Univ. of Minnesota AD Mark Coyle acknowledged that the school "might eventually need to cut sports," according to Megan Ryan of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Coyle said, "No doubt, everything is on the table." Ryan noted Minnesota has the eighth-biggest budget in the Big Ten, at $123M, yet "supports 25 sports programs, fourth most in the conference." Coyle: "I would argue we have maximized our revenue better than most across the country. So obviously we’re going to have to look at that." Minnesota Deputy AD & CFO Rhonda McFarland and Coyle in a presentation to school regents noted that UM was headed for a $1M surplus in February but "wound up" with a $4M loss through April. The athletic department already is "working toward a 'double-digit' percent reduction in each sport’s budget, encouraging regional travel for nonconference play and other travel savings." Coyle addressed the possibility of playing sports without fans in the stands, saying early on, "Many people were open to that concept." However, he said that now "more are 'pausing' on that idea." Ryan noted if Minnesota "can’t sell tickets to football, the big revenue-generating sport, or if they can’t even garner money from television broadcast deals, the effect on the athletic department would be severe" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/9).
LOOKING AT LOSS: In Minneapolis, Chip Scoggins notes the best-case scenario for Minnesota is a $14M "projected loss in revenue" in '20-21. The “moderate” scenario calculates a loss of $30M if sports "return in the fall without fans, or if there is a shortened season." McFarland said, "There are only a handful of athletic departments that could manage a $30 million loss." That "mounting revenue loss will force athletic departments to make the decisions they fear the most." Scoggins: "Do they maintain their same number of sports but reduce spending by squeezing budgets across the board? Or do they make the tough choice of eliminating some nonrevenue sports?" How football goes, "so go Coyle’s budget and budget decisions" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/11).
