Here is my take on the comments made by the AD. He is a highly intelligent person. He spent his first 4+ years of working in the Athletic Department under the tutelage of a master of BS, that being one James Tressel. I admire Tress, and am glad he is back at YSU as President. One of the things I admire about him is the way he mastered the art of BS. And, when he was AD/Head Football Coach at YSU, this served him well, since the local media never seemed interested in investigative journalism. So, if Tressel said something, that was the final word. End of story. Why would he ever say something that was not true?
Unfortunately for Tress, when he took the job at TOSU, he faced the scrutiny of a very hawkish Columbus media, plus an extremely hawkish National Media.
I'd like to issue a challenge to the local media, with this including ALL the people who get media passes to games and press conferences, not just the Vindy, Tribune and TV Stations. There is something called the Freedom of Information Act. Use this to find the ACTUAL FACTS on how much YSU made off the 3 OOC home games last season, both Net and Gross. Then, find out how much YSU has made off the "money games", Net and Gross.
Also, due to the Freedom of Information Act, the financial data for other PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES is accessible. So, contact the schools and use other media contacts to find out how much said schools make from playing 2 FBS opponents. Again, net and gross.
Also, find out how big a traveling party YSU takes to the FBS games. Do they go by bus or plane? If they go by plane, what is the difference in cost between air and charter bus. Check the travel costs for ALL away games. The only games where traveling by bus can be deemed a necessity is when playing the Dakota Schools. The other teams in MVFC can be done by bus. Yes, it would be a long ride. But, from what I understand, several of thee schools require a 1-2 hour bus ride to get to after the plane lands at the airport into which the team flies. Also, the University and Athletic Department are at a point where ALL excessive costs need to be curtailed, and to be honest, I think the football program has lost their flying privileges to road games unless it is more cost efficient than going by bus. Even if going by bus only saves $5,000 - $10,000 per game, that would be $10,000 - $20,000 for this years 2 road games not in the Dakotas. Add in the Illinois game, and you have $15,000-$20,000. That is not chump change for a University and Athletic Department that needs to save every penny possible.
I understand budgets have been cut at the Vindy, Trib and local tv and radio stations. So, this can be a collaborative effort among the local media. And, why not use The News Outlet
http://www.thenewsoutlet.org/to help with the data collection? They do some really nice stories, and it would give students from YSU, Akron and Cuyahoga CC a chance to do investigative journalism.
For the professionals in the local media, this could be an opportunity to investigate the goings-on of the entire athletic department for neglect and wasteful spending. And, once done investigating the Athletic Department, then move on to the other departments on campus. The AD is now on record as saying YSU faces financial challenges other schools in the MVFC do not face. And, I believe that to be the case. I also seem to recall the number of people in administrative positions in the department being defended in the past by using the excuse the positions are justified to keep pace with other schools in the MFVC and HL. Seems to me that is wanting to have it both ways. The proverbial, having one's cake and eating it too
Why are people in the local media, and so many people in general willing to take the word of the AD? How do we know the $200,000 is not a figure he pulled out of thin air? I mean, $200,000 is a very exact dollar amount, and I have a hard time believing YSU nets $200,000 from every home game, irregardless to the number of people that actually attend the games. I understand loges are sold for an entire season. I understand tickets sold for games mean guaranteed revenue whether people with tickets attend the game or not. But, less people in attendance means less people paying to park. It means less people to buy items at the concession stands. Less people to buy programs and souvenir items. I'm not accusing the AD of a bold face lie. Rather, I'm saying it is highly possible he used a best case scenario to arrive at the $200,000 figure. Also highly likely he rounded up. So, the $200,000 might actually be $175,000.
