After reading an NCAA report cited in today’s Wall Street Journal (here) about the revenues generated by college sports—Executive Summary: At the big schools football and basketball make money, everything else loses—I decided to dig a little deeper and see how golf does when it comes to college economics.
Answer? Not too well.
At Division I-A schools (the big ones), golf definitely loses money. Men’s programs generate $60,000 in revenue and have expenses of $337,000; women’s programs do even worse, generating $41,000 while costing $397,000. Costs are mostly salaries and travel—the latter more than the former judging by other charts in the report that give an idea how much golf coaches are paid; let’s just say it’s a lot less than the football coaches make. (All numbers are median values for fiscal year 2008.)
But golf is hardly the worst offender. Even at these big schools, baseball loses more than $700,000, gymnastics more than $400,000, soccer nearly $600,000. In fact, in men’s D-1A, only fencing and rifle lose less; skiing is about the same. The cost comparisons for women’s programs are similar.
At schools with smaller football programs (this being an NCAA report, football is the acceptable definer), golf still loses money, but so does everything else—including football and basketball! Again, men’s golf loses less than women’s golf, and they both lose less than all sports except women’s equestrian, fencing, men’s gymnastics, rifle, men’s volleyball, and water polo.
At Division 1 schools without football (yes, they do exist), no sports make money. Men’s golf loses $151,000; women’s golf $170,000. The usual other minor sports lose less, plus on the women’s side golf loses more money than bowling and synchronized swimming. Well, I should hope so!
Couple that information with the news earlier this week that the cost of higher education continues to soar and one begins to wonder just how much longer golf, and many other sports, will remain on college schedules. Think about that as you watch the athletic factories like USC, Notre Dame, and Florida this fall. Rah!
