Budget should be considered in context of revenue
by fortune_smith (2020-06-07 14:33:41)
Edited on 2020-06-07 14:52:59

In reply to: Despite Brown having triple the sports I can almost...  posted by FL_Irish


While relative number of sports does not comment on budget sizes, it does provide valuable context for an out-sized commitment to athletics, both on an absolute basis and a net-cost basis.

The only two D1 schools near the Ivies' zip code in number of sports are Stanford and Ohio State.

Athletic programs consume 15-20% of admissions slots at most Ivies. (Versus probably about 1% at Ohio St. And it will be far, far lower than the 15-20% at Vandy, which is similar in size and national academic ranking to Brown.)

Of course Brown's budget is smaller than Vandy's (and other P5 athletic departments). For starters, Vandy is operating with an SEC budget in football and basketball. They also have one of the top baseball programs in the country, so good that baseball has actually become a revenue sport. Additionally, athletic scholarships are part of the athletic budget at Vandy, whereas athletes' financial aid is part of the financial aid budget at the Browns of the world.

The bottom line is that Brown and its Ivy peers generate virtually no athletic revenue, so their departments, even run in many respects on a shoestring budget, operate at enormous losses. In contrast, Vandy's is probably a net generator for the university.