updating.
Additionally, I wonder if the escalating budget could bea product of the possible addition of more sports within the next 2-3 years. (Even since my time working as a student in the UTAD several years back there was mention of this, but has yet to happen. I was talking to a pretty prominent booster and he was telling me Hamilton had indicated that new teams would be on the horizon in the next few years.)Tennessee has always boasted one of the better men's soccer (UT CLUB) teams in the nation and with its growing popularity in the SEC, and there is a push to jump in. To add it, we would have to add a women's sport as well. This sport would be Women's Lacrosse. Currently Vanderbilt has the only team in the SEC, but Auburn and Florida are set to transition into NCAA competition over the next two years.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Gen Fritter - tks for the info. As far as 4th quarter "legs" go, Phillip will study the charts and say 4 punts will get us thru. The NC is ours.
Might even call a patented 4 yard curl on 3 and 8.
Will they let Dupree hold the Sears Trophy ala the Florida recruit?
SFOrange writes:
I'd like to see UT add a few men's sports that could push us into east/northeast exposure---soccer and lacrosse. In the landscape of college sports likely a couple of the least expensive (relatively speaking) programs to launch.
SFOrange writes:
yep. I graduated early 80s and had a couple of wrestlers as roomates--Eathan Reeve for one.
UT needs to round out its mens program...and adding soccer and/or lacrosse would allow UT to be seen beyond the South and nationally in football/basketball/track. Ohio States soccer program and lacrosse (last week drew 29,000 (yep) to a game vs Denver) are great balances to other traditional sports.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
tngeoff, had a little echo from the doldrums. This should buoy your spirits!
Are you ready?
An "in-the-box" Odd Ogg has appeared on ebay.
Vahalla!
Let me know if you're interested, I don't want a bidding war.
Go Vols.
SFOrange writes:
tngoeff:
Cool. Ethan and I and another wrestler (Bob-- can't remember his last name) lived in the Student Apts next to Morrill Hall. Very cool guys--that was '81. Yep, I'd agree to add wrestling back on the "new sports" list. I'm in California now (thus the SF). Cheers.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
I'm going to state this flat out: Mike Hamilton is/has done a good job as AD.
He can operate in today's tough environment. I wish it was like the old days, but it really isn't. It's a nasty business climate, tons or rules and regs, and I don't envy him.
Look, guys, I live way out of state now, so I'll tell you something in a way you may not thinK: Big Orange sports is one of those 'constants', and you don't have many of those in life. Friends come and go, jobs, locations, even spouses....but evefy year their are the Vols in fottball, baskeball, baseball, track....
So, enjoy it, and be happy for having a pretty-much topnotch overall sports program.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
mparker 10:22 pm good post-lot of truism, just wish one of the "constants" wasn't never winning the SEC. getting a little old......
camoman270#222859 writes:
jlight..........or about as needed as another Clinton in the whitehouse you demo poc.
volboy81#211803 writes:
start giving the schools that GENERATE the money a bigger cut when the SEC dishes out the dough! Let the ones that dont pull their weight suffer the consequences.
98reax writes:
Big Orange fans have much to be happy about. Stop whining. If you can't afford the tickets, stay home. No one is forcing you to go out to the games. Most are on TV. Go spend your money on something else.
Whatever you do for entertainment will cost you more. Get used to it. You have caused this rise in prices by being greedy. You insist on being the best and having the best. You go and go, and you spend and spend because you can. You always have. You always will.
You blame everything on someone else. "Take away his or her salary" you say. Well why don't you just give up yours? Everyone except you thinks you are overpaid, anyway.
We are Volunteer fans. That means we support the folks that make games happen. Nuf said!
BillVol writes:
Good to see the wrestling chat on here. I got to know Ethan Reeve when he was weight coach at McCallie School in Chattanooga. Great guy. I wish we could have wrestling back at UT. I would rather we add wrestling to our program than soccer. Come on over to outermonvolia.com and let's talk some UT wrestling. I believe Gray Simons also wrestled at Granby for the great Billy Martin.
mattingly writes:
ASHLEY Thanks for the shout out to Monday's Vol Historian blog. Glad to see someone took note. Nothing really changes, does it?
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