The following is a list of articles released detailing the challenges athletics departments are facing in today’s tough economy. While not every article is development related, Athletics Development Frontier feels it is important to understand what departments around the nation are dealing with on a daily basis. Please click on the title to view the articles. New information will be posted as it becomes available.

Debt Loads Weigh Heavily on Athletics Programs
9/28/2009
This article highlights the debt load that many athletics departments have built by constructing new facilities that were planned during the boom years before the recent economic fall-out.

Maryland may consider cutting sports as a last result
10/5/09
The University of Maryland has stated that cutting sports will be a last resort to achieving financial health. The school is looking at every possible way to generate revenue while also cutting back on expenses.

New Mexico State draws upon fan food donations to alleviate budget woes
8/18/2009
New Mexico State’s football coaching staff sent out an e-mail to local fans and businesses asking for food donations to help feed the team post-practice and late night. The community has responded and starting donating food to the program.

Ivy League sports take hit due to recent recession
8/10/2009
The Ivy Leagues has seen a drop in university endowments across the board, which has impacted athletics. Most departments have trimmed positions and budgets down to the core and several facilities projects are being put on hold or reduced to just the essentials.

Eastern College Athletic Conference announces cost saving initiatives
8/6/2009
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has recently announced a series of steps that will be taken to reduce costs and help all members in the conference. Among these are the streamlining operations, discussing opportunities for cost saving, and eliminating positions.

UC Irvine forced to cut sports, effective August 1st
7/30/2009
In what is becoming one of the hardest hit state in terms of athletics budget cuts, UC Irvine joins the list of California schools dealing with cutbacks. The school recently announced they are discontinuing five of their varsity sports.

California budget woes to affect athletics
7/28/2009
The State of California’s severe budget cut will soon affect athletics departments throughout the state. With the advent of furloughs, administrators and coaches face a 10% pay cut and forced in-season time off from work.

Economy not deterring some schools
7/27/2009
The University of Minnesota and Louisiana Tech are going in the other direction during the recession: spend money now to emerge from the financial slump. These risks could pay off in the long run.

Recession changing face of college athletics
7/27/2009
With some economic predictors predicting the end of the recession, college athletics may feel a larger hit for the coming years than traditional businesses. The Orlando Sentinel takes a look into the changing landscape and interviews several Athletics Directors.

Athletics departments pinching pennies
7/16/2009
Many athletics departments around the nation are trying to cut their expenses to fit their new, lowered budgets. Most are taking small costs out of their operation, trying to make the budget fit by eliminating luxuries before cutting sports and positions, which would adversely affect the student-athletes.

State of Louisana deals with smaller budgets
7/16/2009
This story recaps the state of Louisiana and the affects of the economy and smaller budgets on the colleges in the region. Many of these schools have suspended teams or cut programs all together.

Athletics directors pay comes under fire by some
7/16/2009
Bloomberg published a story looking at the salaries of college athletics directors, which appears to be a hot topic for some in the media at this time. This article in the Tampa Tribune details AD salaries in terms of percentage of budget.

ESPN Launches study of College Athletics, Looks at trimmed budgets
7/13/2009
Mark Schlabach writes a story on the efforts of college athletics departments around the nation trying to fit their sports into their smaller budgets. He includes some interesting comments on the SEC’s new television deal, which could help the conference ride out the tough times.

Dana O’Neil details the student-athletes plight in the recent downturn
7/15/2009
By focusing on the student-athlete, O’Neil attempts to build out the effects that a student-athlete feels when their budget or sport program is cut. Through this detailed piece, she focuses on the plight of the University of Washington swim team, Vermont’s baseball team, and Cincinnati’s elimination of track scholarships.

ESPN takes look at sport programs being cut
7/14/2009
In an effort to detail all the programs being axed currently by state budget cuts, ESPN’s Graham Watson takes a look at the sports and programs facing this difficulty. At the end, she offers a light at the end of the tunnel, with the University of New Orleans athletics being saved by a benefactors’ recent death and bequeathment.

UTEP takes measures to trim budget
7/14/2009
Instead of impacting student athletes, the University of Texas- El Paso is focusing on making the budget cuts where administrators and coaches will feel the pain instead of student-athletes. Measures include cutting administrative positions and paring down travel costs.

ACC worries about SEC’s competitive advantage in media agreement
7/14/2009
Focusing on the ACC schools with rivals in the SEC, the article seeks to display a disparity between the rest of the nation and the lucrative new TV rights deal that is helping the SEC schools continue normal operations. While other schools are forced to cut back, the SEC has been able to maintain and, in some cases, increase their budgets.

Paperless initiatives becoming trend
7/10/2009
Boise State is the most recent school to announce the end of paper programs and media guides, instead resorting to publishing them online. This has become a popular occurrence in college athletics, as the article details. Texas Tech, a few days after announcing their donor parking lots are sold out, has recently joined the group not printing media guides.

California school, in one of the hardest hit states, deals with the recession
7/8/2009
Detailing the woes of schools in the Golden State, the article details the extensive travel costs the schools face within their conference and the measures taken to deal with them. Includes interviews with many athletics directors.

Texas A&M cuts positions of long-time athletics department employees
7/3/2009
The Aggies have resorted to cutting some positions to make the new budget restictions fit within their plans. The school has even solicited cost reduction ideas from employees to keep further positions from falling.

Budget cuts spread throughout the nation
6/3/2009
An excellent article, this piece brings to light the difficulties being faced by schools such as University of Central Florida, Oregon State University, and small schools from around the nation. Use it as a reference for finding articles about specific situations.

University of Florida announces budget, tops $89 million
6/22/2009
The University of Florida, buoyed by recent success in basketball and football, has announced its new budget, which by all reviews appears to be recession proof.

Georgia increases budget, gives back to University
6/28/2009
The University of Georgia has faired the recession well, benefiting from the new television rights and increased football revenue. The department expects revenue to grow by $8.5 million this year, with $7 million coming from the television deal.

Small schools take big hit
5/24/2009
By taking a look at smaller departments, this article details some tough decisions each school has had to make. In cutting sports, it focuses on the pain felt by the student-athlete and the questions they often ask.

Big Sky takes innovative approach to saving money
5/21/2009
The Big Sky conference has recently announced several amendedments to their schedules to save money. Fewer teams are allowed in conference tournaments, and basketball is switching from a Thursday-Saturday schedule to a Friday-Saturday schedule, playing back-to-back games on the road.

UNLV faces ten percent budget cut
5/20/2009
UNLV, like many schools in the nation, will try to fit their operation into their newer, trimmed budget. Most cuts have come in the form of apparel costs, flying commercially, and not paying for walk-ons’ insurance.

All Things Considered interviews an athletics director, a coach, and a football player
2/28/2009
In an interesting audio piece, the interview covers Northern Iowa’s cutting of their baseball program by talking to Athletics Director Troy Dannen. Vermont baseball coach Bill Currier talks about the success of his program and his long tenure coming to an end with him having little choice. It provides an interesting look at what the players will feel from the inside. They also talk to a Western Washington junior football player who’s senior season will not happen.

Highlights of schools around the country looking for ways to save money
2/24/2009
This article covers the juxaposition of large schools and small schools looking for ways to save money, from busing trips to taking guarantees in football games. The article ends by saying the sports have typically been recession proof.