I know, I know, but seriously… Bring Back Baseball

[AppleCornCy]

The sport is growing. Find a way to make it work.

 

[packattack425]

That should help our financial situation…

 

[83Clone]

chances were less than zero even before eliminating women's gymnastics. After that, you have a better chance of winning the lottery

 

[MartyFine]

The sport is growing. Find a way to make it work.

I imagine if you donated 5-10 million and paid for a new ballpark that JP would entertain that idea.

 

[AllInForISU]

There a reason even high school baseball in Iowa doesn’t play in the spring. It’s a horrible spring sport in Iowa.

 

[jdoggivjc]

I imagine if you donated 5-10 million and paid for a new ballpark that JP would entertain that idea.

would probably have to pay for the womens' sport(s) to offset it (assuming Title IX is a concern)

 

[Cyfan1965]

As long as it is not a women's sport JP would be all in.

 

[KennyPratt42]

I imagine if you donated 5-10 million and paid for a new ballpark that JP would entertain that idea.

I think a donation would need to be closer to the $100m mark.

I can't really imagine facilities that would make us low level competitive costing less that $25m (probably $50m+ for what we actually need given our climate). Then another $50m to endow the program to pay for a big chunk of the operating expenses every year. Anything less than that would either result in a program that isn't competitive, is pulling money from other existing sports, or both. Honestly, I'm not even sure if $100m upfront would be enough to give us a completive team without significantly effecting the rest of the department.

 

[Drew0311]

I remember when we had baseball and we had like 3 fans show up. 99 percent of the people at the game were the parents and they didn't even show up to every game. So there were like 20 people at the game. Now all of the sudden 100's of fans want it back. So dumb.

 

[AppleCornCy]

I imagine if you donated 5-10 million and paid for a new ballpark that JP would entertain that idea.

It would take leadership that can think outside the box, for sure.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

would probably have to pay for the womens' sport(s) to offset it (assuming Title IX is a concern)

And cover the travel bill for them to spend 6 weeks down south every year.

 

[AppleCornCy]

I remember when we had baseball and we had like 3 fans show up. 99 percent of the people at the game were the parents and they didn't even show up to every game. So there were like 20 people at the game. Now all of the sudden 100's of fans want it back. So dumb.

We’re one of only like four power conference team that don’t have it. Over 300 Division 1 teams have baseball. North Dakota State does.

 

[NetflixAndClone]

I hate that i had to use AI but i asked it how many schools make a profit off baseball:

The honest answer is: very few. The vast majority of D1 college baseball programs operate at a loss. Here's a breakdown of what the data shows:

The overall picture is bleak for profitability. Athletic expenses surpass revenues at the overwhelming majority of Division I programs. Baseball is no exception — it's largely considered a "non-revenue" sport alongside things like soccer, wrestling, and tennis.

Even the elite programs barely break even. Looking at some of the top programs, the D1 men's baseball team at LSU made about $6 million in revenue while incurring about $5.98 million in expenses, for a yearly profit of only around $84,000. TCU took home about $6.4 million in revenue and paid out $6.39 million in expenses, for a yearly profit of just $17,379. These are among the best programs in the country, and their margins are razor-thin.

Most programs spend very little and generate even less. Just 23.3% of NCAA baseball programs averaged at least $500,000 in annual operating expenses. Nearly half of NCAA baseball programs averaged less than $250,000 in annual expenses. Programs spending that little are unlikely to be generating meaningful ticket or media revenue.

Baseball is a small slice of athletic budgets. Overall, baseball makes up roughly 6% of overall university athletic operating expenses based on a recent five-year sample.

The broader D1 context: While certain programs within the Power 4 conferences — such as football and men's basketball — can generate significant profits, beyond those high-profile programs, many sports operate at a loss or break even at best.

In short, out of roughly 300 D1 baseball programs, only a small handful — likely fewer than 20 to 30, mostly in the SEC, Big 12, and other power conferences — come close to breaking even or turning a modest profit. Most programs are subsidized by their universities, relying on institutional support, student fees, and revenue from football and basketball to stay afloat.

I am willing to bet Iowa State would not make money like K state and Kansas.

Kansas State: The K-State baseball program brought in $261,018 in revenue but paid out $2,725,681 in total expenses, meaning the program lost $2,464,663.

Kansas: KU brought in $461,180 in revenue from its baseball program while paying out $2,615,961 in expenses, resulting in a loss of $2,154,781.

So both programs are losing roughly $2-2.5 million per year on baseball alone. This is pretty typical for Big 12 schools that aren't in the traditional baseball hotbeds like the SEC or parts of the Big 12 South.

 

[Drew0311]

We’re one of only like four power conference team that don’t have it. Over 300 Division 1 teams have baseball. North Dakota State does.

So what. Why spend a ton of money on a sport that only would lose us money. We are trying to compete in sports that generate revenue to pay for themselves

 

[MartyFine]

We’re one of only like four power conference team that don’t have it. Over 300 Division 1 teams have baseball. North Dakota State does.

Colorado does not and has not since the 80s. Wisconsin dropped baseball at some point in the 90s. It's not coming back without some kind of significant donation.

 

[theshadow]

We’re one of only like four power conference team that don’t have it. Over 300 Division 1 teams have baseball. North Dakota State does.

So write the check.

 

[StClone]

So what. Why spend a ton of money on a sport that only would lose us money. We are trying to compete in sports that generate revenue to pay for themselves

You mean lose less money. I still think baseball would be awesome but will never be.

 

[AppleCornCy]

So what. Why spend a ton of money on a sport that only would lose us money. We are trying to compete in sports that generate revenue to pay for themselves

There are certain things a Division 1 program should just be able to do. I’ve got a Washington State baseball game on right now and they’re in much worse shape than we are.

 

[Drew0311]

There are certain things a Division 1 program should just be able to do. I’ve got a Washington State baseball game on right now and they’re in much worse shape than we are.

Yes and they suck at basketball and their football program is going to fall way off. So much so they are not even in a major conference any longer.

 

[Cyballzz]

We’re one of only like four power conference team that don’t have it. Over 300 Division 1 teams have baseball. North Dakota State does.

Good for North Dakota State. Maybe we could also join the Summit League so we could actually compete.

Also have a minor league team willing to build a stadium.