Football Does NOT Pay For Itself (Part I)

One of the main arguments that the Division of Athletics (DIA) makes for retaining Division I-A status is that football is the only sport that pays for itself.  In fact, the DIA argues that football revenues help pay for other sports.  This argument is both misleading and wrong.  On this page, we explain why it is misleading.  On the next page, we explain why this argument is false.

The DIA claims that football pays for itself, and on paper this would appear to be true.  For example, in its 2001-02 budget report required by the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, the Division claims that football generated $3 million in revenue while racking up only $2.9 million in expenses, leaving a $100,000 surplus.  Even if it were true, this argument is a red herring and is irrelevant to the question of whether to remain in Division I-A.

Even if football pays for itself, Division I-A membership does NOT pay for itself -- and the only reason that SJSU remains in Division I-A is to keep its football team.  Therefore, the football team requires SJSU to spend much more non-football money.  These are costs that are directly attributable to the existence of the football team but which are not counted in the football budget.  For example:

• Travel -- Because SJSU is a Division I-A school, it belongs to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).  The WAC is "western" in name only, with schools as far east as Texas and Louisiana.  As a result of WAC membership, all of our intercollegiate teams must travel to out-of-the-way places such as Boise, ID and Honolulu.  Travel to these places is very expensive, and the football team is NOT the only team that must go to them.  If SJSU were to leave Division I-A and join the Mountain West or other truly western conference, the SJSU Division of Athletics could significantly reduce its travel budgets for ALL teams.
  
• Coaches Salaries and other Costs  -- Because SJSU is a member of Division I-A, it must compete with other Division I-A schools on all fronts, including salaries and other perks (new facilities, etc.) to attract coaches and athletics administrators.  Some of these competitors include schools like Ohio State and Florida, which have budgets of $75 million and higher.  As the Knight Commission lamented, coaches salaries are already higher than faculty salaries, and the DIA has announced its plan to raise coaches salaries even more (Bell 2003).  If SJSU were to leave Division I-A, it not feel the same pressure to increase coaches salaries -- and substantial savings could be achieved by hiring a new athletics director at a much-reduced salary when Chuck Bell's contract expires in 2005.
  
• Gender Equity -- Due to Title IX, state law and various court decisions, university athletics programs are required to offer substantially equally funding to men's and women's sports.  Schools with football are not required to achieve precise parity, nor are they required to offer  a women's football team.  However, because the DIA has a football team and spends so much on it, they must also increase spending on women's sports as well.  Therefore, the sheer size of the football budget forces increased spending on other sports as well.

As a result, when the DIA says that football pays for itself, they are trying to distract and mislead you.  We should not focus on the costs of football, but rather on the costs of Division I-A status.

In addition, they're lying to you.  Click here to find out why football does NOT pay for itself.