Cal AD Jim Knowlton detailed the challenges the school faces in reopening its $100M athletic department, with 30 sports and 750 athletes, and most crucially its football program, according to a Q&A with John Branch of the N.Y. TIMES. Below are excerpts from the Q&A:
Q: Can you say, honestly, that money was not a consideration (in returning to play football?)
Knowlton: We have a budget plan that allowed us to do everything we needed to do if we didn't have football. We have found a way to balance our numbers with a $55 million shortfall. ... For me to say I'm not cognizant of the financial implications would tell you I'm not a responsible leader. But that certainly did not drive our decisions.
Q: You had discussed taking out loans to cover budget deficits. Does this change that?
Knowlton: We had worked through all of our numbers -- the cuts we've made, the salary reductions, the reductions in our operational budget, and some of the other pieces -- and it looked like roughly a $20 million loan was what we were going to look for. Depending on how much we receive from our TV partners, it could be no loan at all, if, in fact, we get $20-plus million from our TV partners.
Q: How will playing football impact other budget items, like donations and sponsorships?
Knowlton: We had over a 91 percent season-ticket renewal rate. ... We've all been in limbo saying, well, if there's no football, here's the implication with our sponsors. That is what we're sorting out. ... Once we're down the road a week, and have had conversations with all of our partners, we'll start to be able to see exactly what the budget implications are of this decision (N.Y. TIMES, 9/28).
