[Vision2020] Football]

[Mushroom]

Tim Lohrmann wrote:
> 
> Lesee, Michigan lost money for two seasons, Wisconsin
> planned poorly for going to the Rose Bowl and Ohio
> State broke even in a couple of fiscal years.
> This info is anecdotal at best. Such anecdotes may be
> notable because they are unusual not because they are
> the rule.
> 
> But if a program IS losing money, I guess the question
> would come down to the bottom line. Does it makes more
> sense to subsidize and keep alumni contributions
> flowing OR alienate alumni by cutting the football
> budget--thereby insuring that giving from sports
> minded alumni slows to a trickle?

Hi Tim--

Much as I respect most of your positions on politics, when
it comes to bigtime football there's just no question it
soaks up dollars that could have gone elsewhere. Note I'm
not saying the alumni who give to football should give that
money to academics. Rather, I'm saying that at public
institutions a great deal of taxpayer money goes into
football. Usually creative bookkeeping obscures this fact.

Don Coombs