Temple University Athletics
From The AD's Desk - May 2011
5.25.11 | General
“From the AD's Desk”
A column from Temple University Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw
May 2011
On Tuesday, March 8, our world changed.
While our softball team took swings in the indoor batting cage and our volleyball team whirred away at their work in study hall and our gymnastics team participated in a community service project and our basketball team prepared for that weekend's Atlantic 10 tournament, our world changed.
On that day, higher education and all the positives that come from it was dealt a blow.
Facing a monumental task to balance a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania budget that has been patched together by Rainy Day Fund raids and temporary federal stimulus dollars, newly-installed Governor Tom Corbett delivered his inaugural budget address. One of the ways Gov. Corbett proposed eliminating a deficit approaching $4 billion was to significantly reduce the state's appropriation to higher education, including Pennsylvania's four “state-related” universities of which Temple is one.
At the risk of converting this into a political column, I'll summarize the past two months quickly. Upon the Governor's announcement, Temple constituencies have rallied like never before. Advocates for the university ranging from students to alumni to community members to corporate leaders have rallied around Temple and embraced its role in our city, state, nation and world. Our voices have been heard loudly in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and beyond.
Yet the reality remains. The degree of significance is still unknown and the dollar amounts haven't been finalized, but our current commonwealth budgeting process will result in decreased resources for Temple and our sister institutions statewide. And fewer government-appropriated resources for Temple University result in fewer university-appropriated resources for Temple Athletics.
The potential effect concerns my senior administrative team and I greatly. The ongoing process, larger than us, will have a different effect on Temple Athletics than it may at Penn State, for example. While PSU and Temple are both state-related universities, Penn State does not subsidize its athletic department. At all. As in, if PSU Athletics wants to add men's and women's ice hockey programs, it secures those resources from private donors … or, in this case, an extremely generous donor couple. When you attend a home PSU football game, you do so knowing the revenues you help Penn State Athletics generate go to fund the remainder of the athletics program. In that light, PSU Athletics are essentially a business enterprise financially independent of the rest of the university, and assuming Athletics can keep generating revenue, aren't especially affected by state budget cuts to higher education.
Temple Athletics, on the other hand, receives the bulk of our funding from the university, for which we are eternally grateful. Our overall athletics budget of approximately $30 million is divided into three relatively equal parts: Financial Aid (athletic scholarships); Compensation (for staff & coaches); and Operations (equipment, travel, recruiting, etc.). Approximately 75% of the total athletics budget is subsidized by the University in the form of a financial aid subsidy and a cash operating subsidy. In other words, the athletics department is generating enough revenue to cover about 25% of our expenses. The major athletics-generated revenue categories include ticket sales, Owl Club and fundraising, corporate sponsorships, conference distributions, and media partnerships. As we move forward in this economic climate, we must significantly increase these revenue categories if we are to continue to elevate our program, provide our student-athletes with a first class experience, and make the Temple community proud.
Two summers ago, the university faced a similar predicament in terms of the commonwealth budgeting process. As a result, Athletics faced a nearly $1 million reduction to the cash operating subsidy received from the University implemented over a two-year period. In the process, we made tough decisions and great sacrifices – although we preserved the opportunity for EVERY student-athlete and coach of our 24 sport programs to compete, lead and access a Temple education.
But we knew that we'd cut our operating budget down to the bone. The fat had been long removed, and away went the muscle. We were (are) down to bone.
What will happen this time around?
And how can we make it better?
I can't speak to the finalization of the 2011-12 budgeting process; talks are ongoing and my prediction would be conjecture, anyway. What I do know is that Athletics is one of the only areas of the university that can truly generate its own revenue. We can sell tickets, we can provide Owl Club memberships; we can sell corporate sponsor packages, and our competitive success can enhance our media exposure and public relations value, thus leading to more lucrative media partnerships and revenue distributions.
Why couldn't Temple sell 50,000 tickets to each home football game? Why couldn't we sell out the Liacouras Center for each home men's basketball game? Why couldn't we double Owl Club memberships in the next five years? Why couldn't we take what we have now – an already very good athletics program academically, athletically and socially – and make it a true DYNASTY?
I cannot over-emphasize that Temple's commitment to Athletics is exceedingly strong. I would be hard-pressed to name another university that subsidizes its athletics program to the degree Temple does. Keep in mind that Temple isn't required to do this. What if we were able to self-generate the kind of revenue that eliminates our vulnerability to the budgeting process around us?
The answer lies within all of us.
Thanks to your loyalty and support, we remain confident that our best days lie ahead…in so many ways. Thanks for all you do. Onward and upward!
Other notes from my desk…
Football Ticket Update: We have now been selling football season tickets for approximately four months and are excited about our results. To date we have sold over 1,600 new season tickets (640 new season tickets were sold the entire 2010 season) and are full expecting to achieve our 2011 goal of 2,500 new season tickets. If you have not done so already, please visit www.owlstix.com or call a sales representative at 215-204-8499 to reserve or renew your tickets today. We also appreciate your help in referring family, friends, and co-workers to our sales team. Partial season ticket plans which will include either Penn State or Villanova plus any two other games will go on-sale June 1. Season and partial season tickets will be the only way to guarantee the best seats when Penn State visits on September 17.
Washington, D.C. Cherry & White Caravan: Tuesday, May 31 prior to and during the Phillies-Nationals game at Nationals Park in our nation's capitol. This is a great opportunity to meet with our coaches, receive a university and athletics update while taking in your Phillies! Visit www.MyOwlSpace.com/events to register or for more information.
New York City Cherry & White Caravan: Thursday, June 9 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Sentry Center, 730 Third Ave., Manhattan. Calling all Big Apple Owls! This is a great opportunity to meet with our coaches, receive a university and athletics update while joining the Alumni Club of New York's annual “Welcome to the City” event! Visit www.MyOwlSpace.com/events to register or for more information.
26th Annual Owl Club Golf Classic: Monday, June 20 at White Manor Country Club in Malvern, PA! The largest annual golf event supporting Temple Athletics moves to a new location this year! Hurry … this popular tournament is nearly sold out, although spots for the post-golf Auction & Dinner remain. Visit www.MyOwlSpace.com/events to register or for more information.
Purchase 2011 Temple Football season tickets now!
Make a contribution to the Temple Owl Club now!
