Thursday, November 13, 2014

The Co$t of Being Top 25




"The Bucking Bronco"



Every NCAA team wants to be ranked vs "rank"?  

To be Top 25....

For Men's Basketball, we just need about another $4,000,000/yr.

Every year.....

We also need at least 3 years to get there. (by the time Jared Brownridge is a senior)

That would put our budget where Gonzaga was last year ($6M) and a pinch above BYU in 2013.

I know you think I'm joking, and some may be choking on those numbers, but they're real.  

Here are a few of the teams the President's Commission benchmarked for 2013 Men's Basketball spending:

Creighton - $5.0M
Xavier - $4.5M
Butler - $4.4M

Then there's stratospheric:

Duke - $15.2M
Georgetown - $9.6M
Villanova - $7.5M

The Heavyweights are printing money - profitable.  

The Middleweights - where we want to be - make money - but like to "hide" it to show a break even.

Some of the above numbers don't include other "off budget" things; such as special events, appearance fees, money guarantees for home games, some coaching salaries, etc...

Perspective:  SCU's entire Athletic Budget for all sports is less than what Duke spends on basketball.  

Still want to compete...There's more...

You need infrastructure for recruiting, marketing, promotions, program management, etc.  We're talking better facilities, more staff, and aggressive Brand building.  You need a "WOW" factor.  

We have work to do.  Envision a recruiting trip for "the guy we're maybe not supposed to get".  Awesome campus.  The buildings look good and have the aura of 150 years of academic cred.  The Mission, the gardens, the library centerpiece...Then...

You walk into Leavey.  Pretty nice, but needs help. 
Tough sell.  This is where the recruits will spend huge hours. It needs a "makeover".  Whether it's the weight room, locker room, floor or a designated team meeting space.  It needs to make a "statement". 

What would a cosmetic Leavey makeover cost?  Not sure, might be in the $1-2M neighborhood depending on how extensive, but it needs to be in the immediate plan.

Still interested?

Why $4M more?  Because we're behind in the race.  I have seen actual teams line item budgets to get that estimate. We are more than 25 scholarships behind in athletics.  (Men's Bball is OK here).  You have to spend more just to catch up. That means we need to spend more on Marketing and Communication than others to get "We're on a Mission" on the radar.

We need to build momentum.  Do something bold.  Maybe, fill Leavey for home games?

How about free tickets for local Alums, all students and faculty, surrounding high school students like Bellarmine, Mitty, Presentation, St. Francis, etc.. for certain games.  Or buy one get one free...

Still listening?  

The SCU Trustees were.  But the numbers they heard were bigger...I'm just talking about a visible sport like Men's Basketball.  They heard the real TOTAL amount for SCU Athletics to compete in the WCC and nationally...

That number is nearly TRIPLE our current athletics budget...

They didn't flinch...they want what we as fans want.

Their voice has been heard and now it's our turn...

The season starts tomorrow.  We, the season ticket holders and fans, have a part in this as well.

To support, be visible, vocal, expect and be catalysts for change.  

We hope the investment return shows up as additional banners hanging in Leavey.  A deserving return on an investment and most importantly, a return to a winning Bronco tradition...



Next Up:  Season Outlook - don't miss!
















1 comment:

  1. Ready to run through the "wall" show me the money..........SCU lets go!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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