AD Barry Alvarez said that UW will not put finances ahead of the health and safety of student-athletesGETTY IMAGES
The Univ. of Wisconsin athletic department is "anticipating a revenue loss" of at least $60M for the '20-21 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Todd Milewski of the WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL. If the financially lucrative football season is canceled entirely, the revenue impact "could be greater" than $100M. A UW athletic department spokesperson "provided written statements saying that it is 'highly likely' that UW will have to use a reserve fund to cover losses this fiscal year." The school's operating budget "calls for spending" of about $139M. But in an interview Tuesday, AD Barry Alvarez said that UW "won’t put finances ahead of the health and safety of players during the pandemic." Alvarez added that the athletic department will "work with campus officials to determine how many -- if any -- fans would be allowed to watch Badgers home games in person." UW said that it "didn’t have to tap into an operating reserve fund held at the UW Foundation to cover a projected deficit" of around $2.5M for FY '19-20 that ended June 30. But that "probably will change this year" (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 7/23).
