Football is the cash cow for OSU athletics, bringing in $115.1M of the department’s $210.5M in FY '19GETTY IMAGES
Ohio State AD Gene Smith believes that the fiscal fallout from the coronavirus will "prove more impactful than the one from the Great Recession" of the late '00s and the early '10s, according to Joey Kaufman of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. Though boasting one of the largest departments in the nation, Ohio State is "unlikely to be immune from the financial challenges confronting the college sports industry in the coming months." Smith still expects the department’s budget to “end up in a good spot” when this FY ends June 30, even though it finished in the red in the previous reporting year. OSU will be "spared from expenses that can add up during a busy spring sports season," but challenges "persist beyond this summer." Football is the "cash cow for an athletic department that is self-sufficient." In FY '19, the program brought in $115.1M of the department’s $210.5M. Ohio State fields "more teams than nearly all of their peers" with 36, and the school pours "significant resources" into non-revenue programs. If fall’s football games are "canceled, postponed or even held with a reduced capacity, the athletic department would be left without millions of dollars." Smith said that the department had "crafted a budget" for FY '21 that "takes place under 'normal circumstances.'" Smith did "not forecast a decline in revenue because other contingency plans had yet to be developed." To help recover from a shortfall, Smith said that the department is "prepared to lean on" its roughly $10.3M in reserves (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 4/13).
EMPTY STANDS? ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg noted Smith knows the "resumption of college sporting events in venues without fans is an option." But Smith said that he "needs more information from experts on how holding sporting events in empty stadiums or arenas would ensure the health of student-athletes." Smith: "When I first heard that, I said, 'OK, that could work.' But I figured if we don't have fans in the stands, we've determined it's not safe for them in a gathering environment. So why would it be safe for the players?" Rittenberg noted Smith and other Big Ten ADs have had "daily conference calls" with Commissioner Kevin Warren. They have discussed "return-to-play protocols but not the potential models" for the '20 football season, which include a "later start date and a shortened schedule, playing in empty stadiums, or not starting the season" until '21. Smith said having football games without crowds would cause a "major impact" for Ohio State and the area's economy. However, he said that any decisions about large gatherings "would be made by medical experts and government officials" (ESPN.com, 4/10).
