It does note that the growth in 2022 revenue was due to Endowment +Pac12+ NCAA+ media rights money. You’ll note that it concludes that the AD ‘surplus’ is actually due to cash infusion from the institution, the Berkeley campus as a whole.
Unfortunately some facsimile of this article could have been written nearly every year for the last several decades with a few short lived exceptions. The excuses are so old, the problems so ingrained and intractable. Every team in the soon to be defunct Pac went to the Rose Bowl in the modern era except for Cal. Tedford was the only one who got the program consistently in the upper echelon of the Pac and it nearly killed him and ultimately it wasn't sustainable. There is no reason Cal couldn't be dominant in football and consistently competitive against the top schools but the institutional resources and the will just have not been there. Will they ever be?
An prior commenter argued that it’s unable to cover the cost of facility upgrades, I’m guessing they mean to the stadium. So, if that’s true. How can football revenues pay for non revenue generating sports?
At this point, this particular season doesn't matter. What matters is how much the school commits to supporting the football (and to a lesser extent, basketball) program going forward.
IMO Cal fans and alums can show up but they need to be shown that it will be worth it. Maintaining the status quo won't work. We've had a decent start on the NIL collective, but can the momentum continue?
Tedford had cal at the bottom academically when compared to other P12 schools. That’s just not allowed by the No.1 public university in the world! Cal’s Olympic sports generally do pretty well. Football and b-ball are drains. Maybe moving to the ACC will help. But, why not just scrap football?
IMO the biggest reason the academics went to crap under Tedford is that the AD didn't support the athletes and expected him to handle it all on his own. Almost every issue can be traced back to administrative apathy. If you want to field a competitive team, you need to support it in all areas.
Agreed. Also, Duke basketball has atrocious grad rates cause half their guys leave each year. Has the Duke academic brand suffered for it? No. Has it brought added value to student and alumni experience at Duke? You betcha.
Why not? Perhaps it's because we have a $450 million dollar, 60K seat stadium that we have barely started to pay for. Rugby and water polo don't pay those bills. In fact, it's our moribund football program that helps underwrite those. I think the easier and more solvable question is why can't we just build a successful football program? That answer is far more plausible than how to scrap it and somehow deliver the university out of massive debt w/o it.
Good summary B80, and you make some good points. However, while a huge deal to us, beating Stanfurd doesn’t move the dial outside the Bay Area. The two wins over $C are always appreciated however in both those years, Toejams were a wounded program. Maybe add the win over a ranked Oregon team in COVID Times, 2020 however Bears finished 1-3 that year. I’ll stand by my position. Would have felt a lot better if we couldva won in South Bend last year or pulled out a W over Auburn. And I still can’t get the Cheez It Bowl out of my head.
What if? What if OR had been successful luring Wilcox away- where would Cal be? Not an easy question. Would the administration actually been capable of hiring a decent replacement? Would we be worst off now, or better? What would the state of the OR program be right now?
I think it's easy to answer. We wouldn't be any better off. Leaving aside the questionable bona fides of the man who would be charged with leading that hire, our issues go beyond just the head football coach. We need an athletic department and university that will support, prioritize and demand success .
Great article. As much as we focus on the players, this is a system issue. And it starts with linemen and line depth. When you go in person, you see the size and speed at UW, UO and USC. It’s the difference, and why our coaches look overwhelmed and overmatched.
NIL is now the way non traditional powerhouses can catch up, if we get that churning, we’ll get our transfers, and depth in the line.
QBs all have nfl aspirations, they don’t want to get hurt, they will follow solid OLine recruits
in addition to having mouthwatering Penix envy, am i the only one considering becoming an OSU and/or WSU booster? im disgusted with the U Cal Berkeley Golden Bearlys and the Pac-12. seriously questioning my allegiance to such an incompetent organization.
Personally, I often over the years, "relegated" my Cal fandom, to other more interesting teams be it in PAC 12 or other conferences, including e.g. Big Sky where I can share in their success, admire their accomplishments without a deflated level of aggravation should they loose.
Certainly OSU and WSU fit the bill, as they have often in the past. While I don't remove my Cal thing, it gets less attached, more cum si - cum sa as I have found other bones to chew on that don't give me heartburn.
I actually like seeing how former Cal athletes perform for other programs, as well as in the NFL. Jack Plummer, who I enjoyed watching sling the ball around for Cal last year, had 388 passing yards on 18 completions in 21 throws and 5 TD's (no INT's) against BC yesterday. Keenan Allen had 18 receptions for the Chargers for over 200 yards, and threw for a 49-yd TD as well, in SD's win over the Vikings today.
right on. as a proponent of equality, fairness, and the general good, i relish in standing proudly for the have-nots. while typically supporting persecuted, underserved, and marginalized communities, this admittedly less important scenario emanates from the same machine. these solid institutions are OUR brethren as PAC alum and are absolutely worthy of our support. if we do not stand for them now, who will, and when?
This is a shame. They are not just many steps away but, they are a world apart from the Rest of the PAC -12. As stated the coaching is bad. I did not understand the extension of Wilcox. Even though the PAC-12 is very strong this year. Wait until they play the likes of Florida State, Clemson and possibly Notre Dame every year in the future. The fan base does not show up for home games. I will hate to see when they have to travel 3k miles for a road game , with the cost factor in traveling to those games. Good Luck. I will continue to root for the Bears because the players deserve the support in coming here and playing at Berkeley.
He showed promise, but the edge he brought has slowly been minimized. He's gone down, not up. Subtracting two years for the COVID bullshit, still leaves him with five years of downward progress. There's still a sliver of hope for this season, but.....
Perhaps there are other coaches in other programs that have currently or in the past been given such extensions, but not with the record he had when granted.
At the time, it seemed it would have been a setback to lose Wilcox to Oregon, however, as many have pointed out, JK hiring brings a whole uncertainty, with the exception of Mad Dog.
Recent history has not been kind to Bear fans but I’ve almost always have had a level of excitement before a game - especially for one against a ranked opponent. For the first time, I realized last night that I had no excitement. Was more just resigned to seeing more of the same. I told my wife prior to the start that I was just going to watch for a little while and then record the rest and spend the evening with her (didn’t realize how quickly that would occur). Anyway, I’ve never done that in close to 40 years as an alum. Very sad state of affairs.
Wow. So you are saying that for 40 years your wife has spent her Saturdays, in the fall, all alone. I bet she is wishing that Wilcox stays around for the next 40!!
Yeah, kind of sad but she’s says I’m a little scary to be around during Cal football and basketball. Either the current state of affairs or Zoloft is changing that.
Not to butt in, but that does seem like a personal issue that might be smart to address through therapy or meditation. A sports game shouldn't cause you to become "scary"
Here’s more fuel for the fire…
https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1680579-cals-stadium-renovation-debt-shows-schools-need-to-keep-football-in-perspective.amp.html
While this doesn’t directly answer the Q about football revenues co wrong non income generating aports, this article does address the AD department cost and revenues, https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/goldman-school-cal-athletics-fiscal
It does note that the growth in 2022 revenue was due to Endowment +Pac12+ NCAA+ media rights money. You’ll note that it concludes that the AD ‘surplus’ is actually due to cash infusion from the institution, the Berkeley campus as a whole.
Unfortunately some facsimile of this article could have been written nearly every year for the last several decades with a few short lived exceptions. The excuses are so old, the problems so ingrained and intractable. Every team in the soon to be defunct Pac went to the Rose Bowl in the modern era except for Cal. Tedford was the only one who got the program consistently in the upper echelon of the Pac and it nearly killed him and ultimately it wasn't sustainable. There is no reason Cal couldn't be dominant in football and consistently competitive against the top schools but the institutional resources and the will just have not been there. Will they ever be?
Byron: I had the same thought, especially after seeing what a rough time CSU gave the Fighting Deions.
An prior commenter argued that it’s unable to cover the cost of facility upgrades, I’m guessing they mean to the stadium. So, if that’s true. How can football revenues pay for non revenue generating sports?
Since the football program’s not covering it’s own expenses, how can it be a revenue generator for other sports?
You have a source on this or are we just making shit up?
At this point, this particular season doesn't matter. What matters is how much the school commits to supporting the football (and to a lesser extent, basketball) program going forward.
IMO Cal fans and alums can show up but they need to be shown that it will be worth it. Maintaining the status quo won't work. We've had a decent start on the NIL collective, but can the momentum continue?
Thanks, Avi.
Now, I am depressered.
Tedford had cal at the bottom academically when compared to other P12 schools. That’s just not allowed by the No.1 public university in the world! Cal’s Olympic sports generally do pretty well. Football and b-ball are drains. Maybe moving to the ACC will help. But, why not just scrap football?
IMO the biggest reason the academics went to crap under Tedford is that the AD didn't support the athletes and expected him to handle it all on his own. Almost every issue can be traced back to administrative apathy. If you want to field a competitive team, you need to support it in all areas.
Agreed. Also, Duke basketball has atrocious grad rates cause half their guys leave each year. Has the Duke academic brand suffered for it? No. Has it brought added value to student and alumni experience at Duke? You betcha.
Why not? Perhaps it's because we have a $450 million dollar, 60K seat stadium that we have barely started to pay for. Rugby and water polo don't pay those bills. In fact, it's our moribund football program that helps underwrite those. I think the easier and more solvable question is why can't we just build a successful football program? That answer is far more plausible than how to scrap it and somehow deliver the university out of massive debt w/o it.
Good summary B80, and you make some good points. However, while a huge deal to us, beating Stanfurd doesn’t move the dial outside the Bay Area. The two wins over $C are always appreciated however in both those years, Toejams were a wounded program. Maybe add the win over a ranked Oregon team in COVID Times, 2020 however Bears finished 1-3 that year. I’ll stand by my position. Would have felt a lot better if we couldva won in South Bend last year or pulled out a W over Auburn. And I still can’t get the Cheez It Bowl out of my head.
Just giving the Devil his due.
We tend to generalize our grief and focus it all on one man.
There's institutional things, too, that need to change.
What if? What if OR had been successful luring Wilcox away- where would Cal be? Not an easy question. Would the administration actually been capable of hiring a decent replacement? Would we be worst off now, or better? What would the state of the OR program be right now?
I think it's easy to answer. We wouldn't be any better off. Leaving aside the questionable bona fides of the man who would be charged with leading that hire, our issues go beyond just the head football coach. We need an athletic department and university that will support, prioritize and demand success .
^^^This!
Great article. As much as we focus on the players, this is a system issue. And it starts with linemen and line depth. When you go in person, you see the size and speed at UW, UO and USC. It’s the difference, and why our coaches look overwhelmed and overmatched.
NIL is now the way non traditional powerhouses can catch up, if we get that churning, we’ll get our transfers, and depth in the line.
QBs all have nfl aspirations, they don’t want to get hurt, they will follow solid OLine recruits
The game spoke for itself. Cal is not competitive with the leading teams in this year's conference.
in addition to having mouthwatering Penix envy, am i the only one considering becoming an OSU and/or WSU booster? im disgusted with the U Cal Berkeley Golden Bearlys and the Pac-12. seriously questioning my allegiance to such an incompetent organization.
Personally, I often over the years, "relegated" my Cal fandom, to other more interesting teams be it in PAC 12 or other conferences, including e.g. Big Sky where I can share in their success, admire their accomplishments without a deflated level of aggravation should they loose.
Certainly OSU and WSU fit the bill, as they have often in the past. While I don't remove my Cal thing, it gets less attached, more cum si - cum sa as I have found other bones to chew on that don't give me heartburn.
I actually like seeing how former Cal athletes perform for other programs, as well as in the NFL. Jack Plummer, who I enjoyed watching sling the ball around for Cal last year, had 388 passing yards on 18 completions in 21 throws and 5 TD's (no INT's) against BC yesterday. Keenan Allen had 18 receptions for the Chargers for over 200 yards, and threw for a 49-yd TD as well, in SD's win over the Vikings today.
right on. as a proponent of equality, fairness, and the general good, i relish in standing proudly for the have-nots. while typically supporting persecuted, underserved, and marginalized communities, this admittedly less important scenario emanates from the same machine. these solid institutions are OUR brethren as PAC alum and are absolutely worthy of our support. if we do not stand for them now, who will, and when?
Honestly, I was really torn as to who for root for in the PAC-2 pre-championship.
UW, Oregon, $C, and UCLA are dead to us. The rest I can somewhat understand.
Long live both the Beavs and Cougs!
This is a shame. They are not just many steps away but, they are a world apart from the Rest of the PAC -12. As stated the coaching is bad. I did not understand the extension of Wilcox. Even though the PAC-12 is very strong this year. Wait until they play the likes of Florida State, Clemson and possibly Notre Dame every year in the future. The fan base does not show up for home games. I will hate to see when they have to travel 3k miles for a road game , with the cost factor in traveling to those games. Good Luck. I will continue to root for the Bears because the players deserve the support in coming here and playing at Berkeley.
"I did not understand the extension of Wilcox."
It's unheard of.
He showed promise, but the edge he brought has slowly been minimized. He's gone down, not up. Subtracting two years for the COVID bullshit, still leaves him with five years of downward progress. There's still a sliver of hope for this season, but.....
Perhaps there are other coaches in other programs that have currently or in the past been given such extensions, but not with the record he had when granted.
At the time, it seemed it would have been a setback to lose Wilcox to Oregon, however, as many have pointed out, JK hiring brings a whole uncertainty, with the exception of Mad Dog.
Recent history has not been kind to Bear fans but I’ve almost always have had a level of excitement before a game - especially for one against a ranked opponent. For the first time, I realized last night that I had no excitement. Was more just resigned to seeing more of the same. I told my wife prior to the start that I was just going to watch for a little while and then record the rest and spend the evening with her (didn’t realize how quickly that would occur). Anyway, I’ve never done that in close to 40 years as an alum. Very sad state of affairs.
What, watching a "Dom" session where the best squads of your team are crushed like a bug is not exciting?
Yeah, it's kind of like an execution without the Roman fanfare.
Wow. So you are saying that for 40 years your wife has spent her Saturdays, in the fall, all alone. I bet she is wishing that Wilcox stays around for the next 40!!
Yeah, kind of sad but she’s says I’m a little scary to be around during Cal football and basketball. Either the current state of affairs or Zoloft is changing that.
Not to butt in, but that does seem like a personal issue that might be smart to address through therapy or meditation. A sports game shouldn't cause you to become "scary"
Thanks for the concern. I did try meditating this morning and focused on why Cal sucks so bad - it made me really fucking angry.