I think this is essentially right. In terms of Athletic Department funding, Cal has (correctly, probably) decided that it is a Football School, in that Football success will drive revenue to make up for the cost drag of sponsoring so many other NCAA teams.
MBB, while it might bring in revenue, is more trying not to _lose_ money than it is…
I think this is essentially right. In terms of Athletic Department funding, Cal has (correctly, probably) decided that it is a Football School, in that Football success will drive revenue to make up for the cost drag of sponsoring so many other NCAA teams.
MBB, while it might bring in revenue, is more trying not to _lose_ money than it is to make money. You want success, sure, but more for secondary effects -- prestige, fan/alumni engagement, etc. that eventually loop back into driving revenue long-term. Year-to-year, while making money would be nice, the primary directive is to not get too far into the red.
That's sort of the play for many of the other sports as well, such as rugby and water polo, which are trying to parlay on-field success into funding endowments that let those sports thrive while being basically self-sufficient from a revenue perspective.
I think this is essentially right. In terms of Athletic Department funding, Cal has (correctly, probably) decided that it is a Football School, in that Football success will drive revenue to make up for the cost drag of sponsoring so many other NCAA teams.
MBB, while it might bring in revenue, is more trying not to _lose_ money than it is to make money. You want success, sure, but more for secondary effects -- prestige, fan/alumni engagement, etc. that eventually loop back into driving revenue long-term. Year-to-year, while making money would be nice, the primary directive is to not get too far into the red.
That's sort of the play for many of the other sports as well, such as rugby and water polo, which are trying to parlay on-field success into funding endowments that let those sports thrive while being basically self-sufficient from a revenue perspective.