Univ. Of Hawaii Athletics Improves Annual Financials, But Still Running Under Deficit

Univ. of Hawaii athletics ran at a $1.7M deficit for FY '17, even with a combined $3.4M "infusion from the Legislature and the Manoa campus," according to a front-page piece by Ferd Lewis of the HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER. The $1.7M deficit for the year ending June 30 was cited in an audit as "progress," noting that the department -- which spends upward of $40M on a 21-team athletic program -- "has improved annual losses" from $4.2M in '15 to $3.2M in '16 to $1.7M in '17. The '17 numbers mark the "sixth consecutive year of deficits in the department and the eighth in the past 10 years." The current fiscal year, which ends June 30 and will include the '17 football season, also is "anticipated to run at a deficit despite new revenue agreements with Under Armour and Hawaiian Airlines and a multimedia rights deal" with IMG. But while UH was getting additional support from the Legislature and the Manoa campus, the audit said "support from booster organizations continued to decline and operating expenses continued to increase" (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 12/12).