Bowling Green, Furman Eliminating Baseball

This is sad but not surprising. I would expect similar programs to follow suit. 

@adbono posted:

This is sad but not surprising. I would expect similar programs to follow suit. 

Transfer portal just got larger!

adbono,

you make some very good points.  Title IX will have some impacts.

2020 Player Distribution by State

2020 Player Distribution by Position

2020 Player Team Roster Insights

2020 Conference Record

Team Performance last 5 years

2019 EADA Report

2019 Budget

10 year baseball budget.

@TPM posted:

Transfer portal just got larger!

26 of the players were underclass.

Furman next. 

"in retaliation, Baseball Green cut bowling, effective immediately." 

Oh wow!  I think some of my son's baseball friends were looking at Furman.  

A local kid is a 2020 commit to Furman. He was just told that Furman has eliminated their baseball program. 

Didn’t see posts above. Sorry 

Chicago State also on the block, Board of Regents is voting today

I know budgets are tight, but I'm failing to see the economics here.  I read that BG said that they will save $500,000 per year by cutting baseball.  Lets say they lose 20 kids who were paying an average of $20,000 per year to attend (per Google).  So they lose $400,000 top line.  Net savings of $100,000.  Maybe they can fill the extra 20 slots?  Perhaps, but they were already accepting 73% of applicants...think most people who wanted to go there are already there.

Unfortunately my take is that the administrators will cut every expense they can to ensure that the minimum number of administrators are cut.

@adbono posted:

A local kid is a 2020 commit to Furman. He was just told that Furman has eliminated their baseball program. 

Ugh.  That is heartbreaking.  

Only men's sports cut at Furman.  Hmmm.  $ 700 million endowment, could not keep baseball.

@RossGA posted:

Only men's sports cut at Furman.  Hmmm.  $ 700 million endowment, could not keep baseball.

Expensive liberal arts colleges that did not make their enrollment numbers in this pandemic environment are going to have to make some hard financial decisions.  Furman was one of these:

https://www.nacacnet.org/collegeopenings

Perhaps they will need that endowment just to survive the next year or two.  I suspect others on this list (over 600, up 200 from last year) will be engaging in similar cost cutting over the summer.

@chazball posted:

Chicago State also on the block, Board of Regents is voting today

Absolute cellar dweller in the WAC....wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Nor I, but I point this out only to say that there will likely be a number more.  Cellar dwellers won't be the only casualties here.

@LuckyCat posted:

Expensive liberal arts colleges that did not make their enrollment numbers in this pandemic environment are going to have to make some hard financial decisions.  Furman was one of these:

https://www.nacacnet.org/collegeopenings

Perhaps they will need that endowment just to survive the next year or two.  I suspect others on this list (over 600, up 200 from last year) will be engaging in similar cost cutting over the summer.

This site you linked to is very interesting. Thank you.  I think the data on this site is 2019 still but if I am reading correctly there were 770 colleges/universities that didn't meet their enrollment numbers last year and as you point out Furman was one.  Do you think this is 2020 data?  

@chazball posted:

Chicago State also on the block, Board of Regents is voting today

Dropping baseball would drop them below the 6 male sports requirement for D1 status. They'd have to drop down to either D2 or D3. That is going to create a problem with the other athletes at the school and justifiably so. 

@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:

This site you linked to is very interesting. Thank you.  I think the data on this site is 2019 still but if I am reading correctly there were 770 colleges/universities that didn't meet their enrollment numbers last year and as you point out Furman was one.  Do you think this is 2020 data?  

According to this article, it's 2020 data:

https://www.insidehighered.com...-colleges-have-space

Also, the numbers will keep changing as more schools report, and some fill their class.  Some moved their deadline for making a deposit to June 1, so this may not be all the colleges that didn't initially make their enrollment target for the coming year.

There is a good series of posts on Twitter by Steve Dittmer (not sure who that is).  According to him Furman cut lacrosse as well as baseball.  The combined cuts affect 90 kids, or 1/11th of all male students on campus.  Based on students paying 30% of tuition, the revenue loss will be 3X the savings.  Huh?

Chicago State got a stay of execution until a meeting in June

Wow that was close?

Our guy was offered by then several weeks ago.

@K9 posted:

There is a good series of posts on Twitter by Steve Dittmer (not sure who that is).  According to him Furman cut lacrosse as well as baseball.  The combined cuts affect 90 kids, or 1/11th of all male students on campus.  Based on students paying 30% of tuition, the revenue loss will be 3X the savings.  Huh?

"Based on students paying 30% of tuition, the revenue loss will be 3X the savings."

This is really the math that needs to become more visible with high level administrators right now before the bloodbath proceeds.  You want to maintain your enrollment and tuition?  Be of the group of schools that keep their sports programs intact!

@cabbagedad posted:

"Based on students paying 30% of tuition, the revenue loss will be 3X the savings."

This is really the math that needs to become more visible with high level administrators right now before the bloodbath proceeds.  You want to maintain your enrollment and tuition?  Be of the group of schools that keep their sports programs intact!

Based upon what I heard, besides obvious financial reasons, Title IX had something to do with it.

For reasons that I have never understood, the powers that be at Furman have had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the baseball program for years.  There were rumors of the program being in serious danger around 10-12 years ago.  Then they had an influx of money and everything seemed alright for the last few years.  I'd take the Title IX stuff with a grain of salt.  If they're out of balance, they've been out of balance for years.  And we both know the current administration doesn't give a rat's behind about that kind of stuff.  I'm not saying Title IX wasn't implicated to some degree, especially with regard to the plan to cut 45 total scholarships across a number of programs over the next 5 years.  But, for someone to suggest that Title IX was a major factor (if that's what they're suggesting) in the elimination of baseball sounds like scapegoating to me.  

The Furman website has their explanation/spin on their decision.  https://furmanpaladins.com/new...18/general-test.aspx 

A couple of interesting things.  Per the article, the elimination of baseball and lacrosse will result in the elimination of 21 scholarships.  Baseball can fund up to 11.7, lacrosse 12.6, for a total of 24.3.  One, or both, programs was/were not fully funded.  Baseball was dividing their allotment amongst 35 guys, lacrosse 56.

There is also the following passage that I don't quite know what to make of:

Q.    Why is now the right time for Furman to make this decision?
A.    Furman has been in the process of developing a long-term strategy for athletics that included examining funding for the sports offered and reducing the number of unfunded scholarships.

The question is what do they mean by "unfunded scholarships?"  I have a theory/guess, but I would be curious to know what everyone else thinks they're really getting at here.  

@MTH posted:

 

...The question is what do they mean by "unfunded scholarships?"  I have a theory/guess, but I would be curious to know what everyone else thinks they're really getting at here.  

Definitely interesting phrasing.  I'm guessing that some scholarships are funded by directed donations, and those that aren't are deemed "unfunded"?  

@MTH posted:

The Furman website has their explanation/spin on their decision.  https://furmanpaladins.com/new...18/general-test.aspx 

A couple of interesting things...

I like this one the best. They made their own Q&A and didn't answer the question. Just exclude the question. Unreal

Q.    What is the employment status of the coaches in the impacted sports?  
A.    The Director of Athletics and the Office of Human Resources are working with the individual coaches to support them during this time.  

https://twitter.com/justinfeld...497457302355971?s=21
interview with BGSU HC. 

@PABaseball posted:

I like this one the best. They made their own Q&A and didn't answer the question. Just exclude the question. Unreal

Q.    What is the employment status of the coaches in the impacted sports?  
A.    The Director of Athletics and the Office of Human Resources are working with the individual coaches to support them during this time.  

I do believe they answered the question.  Let me rephrase the answer using direct language;  The Director of Athletics has fired the coaches and Human Resources is working on a separation agreement.

@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:

I do believe they answered the question.  Let me rephrase the answer using direct language;  The Director of Athletics has fired the coaches and Human Resources is working on a separation agreement.

I understood what they meant. Unfortunately they said all that without saying anything. 

@PABaseball posted:

I understood what they meant. Unfortunately they said all that without saying anything. 

That’s how administrators (and politicians) protect their jobs. 

As for the programs being cut - I don't agree. I don't think losing the money in tuition will make up the cost to run a program. Some guys will stay to finish their degrees, but they are going to lose about 25-30 paying customers. Even if all were in state, that is quite a bit of money out the window. Furman is private and expensive, I don't know how they justify that decision. 

On the other hand, we can get mad all we want about programs getting the axe, but baseball is a very expensive sport that doesn't make any money. 15 hotel rooms for 3 nights multiple times a year is not cheap. Airfare, coaches, facilities, etc. Bowling Green's first 5 series were all on the road with more to come. That is a lot of money being spent on a team that will take 4 years to win 50 games. In Furman's case, they've had 3 or 4 winning seasons in the past 15 years. 

This is not a knock on either program, but I bet if they were 36-20 there would be a different conversation. If you're a coach or an athletic director at a school struggling make the financial end work there has to be some change. Scheduling locally has to be the name of the game moving forward for these programs. 

@PABaseball posted:

As for the programs being cut - I don't agree. I don't think losing the money in tuition will make up the cost to run a program. Some guys will stay to finish their degrees, but they are going to lose about 25-30 paying customers. Even if all were in state, that is quite a bit of money out the window. Furman is private and expensive, I don't know how they justify that decision. 

On the other hand, we can get mad all we want about programs getting the axe, but baseball is a very expensive sport that doesn't make any money. 15 hotel rooms for 3 nights multiple times a year is not cheap. Airfare, coaches, facilities, etc. Bowling Green's first 5 series were all on the road with more to come. That is a lot of money being spent on a team that will take 4 years to win 50 games. In Furman's case, they've had 3 or 4 winning seasons in the past 15 years. 

This is not a knock on either program, but I bet if they were 36-20 there would be a different conversation. If you're a coach or an athletic director at a school struggling make the financial end work there has to be some change. Scheduling locally has to be the name of the game moving forward for these programs. 

I agree with much of what you posted and I am afraid we will hear about more universities and colleges cutting baseball. 

These are decisions that the Board of Directors have to make. I am sure that they take a lot of things into account when doing so.

Furman coaches have been told their compensation, which as of yet has not gone public.

@PABaseball posted:

As for the programs being cut - I don't agree. I don't think losing the money in tuition will make up the cost to run a program. Some guys will stay to finish their degrees, but they are going to lose about 25-30 paying customers. Even if all were in state, that is quite a bit of money out the window. Furman is private and expensive, I don't know how they justify that decision. 

On the other hand, we can get mad all we want about programs getting the axe, but baseball is a very expensive sport that doesn't make any money. 15 hotel rooms for 3 nights multiple times a year is not cheap. Airfare, coaches, facilities, etc. Bowling Green's first 5 series were all on the road with more to come. That is a lot of money being spent on a team that will take 4 years to win 50 games. In Furman's case, they've had 3 or 4 winning seasons in the past 15 years. 

This is not a knock on either program, but I bet if they were 36-20 there would be a different conversation. If you're a coach or an athletic director at a school struggling make the financial end work there has to be some change. Scheduling locally has to be the name of the game moving forward for these programs. 

PABaseball  here is info to your point. 

Question, do you think teams will go more toward a regional travel schedule for 2021 and 2022?

2020 Player Distribution by State

2019 Player Distribution by state

2018 Player Distribution by state

Wonder how far this will go for Bowling Green. Hate to see college baseball programs get axed without being given a chance to fight.

Interesting article in The State newspaper today regarding the Furman program.  According to the Athletic Director, Furman has been losing around $1,000,000 per year on it's baseball program.  Lacrosse was costing them $1,700,000.  Like many schools, their athletic program is funded primarily with student tuition.   In 2019 they only had $8000 in baseball ticket sales.  Sounds like change was already in the offing, but the program probably would have survived if not for Covid-19.

Some of the alumini have mounted an effort to try to save the program.  Based on the AD's comments, it seems unlikely that this will be successful because of the amount of money that would be necessary to create a foundation/fund to sustain the program. 

https://www.thestate.com/sport...link=hpdigest_sports

@MTH posted:

Interesting article in The State newspaper today regarding the Furman program.  According to the Athletic Director, Furman has been losing around $1,000,000 per year on it's baseball program.  Lacrosse was costing them $1,700,000.  Like many schools, their athletic program is funded primarily with student tuition.   In 2019 they only had $8000 in baseball ticket sales.  Sounds like change was already in the offing, but the program probably would have survived if not for Covid-19.

Some of the alumini have mounted an effort to try to save the program.  Based on the AD's comments, it seems unlikely that this will be successful because of the amount of money that would be necessary to create a foundation/fund to sustain the program. 

https://www.thestate.com/sport...link=hpdigest_sports

 

@MTH

Here are Furman's Baseball Budget for last 10 years

Following image will be tough to read embeded in this page.

Furman's 2019 Expense by Sport

What are the sources of the "revenues" listed?  Are they supposed to be ticket sales?  Concessions?  Booster club?  Student activity fees?  Would love to see a breakdown.