2011 Financial Report for SU

[GoSU96]

Some quick hits, SU reported total $73M in revenue for the 2011 reporting period, good for 35th in D-1A. Louisville is the only other BE team in the top 35.

Note for both schools is that their media contracts are $10M to $20M less than every other team in that first 35.

SU is one of only six programs to report revenue greater than $20M for both the basketball and football programs. Those schools are in order of total men's teams revenue: Louisville, SU, Duke, UNC, UK, and Arizona.

For 2011 basketball is up $6.9M over 2011, football up $9.9M, men's sports over all up $17.6M, women's overall up $3.0M, the department as a whole up $21.8M.

What's remarkable is that SU experiencing this growth having the BE media contract, a football team playing to 70% capacity with some of the lowest ticket prices in the country, not a huge booster presence, and no state underwriting of the department.

 

[HtownOrange]

Good info. Are you able to post a link?

 

[ImperialOrange]

That is great for the athletic department but at the same time kind of makes me sad that the band needs a fund raiser to get 150k for new uni's.

 

[upperdeck]

what it means is that no band alumni is reinvesting in the program.

 

[MadNY3]

Gross. Is. Good.

 

[Crusty]

It seems that something is wrong with the numbers. Either they are not comparable for some reason or there is something we are missing. Unless we can explain the increase, I have a hard time understanding them. Certainly some of the increase comes from the USC and Mizzou games but that would n ot explain it all. Also, do these numbers include any expenses relating to exiting the BE? Very confusing.

 

[All4SU]

Start filling the dome for football and watch those numbers go up.

 

[Timonen]

what it means is that no band alumni is reinvesting in the program.

funny. i've been hands off since i left the program (performed and then taught drums for a few years) because i wasn't pleased with direction. so the theory holds beyond sports!

interestingly, i wore the current unis in their first and second year (my junior/senior years). they marked our return to bowls after two years off (gator/liberty).

 

[GoSU96]

It seems that something is wrong with the numbers. Either they are not comparable for some reason or there is something we are missing. Unless we can explain the increase, I have a hard time understanding them. Certainly some of the increase comes from the USC and Mizzou games but that would n ot explain it all. Also, do these numbers include any expenses relating to exiting the BE? Very confusing.

Those are just revenue numbers, nothing to do with expenses or net, just gross revenue reported.

 

[GoSU96]

Gross. Is. Good.

When I get a chance I'll post the history going back to 2003. I have no insight as to how, but it's night and day from when he took over. SU was in the 60's and 70's in D1 up until last year and then this huge jump, and that's before the ACC bump, which is likely to put them into the 90M range. SU, Pitt, and Louisville are all going to see a close to a 15M to 20M jump between moving to the ACC and the new contract.

As a lot of us have pointed out Rutgers is likely not to see much of a cash increase as their increased take from the B10 is going to be offset by the state telling them to get off the dole.

 

[44PRIDE]

Those numbers just don't jive with half empty stadiums and $100 season ticket prices...

I'm guessing Uncle Al finally left the SU athletic department a gift before he made his way up to those pearly gates.

 

[supp]

It seems that something is wrong with the numbers. Either they are not comparable for some reason or there is something we are missing. Unless we can explain the increase, I have a hard time understanding them. Certainly some of the increase comes from the USC and Mizzou games but that would n ot explain it all. Also, do these numbers include any expenses relating to exiting the BE? Very confusing.

Some have speculated that the Meadowlands contract is responsible for the jump. It may be that the SUAD got a significant advance to start up or finish up some of these football facilities projects. The Mizzou guarantee was also what? A couple million? Don't know how they do the accounting but they might also be taking into account the Pepsi money for the ribbon boards (so the sponsorship is counted as revenue). That's a couple more million right there. And we know that booster donations have been up yearly since Gross signed on.

These are the rosy scenarios. The darker scenario one could imagine is some Debbie Yow-style accounting going on.

 

[44PRIDE]

These are the rosy scenarios. The darker scenario one could imagine is some Debbie Yow-style accounting going on.

I think athletic departments around the country learned a lesson from Debbie Yow. Doubt that TGD (or our BOD) would be reckless enough to do that type of accounting. Then again...you never know.

 

[Toga]

Just bequeath baby!

Those numbers just don't jive with half empty stadiums and $100 season ticket prices...

I'm guessing Uncle Al finally left the SU athletic department a gift before he made his way up to those pearly gates.

 

[omniorange]

Some have speculated that the Meadowlands contract is responsible for the jump. It may be that the SUAD got a significant advance to start up or finish up some of these football facilities projects. The Mizzou guarantee was also what? A couple million? Don't know how they do the accounting but they might also be taking into account the Pepsi money for the ribbon boards (so the sponsorship is counted as revenue). That's a couple more million right there. And we know that booster donations have been up yearly since Gross signed on.

These are the rosy scenarios. The darker scenario one could imagine is some Debbie Yow-style accounting going on.

I don't believe Mizzou would have anything to do with these numbers since they reflect AD revenue from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[PeteCalvin]

Those numbers just don't jive with half empty stadiums and $100 season ticket prices...

I'm guessing Uncle Al finally left the SU athletic department a gift before he made his way up to those pearly gates.

I was told last spring by someone high up in the AD hierarchy that basketball makes a boatload of $$$ on it's own and literally funds all the other sports outside of football. This person was just waiting for the day that football would carry it's own weight again so the department could really take off. We don't leave NY in the preseason because we make too much damn money with the Dome games. That's what these media dolts just don't understand.

 

[44PRIDE]

I was told last spring by someone high up in the AD hierarchy that basketball makes a boatload of $$$ on it's own and literally funds all the other sports outside of football. This person was just waiting for the day that football would carry it's own weight again so the department could really take off. We don't leave NY in the preseason because we make too much damn money with the Dome games. That's what these media dolts just don't understand.

Gawd, if thats the case...wait until Football catches fire again and they start charging $10 for a frosty.

 

[Moontan]

what it means is that no band alumni is reinvesting in the program.

SUAD should fund 50+% of the cost.

FYI: there's a big difference between SU and southern marching bands. There are lots of band scholarships at southern schools. Getting several half-tuition scholarships endowed would be a start. I don't know how Vandy's band is funded/supported... would be an interesting bit of info.

 

[TexanMark]

I don't believe Mizzou would have anything to do with these numbers since they reflect AD revenue from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.

Cheers,
Neil

My theory on the bump:

T-Shirt Sales oh yeah baby!

 

[Townie72]

Some have speculated that the Meadowlands contract is responsible for the jump. It may be that the SUAD got a significant advance to start up or finish up some of these football facilities projects. The Mizzou guarantee was also what? A couple million? Don't know how they do the accounting but they might also be taking into account the Pepsi money for the ribbon boards (so the sponsorship is counted as revenue). That's a couple more million right there. And we know that booster donations have been up yearly since Gross signed on.

These are the rosy scenarios. The darker scenario one could imagine is some Debbie Yow-style accounting going on.

What would the purpose of "Debbie Yow-style" accounting?

At Maryland, because the State prohibits using General Fund money for athletics, I think I can see the reason for "creative" accounting.

Rutgers, not wanting to admit how bad things were, disguised transfers of money in from the General Fund and involuntary Student Fees, by creatively describing them so that the unquestioning might be fooled and no political heat would come from Trenton.

But since SU is private and reports to no one, why the need to fool with the numbers?

 

[Townie72]

SUAD should fund 50+% of the cost.

FYI: there's a big difference between SU and southern marching bands. There are lots of band scholarships at southern schools. Getting several half-tuition scholarships endowed would be a start. I don't know how Vandy's band is funded/supported... would be an interesting bit of info.

First of all, Vandy has a ton of money. Secondly, since they are in the SEC they have to look at least as good as the competition.

 

[supp]

What would the purpose of "Debbie Yow-style" accounting?

At Maryland, because the State prohibits using General Fund money for athletics, I think I can see the reason for "creative" accounting.

Rutgers, not wanting to admit how bad things were, disguised transfers of money in from the General Fund and involuntary Student Fees, by creatively describing them so that the unquestioning might be fooled and no political heat would come from Trenton.

But since SU is private and reports to no one, why the need to fool with the numbers?

All I meant by that is that the revenue numbers may not always reflect revenue. Not long after Gross arrived, Marcoccia reorganized the finances of the various divisions of the university to help make up for shortfalls from year to year in different departments. The article that provided that info also related that the AD was a beneficiary of this re-organization as the first couple of years at least of Gross' tenure, there were deficits in his department. It wasn't altogether clear if those were inherited problems but I would assume some were. I have no idea if there are still yearly shortfalls and if they are being made up through the shifting of monies from division to division.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

That is great for the athletic department but at the same time kind of makes me sad that the band needs a fund raiser to get 150k for new uni's.

Is the band part of the AD?

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[Townie72]

All I meant by that is that the revenue numbers may not always reflect revenue. Not long after Gross arrived, Marcoccia reorganized the finances of the various divisions of the university to help make up for shortfalls from year to year in different departments. The article that provided that info also related that the AD was a beneficiary of this re-organization as the first couple of years at least of Gross' tenure, there were deficits in his department. It wasn't altogether clear if those were inherited problems but I would assume some were. I have no idea if there are still yearly shortfalls and if they are being made up through the shifting of monies from division to division.

You obviously know enough about accounting and cost allocations to understand just how subjective it all is. Especially if it isn't something thats goin'g to the government.

Let me make the decision on where O/H flows and I'll get you any results for individual departments you want.

 

[omniorange]

All I meant by that is that the revenue numbers may not always reflect revenue. Not long after Gross arrived, Marcoccia reorganized the finances of the various divisions of the university to help make up for shortfalls from year to year in different departments. The article that provided that info also related that the AD was a beneficiary of this re-organization as the first couple of years at least of Gross' tenure, there were deficits in his department. It wasn't altogether clear if those were inherited problems but I would assume some were. I have no idea if there are still yearly shortfalls and if they are being made up through the shifting of monies from division to division.

If the shortfalls were still there, I would think the bottom line of this document would have expenses = revenue.

That didn't happen in 2011-12. And I'm not sure if it happened last year either. GO probably can tell us, since he's been keeping track of this for a while.

Cheers,
Neil