Conference USA postpones all fall team sports... except for football
C-USA announcement: https://mobile.twitter.com/ConferenceUSA/status/1296907743266316288
Also, FAU is suspending football practices due to covid positive tests: https://mobile.twitter.com/FAUFootball/status/1296888609472012288?s=19
August 21st, 2020 at 7:45 PM ^
Pretty obvious at this point it's about money.
August 21st, 2020 at 8:20 PM ^
So sports are unsafe for all student-athletes -- except for the ones that play a contact sports that involves dozens of players literally piling on top of each other? Jesus.
August 21st, 2020 at 8:40 PM ^
That's a bold move, Cotton.
August 21st, 2020 at 8:53 PM ^
Why can’t the conferences get together and make a cohesive plan? Especially the Power-5. Fuck the NCAA, do it on your own
August 21st, 2020 at 9:12 PM ^
Meanwhile, in Tuscaloosa...
Positivity rate has jumped from 1% to 29% already.
August 21st, 2020 at 9:30 PM ^
I’ll be curious to see how those restrictions actually hold up. In a place like Alabama, I’d expect to see a lot of frats, and much of the general student populace, hosting “Fuck Masks / Fuck Social Distancing / Own the Libs” parties in the next few weeks.
August 21st, 2020 at 10:40 PM ^
Indiana University is already doing that currently and they are much more liberal than Alabama. I can only imagine how bad it’ll be at frats down that way.
August 21st, 2020 at 9:35 PM ^
Somebody should tell CUSA that they said the quiet part loud with this announcement.
Anyway, look forward to these same jagoffs getting mad when players try to create a union to better protect their interests going forward.
August 21st, 2020 at 9:42 PM ^
If I was a non-football athlete in C-USA, I’d be rounding up every other non-football athlete on campus and kicking the door in of my AD and school president. A lot of futures are being ruined for the sake of one sport.
I get that one sport generates revenue and many others don’t, but it’s clear at this point who is considered to be second class citizens. Who is considered “expandable.”
August 21st, 2020 at 10:40 PM ^
It’s not just that one generates revenue, it’s that it generates the revenue that pays for the others.
August 22nd, 2020 at 12:08 AM ^
Where's the revenue coming from? Below are links that talk about the TV deals that CUSA has with ESPN and CBS for football AND basketball. From these two TV deals, each school gets $700,000. $700,000 probably doesn't even cover the salaries of the football coaching staff.
August 22nd, 2020 at 8:36 AM ^
And if each school plays 2 guarantee games at around $1 million each, they go from 700k to 2.7 million.
August 22nd, 2020 at 10:45 AM ^
You need to remember that 700K was for the rights of CBS and ESPN to televise football AND basketball. Those are not football only contracts.
You're just looking at gross revenue. Below is a link to what the head coaches make at CUSA. At some of these schools just the head coach is making a good chunk of the 2.7 million.
Add to that you have assistant coaches salaries. I'm guessing the assistant coaches salaries are in line with what the head coach makes - the assistant coaches salaries are probably higher at a school where the head coach is making a million then at a school where the head coach is making 500K. Below is a link to some of FAU's assistant coaches salaries - they're probably paying 500-750K in assistant coaches salaries.
Another big expense is going to training table food. As the article below indicates major college programs are spending around 500K to feed their football teams. So CUSA is maybe half or a little less. CUSA still has the same number of players to feed. They're meals just aren't as fancy. So maybe the CUSA schools are spending 200-300K to feed their football team.
Travel to away games aren't cheap either when you factor in you're taking about 70 players, coaching staff, training staff, medical staff, equipment, etc. CUSA is spread all over so there probably aren't a lot of bus trips for their league games. In the article below, a couple years ago ECU was spending 430K for a season on a cheap airline to go to their away games. That was just airfare. That didn't include hotels and transportation to and from the hotel to the airport or stadium.
Recruiting isn't cheap either. Below is a link to what the power 5 schools spend on recruiting. All of those schools pretty much spend at least 500K. So for a CUSA school you're maybe in the 100-200K range?
https://www.athleticdirectoru.com/articles/an-analysis-of-football-recruiting-costs/
Most of these schools are probably lucky if they are breaking even with football.
August 22nd, 2020 at 2:18 PM ^
C-USA announcement had the PERFECT theme song, until a reality TV show came along & ruined it!
By the O-Jays!
August 22nd, 2020 at 6:03 PM ^
They understand true sports. The more football played the more complete understanding any possible model of success.