Spending money on athletics

[ZachTheZip]

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...ce_schools.htmlElton lays out how much each MAC school is investing in their athletic programs (on top of the operating budget). Akron blows the MAC out of the water and it's not even remotely close. We're spending BCS level money on our department and I don't think it will slow down any time soon with the soccer stadium and basketball arena in the planning stages.This is one of the big factors that BCS schools look at when they think about adding a school to their league. How much are you willing to invest in your programs?

[UADavid]

This information has been out, unless I've had a deja vu moment, and as impressive as it is, we will return to the pack after they remove this time period from the comparisons. It certainly is not a sustainable plan and any arena will need other forms of investment considering the UA debt burden.

[MaxZIP]

I think the numbers are overstated. The Rec center and indoor practice facilities were under $50 and the stadium was about $61 million. They must have included most of the new landscape for learning in the article not just the athletic improvements. Very inaccurate and misleading representation of the University's commitment to improvement of the campus as a whole. Nice job again PD.

[ZachTheZip]

last I heard, the stadium was now over $64 million. Add in the field house/rec center and you have about $110 million. But those are only the most visible changes.In the past 5 years we have built a completely new softball stadium to move the games away from Firestone stadium. We added a grandstand to the outdoor track and also added in brickwork to blend it in with the stadium. All of the team athletic offices in the JAR have been re-done and are now very nice. Schrank Field was built, or at least received a new playing surface. We just installed new hoops and hoop stands in the JAR. And all that is just off the top of my head.

[MaxZIP]

last I heard, the stadium was now over $64 million. Add in the field house/rec center and you have about $110 million. But those are only the most visible changes.In the past 5 years we have built a completely new softball stadium to move the games away from Firestone stadium. We added a grandstand to the outdoor track and also added in brickwork to blend it in with the stadium. All of the team athletic offices in the JAR have been re-done and are now very nice. Schrank Field was built, or at least received a new playing surface. We just installed new hoops and hoop stands in the JAR. And all that is just off the top of my head.

Still totals less than half of the $360 million stated in the article.

[Z.I.P.]

This information has been out, unless I've had a deja vu moment, and as impressive as it is, we will return to the pack after they remove this time period from the comparisons. It certainly is not a sustainable plan and any arena will need other forms of investment considering the UA debt burden.

David, I'd like to make you the Roo Comptroller. The expansion, as incredible and progressive as it is, is built on layers of debt. In my mind necessary and wise debt, but if you think this can be sustained, you're not playing with a full deck. We can use it to attract attention for a few years, and wait to see if anyone in the MAC is willing to go all-in as Akron has, or if the whole league folds their hands.

[Zips fan]

I believe the fieldhouse was around 14-15 million and the rec center is not part of the athletic department. I think athletics are make smart, necessary improvements, but that article is very misleading as to commitment by various schools.

[GP1]

This information has been out, unless I've had a deja vu moment, and as impressive as it is, we will return to the pack after they remove this time period from the comparisons. It certainly is not a sustainable plan and any arena will need other forms of investment considering the UA debt burden.

I agree with this. I did not look at the stats, but do they break out capital building from the general operating costs?

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Interesting, although I strongly believe, debt or no debt, these upgrades will pay huge dividends for the university, as a whole, down the line. It all comes down to perceived prestige, perceived value, what it takes to attract kids, their parents, and all of our money. And I very much hope that UA will continue to outspend the MAC, regardless of debt load, on sports programs. The MAC is below average to the point of being [crummy, bad, like waste material<<--changed to satisfy moderator] and we need to be setting ourselves up for better, much better. Also, where is Jupitertoo? He asserted within the last day or two that Akron's spending on sports programs lagged the rest of the MAC substantially, if I remember the pain of reading his post. I'm sure [that unclean person who is akin to a creature that patrols under bridges<<--changed to satisfy moderator] will pop his head up soon...GO ZIPS.STZ[To satisfy the moderator on duty this afternoon, I shall take great care not to use overly salty language for the sake of our nation's precious youth]

[jupitertoo]

Interesting, although I strongly believe, debt or no debt, these upgrades will pay huge dividends for the university, as a whole, down the line. It all comes down to perceived prestige, perceived value, what it takes to attract kids, their parents, and all of our money. And I very much hope that UA will continue to outspend the MAC, regardless of debt load, on sports programs. The MAC is {below average} and we need to be setting ourselves up for better, much better. Also, where is Jupitertoo? He asserted within the last day or two that Akron's spending on sports programs lagged the rest of the MAC substantially, if I remember the pain of reading his post. I'm sure {he/she} will pop his head up soon...GO ZIPS.STZ{Moderator Edit: STZ, I'd ask that you be mindful of younger readers when posting, consider this your second warning after an earlier post was deleted.}

If you would stick to the facts (In know, it's hard), I wrote that Akron's athletics budget is not in the league's top five, nor is its football budget. There's no question Akron is spending out the wazoo on facilities, but those are capital budget items, and they're based on a lot of debt. For the sake of Ohio taxpayers, I hope the university can get its debt load back into slightly better balance. You might recall that the university's bonds were downgraded due to debt load last year.As to comparing Akron's "spend" versus other schools, please remember that other MAC schools were building/enhancing on-campus stadia and arenas for years while Akron was still at the $1 relic over near the municipal airport. So there's some catching up to do, no doubt. Geez, even EMU, with a horrendous program, has spent big-time on football and basketball upgrades over the past 5-6 years. Too bad their teams haven't reaped the benefits.But please, if you want me to be polite (and I'm trying), don't misstate the facts or claim I said something I didn't.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Here's the only FACT that matters where you're concerned, Jupitertoo. You.are.a.troll. Read that slowly several times, and savor it. :laugh_up:

Interesting, although I strongly believe, debt or no debt, these upgrades will pay huge dividends for the university, as a whole, down the line. It all comes down to perceived prestige, perceived value, what it takes to attract kids, their parents, and all of our money. And I very much hope that UA will continue to outspend the MAC, regardless of debt load, on sports programs. The MAC is {below average} and we need to be setting ourselves up for better, much better. Also, where is Jupitertoo? He asserted within the last day or two that Akron's spending on sports programs lagged the rest of the MAC substantially, if I remember the pain of reading his post. I'm sure {he/she} will pop his head up soon...GO ZIPS.STZ{Moderator Edit: STZ, I'd ask that you be mindful of younger readers when posting, consider this your second warning after an earlier post was deleted.}

If you would stick to the facts (In know, it's hard), I wrote that Akron's athletics budget is not in the league's top five, nor is its football budget. There's no question Akron is spending out the wazoo on facilities, but those are capital budget items, and they're based on a lot of debt. For the sake of Ohio taxpayers, I hope the university can get its debt load back into slightly better balance. You might recall that the university's bonds were downgraded due to debt load last year.As to comparing Akron's "spend" versus other schools, please remember that other MAC schools were building/enhancing on-campus stadia and arenas for years while Akron was still at the $1 relic over near the municipal airport. So there's some catching up to do, no doubt. Geez, even EMU, with a horrendous program, has spent big-time on football and basketball upgrades over the past 5-6 years. Too bad their teams haven't reaped the benefits.But please, if you want me to be polite (and I'm trying), don't misstate the facts or claim I said something I didn't.

[ksu sucks]

There's no question Akron is spending out the wazoo on facilities, but those are capital budget items, and they're based on a lot of debt. For the sake of Ohio taxpayers, I hope the university can get its debt load back into slightly better balance. You might recall that the university's bonds were downgraded due to debt load last year.

FWIW, I remember a certain OU poster stating that OU has the highest debt ratio among Ohio universities(or something along those lines). If I remember correctly, he was replying to you when you said the exact same thing on bobcat attack. Why are you so worried about what some ignorant zips fans think? No one reads these pages but us, so it's not like we're publishing our arrogance in a newspaper. As some others have said, it's fairly obvious from your posts on this site that you are insecure about something. You feel the need to put down Akron and compliment OU at every chance. Who cares if people on zipsnation say ridiculous things. Who cares that people on this forum talk about the Big East when we barely compete in the MAC. Can't you just laugh it off? I know that's what I do every time I go on bobcatattack.

[jupitertoo]

There's no question Akron is spending out the wazoo on facilities, but those are capital budget items, and they're based on a lot of debt. For the sake of Ohio taxpayers, I hope the university can get its debt load back into slightly better balance. You might recall that the university's bonds were downgraded due to debt load last year.

FWIW, I remember a certain OU poster stating that OU has the highest debt ratio among Ohio universities(or something along those lines). If I remember correctly, he was replying to you when you said the exact same thing on bobcat attack. Why are you so worried about what some ignorant zips fans think? No one reads these pages but us, so it's not like we're publishing our arrogance in a newspaper. As some others have said, it's fairly obvious from your posts on this site that you are insecure about something. You feel the need to put down Akron and compliment OU at every chance. Who cares if people on zipsnation say ridiculous things. Who cares that people on this forum talk about the Big East when we barely compete in the MAC. Can't you just laugh it off? I know that's what I do every time I go on bobcatattack.

I know you don't like to get caught up in facts, but a simple check of the Ohio Board of Regents would show that even before stadium construction, Akron had $422 million in capital debt versus $115 million in net assets. Ohio had $167 million in capital debt and about $136 million in total assets.The state assigns "viability scores" to a university's financial performance, ranked by percentage and a ranking of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Akron's viability percentage is 29 percent, OU's 83 percent. The viability rankings are, Akron 1, OU 3.Add football stadium construction to the equation and this year's numbers are going to be ugly. it's pretty clear why Akron hires so many part-time faculty.

[ksu sucks]

I know you don't like to get caught up in facts, but a simple check of the Ohio Board of Regents would show that even before stadium construction, Akron had $422 million in capital debt versus $115 million in net assets. Ohio had $167 million in capital debt and about $136 million in total assets.The state assigns "viability scores" to a university's financial performance, ranked by percentage and a ranking of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Akron's viability percentage is 29 percent, OU's 83 percent. The viability rankings are, Akron 1, OU 3.Add football stadium construction to the equation and this year's numbers are going to be ugly. it's pretty clear why Akron hires so many part-time faculty.

Fine, ignore the important parts...As I said before, I'm only quoting what someone from your school said. Perhaps your data is outdated? Who knows. The better question is (and this is what you will ignore) who cares?

[Zip Watcher]

We're done here folks. It's over.Jupitertoo will be taking a brief break from the nation as he / she is trolling and flame baiting around these parts repeatedly. This doesn't add to the discussion here. As best I can tell, jupitertoo's motivation is to stir the pot and get under the skin of zips fans.This time, jupitertoo alone will be taking a hiatus from the Nation. Congratulations on earning what I think is only the third suspension / ban in the history of the Nation. You did earn it.Next time, those members of ZNO who are unable to avoid taking the bait and insist upon feeding the trolls will be joining him / her. Let this be a warning to all of you who just couldn't help yourselves.Don't feed the trolls.Go Zips!!