Coyle says changes could be coming to Gopher sports department

[short ornery norwegian]

AD Mark Coyle recently made a budget presentation to the U of M Board of Regents. According to Marcus Fuller in the Strib, Coyle said the new revenue sharing for athletes will impact the overall sports program.

How the Gophers plan to distribute NIL payments and revenue sharing for athletes was a hot topic for athletics director Mark Coyle on Wednesday during his annual presentation to the University Board of Regents.

"There's no doubt there's going to be some financial pressures as we try to navigate the new chapter of college athletics," Coyle said on a video call to the regents. "We'll have to take a hard look at all of our sports and what we provide our student athletes."

For Olympic sports, the Gophers are likely to focus on more regional nonconference traveling. They'll slow down on new facilities projects, Coyle said. He spoke previously about possible scholarship reduction.

"I think you can see in our Olympic sports, for example, some of the experiences our student athletes have might look different," Coyle said Wednesday. "All programs are trying to figure out how to manage the back payments for the House settlement and how to determine the revenue share model moving forward."

In 2020, the U eliminated men's gymnastics, men's tennis, and men's indoor track and field to save money and for Title IX compliance. Coyle was asked Wednesday by U regent Mary Turner specifically about anticipating more sports cuts.
In response, Coyle said: "As we face these new challenges, ideally when you look at our 22 sports programs, we need to focus on what we provide our student athletes. I think it's going to look different."

The Gophers' anticipated balanced budget for 2023-24 is $135 million, which ranked 10th out of 14 Big Ten teams.

* The Gophers' projected budget for 2024-25 is $150 million, which is expected to rank 14th out of 18 Big Ten teams (after expansion).

 

[HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving]

I think it would be interesting if the change was, going forward coaches salarys will be based on a percentage of revenue their team generates.

Thurston Howell would call it a capital idea.

 

[Flecknation]

weird how we were 10 out of 14 last year and this year we have dropped to the 14th spot even with a 15 million increase. Other school have increased their budget tremendously why are we falling so far behind.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

These kinds of decisions, not going to be easy.

 

[NextYear_76]

weird how we were 10 out of 14 last year and this year we have dropped to the 14th spot even with a 15 million increase. Other school have increased their budget tremendously why are we falling so far behind.

The four new schools bring in more money. Not sure if UCLA is greater in revenue or if one of old Big Ten schools passed us. Comes down to weaker revenue streams from football and basketball

 

[fmlizard]

This is part of the grand American tradition of consolidation of resources into the hands of a few winners while everyone else loses out.

I get that consumers happen to prefer college football to college wrestling, but it still sucks for the student-athletes who work just as hard at a less TV-popular sport.

 

[LesBolstad]

Adios baseball in a couple years

 

[hungan1]

It's trickle-up economics. The richer schools and the richer programs get their lion's share. The rest fight for the scraps like a Roman feast. I expect more cuts in non-revenue-generating sports programs.

 

[Crosby]

I might be in minority here, but I have never really cared at all about the non-revenue sports at U of MN. That does not mean I think the athletes work any less in rowing than they do in football, or that I don't respect their abilities. But the university does not owe it to anyone to maintain these programs at the same level. Make them club sports or whatever. Very few people would notice. I didn't even recall that the U had cut men's track and field until it was posted above.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

This is part of the grand American tradition of consolidation of resources into the hands of a few winners while everyone else loses out.

I get that consumers happen to prefer college football to college wrestling, but it still sucks for the student-athletes who work just as hard at a less TV-popular sport.

I am not minimizing how hard these people work but why does it suck?

I know the club rugby players also work their ass off and really enjoy their sport.

 

[dinkything]

This is part of the grand American tradition of consolidation of resources into the hands of a few winners while everyone else loses out.

You make a valid point, @fmlizard.... and I suppose it's fair to say that this grand American tradition has served our nation very well over the past 248 years.

 

[GopherMarroon]

Tough. Gophers don't have 500 programs to ax. Where could it hit?

Not football, not hockey men and women, not basketball men and women, not something women to offset the football scholarships... where does it come from?

It's a budget knife fight.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Grandpa Delver was big on tumbling at the u.

 

[GopherMarroon]

Tough. Gophers don't have 500 programs to ax. Where could it hit?

Not football, not hockey men and women, not basketball men and women, not something women to offset the football scholarships... where does it come from?

It's a budget knife fight.

I just remembered. I think the dance team that is a national power offsets some of those football scholarships. And volleyball. Football has a lot of scholarships that need to be gender balanced. Sports are to serve the students. Who are the students?

Here are the rest, I think.

Any coming off would be basically 1 men and 1 women or a combined gender sport. I think, not an expert.

Men's Swimming
Women's Ice Hockey
Men's Diving
Women's Diving
Men's Lacrosse
Men's Ice Hockey
Women's Ice Hockey
Men's Track
Football
Men's Basketball
Men's Golf
Men's Ice Hockey
Softball
Women's Basketball
Women's Golf
Women's Rowing
Women's Soccer
Women's Swimming
Women's Tennis
Women's Volleyball
Wrestling
Baseball
Cheerleading
Women's Gymnastics
Women's Track

 

[WAGopher]

Adios baseball in a couple years

Unfortunately, I think you’re right. I love Gopher baseball, but unless they find significant sponsors, it’s going to be hard to keep the team.

 

[dinkything]

Tough. Gophers don't have 500 programs to ax. Where could it hit?

Not football, not hockey men and women, not basketball men and women, not something women to offset the football scholarships... where does it come from?

Didn't Chris Voelz say, "if you can't measure it (or if you can't count it), then it's a big nothing burger"... or something to that effect?

I'd have to see how the U's scholarship #'s compare, side-by-side... men's vs. women's...

The three men's revenue generating sports - football, ice hockey, and basketball - would be safe, as would most/all of the women's sports.

But every non-revenue generating men's sport would likely be in the cross hairs.

Hopefully, baseball and wrestling would still have a home at the U

 

[60's Guy]

Adios baseball in a couple years

Men's Lacrosse seems like they should just volunteer to become self funded.
Men's Diving...every dollar counts is the refrain I'm hearing.
Seriously, Is cutting sports really going to make any significant impact?

Do we really need over 100 people beyond coaches to be employed full time in the sports department. Does our AD really need to make $1.4 million dollars? It's a job somebody could probably do a better job of making $1.2 million less. $200,000 is a decent wage to go to games for a living. I have been a high school AD, it is not even like work if you like sports and working with kids.

Lots of things to trim beyond sports teams.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Baseball has mucho $ in DTA.

 

[fmlizard]

You make a valid point, @fmlizard.... and I suppose it's fair to say that this grand American tradition has served our nation very well over the past 248 years.

Not really. For starters, the current economic environment has not persisted since the founding of the nation. Throughout most of modern American history taxes on the wealthy and on corporations have been much higher. In the 50s, 60s, 70s the top tax rates for individuals were about 2x what they are today, with fewer loopholes to exploit. I'm told how great the 50s and 60s were for the middle class but nobody seems to want to go back to the tax structures of that time.

Today we have rampant and rising inequality in the USA. CEOs make an all-time record multiple of their workers's pay. 7 companies comprise 35% of the S&P500. Nearly all economic gains have gone to the top 10-20% in recent decades, and only in the last couple years has the bottom started catching up due to a tight labor market.

And the real irony is how rural America has become a political monoculture, griping endlessly about "elites" and being left behind and how hard it is to make it economically. Then they go vote for a party that is still all about brutal social Darwinism, zero social safety net, rich-get-richer, and economically supports people like me far more than it does them.

 

[fmlizard]

I am not minimizing how hard these people work but why does it suck?

I know the club rugby players also work their ass off and really enjoy their sport.

It sucks if you are on a varsity team that used to give scholarships and you don't get one now. It sucks if the whole program dissolves because there's no money for coaches or travel.

It really sucks when your scholarship money went to buy a new Corvette for a freshman lineman who still ends up transferring out.

Programs will die all over college sports to pay for football and men's basketball.

I also believe Title IX will be killed if Trump wins in November. So there goes a bunch of women's programs too. I predict that by 2030 the U will have about half as many scholarship sports teams as it does today.

 

[disco]

Unfortunately, I think you’re right. I love Gopher baseball, but unless they find significant sponsors, it’s going to be hard to keep the team.

I think college baseball has been on its way to becoming a regional game in the SE and California for some time now.

 

[1983]

I think it would be interesting if the change was, going forward coaches salarys will be based on a percentage of revenue their team generates.

Thurston Howell would call it a capital idea.

That is loosely how it is figured now. Officially setting a commission for sales in coaching will not work.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Why would anyone want to be an AD at a school in the bottom half of revenue in a conference?

Revenue producing sport fans get mad at you if you pay any attention to the non-revenue sports.

Non-revenue (I call most of them niche) fans get mad enough to sue you if you cut their sport.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

But the university does not owe it to anyone to maintain these programs at the same level.

Agreed. There is no God given right to play intercollegiate sports especially on a full ride. In fact, there is no particular reason why universities have to maintain sports teams at all. It's just tradition in the USA. Take basketball for example. Europe, parts of Asia, and South America produce a very large number of professional basketball players without using this system. Although more professional baseball players attend college than in decades past, major league baseball traditionally has not relied on this system for developing players.

If some sports produce large revenues and the universities are pressured into distributing some of those funds to athletes generating those revenues, I see nothing wrong with cutting unprofitable sports.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Agreed. There is no God given right to play intercollegiate sports especially on a full ride. In fact, there is no particular reason why universities have to maintain sports teams at all. It's just tradition in the USA. Take basketball for example. Europe, parts of Asia, and South America produce a very large number of professional basketball players without using this system. Although more professional baseball players attend college than in decades past, major league baseball traditionally has not relied on this system for developing players.

If some sports produce large revenues and the universities are pressured into distributing some of those funds to athletes generating those revenues, I see nothing wrong with cutting unprofitable sports.

I gotta believe schools could monetize the student body….In Some adult fashion

 

[Gophers1992]

Men's Lacrosse seems like they should just volunteer to become self funded.
Men's Diving...every dollar counts is the refrain I'm hearing.
Seriously, Is cutting sports really going to make any significant impact?

Do we really need over 100 people beyond coaches to be employed full time in the sports department. Does our AD really need to make $1.4 million dollars? It's a job somebody could probably do a better job of making $1.2 million less. $200,000 is a decent wage to go to games for a living. I have been a high school AD, it is not even like work if you like sports and working with kids.

Lots of things to trim beyond sports teams.

Don't you think if the U could find a better AD for $200k they would do that? They're not paying Mark Coyle because they just like him that much, it's what the market commands.

I won't pretend to have AD experience at any level, but to suggest that Coyle just "goes to games for a living" and that the job of a high school AD is in the same world as a Big Ten AD is just laughable.

 

[Gophers1992]

I might be in minority here, but I have never really cared at all about the non-revenue sports at U of MN. That does not mean I think the athletes work any less in rowing than they do in football, or that I don't respect their abilities. But the university does not owe it to anyone to maintain these programs at the same level. Make them club sports or whatever. Very few people would notice. I didn't even recall that the U had cut men's track and field until it was posted above.

Yeah not that my opinion matters, but if everything besides Mens and Women's hockey, football, basketball, and baseball were cut I wouldn't bat an eye. I would certainly feel for those students and fans, but if some trimming is what has to happen then so be it.

 

[Word]

Don't you think if the U could find a better AD for $200k they would do that? They're not paying Mark Coyle because they just like him that much, it's what the market commands.

I won't pretend to have AD experience at any level, but to suggest that Coyle just "goes to games for a living" and that the job of a high school AD is in the same world as a Big Ten AD is just laughable.

I will also add... I know a couple of current and former high school ADs. It is way more than just going to games and has to be one of the more underappreciated jobs in a school. It is countless hours and you have to listen to a lot of adults complaining because Johnny didn't get enough playing time, coach's gripes, etc. If you're at a big metro school it's a big job.

 

[Gophers1992]

I will also add... I know a couple of current or former high school ADs. It is way more than just going to games and has to be one of the more underappreciated jobs in a school. It is countless hours and you have to listen to a lot of adults complaining because Johnny didn't get enough playing time, coach's gripes, etc. If you're at a big metro school it's a big job.

Yeah I was going to say it's been a while since I was involved in HS sports but I remember my AD working pretty hard, and as you mentioned, facing the brunt of a lot of parent BS.

 

[Ope3]

I will also add... I know a couple of current or former high school ADs. It is way more than just going to games and has to be one of the more underappreciated jobs in a school. It is countless hours and you have to listen to a lot of adults complaining because Johnny didn't get enough playing time, coach's gripes, etc. If you're at a big metro school it's a big job.

Yeah I was going to say it's been a while since I was involved in HS sports but I remember my AD working pretty hard, and as you mentioned, facing the brunt of a lot of parent BS.

A friend of mine went from being a Head Coach (tremendous long term success) to an AD.

I asked how it was going in Year 1. His response was, "Instead of having to put up with the players' parents of 1 sports team, I now have to deal with 17."