ADs feel canceling the college football season would have a devastating financial impactGETTY IMAGES
College ADs are "at least contemplating how their programs could endure the financial calamity" if the '20 college football season is somehow canceled, according to Mike Bianchi of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. Univ. of Florida AD Scott Stricklin said that from a "financial standpoint, if we're not playing football games in the fall, it will shake the foundation of college athletics." UCF AD Danny White said, "Financially, it would be devastating. ... I don't know what would happen or how it would play out if we didn't play football this fall." Bianchi noted ADs are "rightfully concerned about the long-term economic impact on their industry," but right now, college athletic departments are "actually saving money with non-revenue sports baseball, softball, golf and tennis shutting down." Stricklin said losing football would be a "game-changer." He added, "It's not just ticket revenue; it's the donations that go along with that. It's the sponsorship money that goes along with the idea that games are going to be played. And then there's the TV money. If there aren't games that are being broadcast, we probably aren't going to get TV money." White on UCF's concerns as a non-Power 5 program said, "We have a small amount of capital reserves, but they aren't significant enough where they would be a solution if we can’t make debt payments. We need to generate revenue from our football games to make the debt payments on our stadium" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/22).
THE SHOW MUST GO ON? In Dallas, Chuck Carlton wrote the "really dark cloud on the horizon is, what happens if impact of the coronavirus continues into August and beyond, impacting college football -- the lifeblood of the FBS conferences?" Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork said, "The whole model rises and falls based on football. If there’s no spectators maybe we can play, but if there's no spectators, the economics just don't work" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/22). Colorado State AD Joe Parker said, "The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, and how that might be disruptive to the NCAA distribution, that’s real. I’m glad we’re not in the fall sports time period, but who knows how long this goes and lingers?” (DENVER POST, 3/23).
