Athletic Dept deficits

[acoustimac]

If OU has a deficit like this, what must it be like at other institutions who are paying out the nose to be competitive? Iowa is carrying a 230 million deficit but at least is generating profit the past couple of years. ISU is working with an annual 25 million deficit. How long can athletic departments maintain these losses? Reminds me of what bankrupted the USSR in the arms race.

Oklahoma's athletics department reports $43.7 million deficit for 2025 fiscal year, Sooners' 1st in SEC — 247Sports

NORMAN — Oklahoma's athletics department reported a deficit during the 2025 fiscal year for the first time in at least two decades.

apple.news

 

[ZorkClone]

I think a lot of athletic departments don’t really care about deficit because they know their university and/or state will have to pick up the tab if it comes down to it.

The fact that so many popular sports teams are tied to government institutions is ultimately very strange when you step back.

 

[psycln11]

Reading the article, OU knew it was going to be a one-time thing. Their distribution from the Big 12 was reduced due to the early exit and they weren't eligible for full payment from the SEC yet.

 

[acoustimac]

Reading the article, OU knew it was going to be a one-time thing. Their distribution from the Big 12 was reduced due to the early exit and they weren't eligible for full payment from the SEC yet.

They are still only showing a future surplus (based on current spending levels) of 2.5 to 3 million a year. That means if they apply everything to the deficit they will still be under for the next 15 years with no interest being addressed.

 

[CyDude16]

While things don’t look like rainbows for Iowa State currently, there are quite a few p4 athletic departments that are in way worse shape.

 

[ClonerJams]

Did I hear that Ohio State had to take a loan? If Ohio State has to borrow even more money then everyone is screwed.

 

[Bader]

The only reason Iowa State got stuck as the poster child for poor Athletic Departments is that Pollard will be honest with people when asked. Every other AD will ignore all this stuff until their hand is forced by FOIA disclosures

 

[JEFF420]

AI purge is needed in these depts.... its gotta be coming.

too much spending and finally the actual labor is being paid

 

[HouClone]

The only reason Iowa State got stuck as the poster child for poor Athletic Departments is that Pollard will be honest with people when asked. Every other AD will ignore all this stuff until their hand is forced by FOIA disclosures

Yeah, seen a lot of boards and media saying Iowa State won't make the super league cut and/or won't be able to compete in the NIL era because they are broke. All this based on Pollard's comments.

 

[iowastatefan1929]

This might be one of the most complacent times in history regarding debt.

 

[Cloneon]

I know this is the world we live in now. Research the whole history of 'debt' and you'll be astounded at it's origins and orchestrated control of our world.

 

[cysmiley]

Was looking for a place to put this rant, wife read an Athletic article about the Iowa legislature voting to offer to build a stadium for the Chicago Bears with Iowa Tax money to lure them from Illinois/Indiana, (think the last NFL stadium built was in the multible BILLIONS) lmao. Yet we can't use taxpayer money to support our D1 existing programs to be competitive. Think I'll just have to empty my brain for today

 

[Trice]

Was looking for a place to put this rant, wife read an Athletic article about the Iowa legislature voting to offer to build a stadium for the Chicago Bears with Iowa Tax money to lure them from Illinois/Indiana, (think the last NFL stadium built was in the multible BILLIONS) lmao. Yet we can't use taxpayer money to support our D1 existing programs to be competitive. Think I'll just have to empty my brain for today

That is 100% a stunt and isn't worth the attention it took either of us to type these posts.

 

[VeloClone]

Was looking for a place to put this rant, wife read an Athletic article about the Iowa legislature voting to offer to build a stadium for the Chicago Bears with Iowa Tax money to lure them from Illinois/Indiana, (think the last NFL stadium built was in the multible BILLIONS) lmao. Yet we can't use taxpayer money to support our D1 existing programs to be competitive. Think I'll just have to empty my brain for today

So very stupid. Yes you may lure away a team by building them a stadium. However you better be prepared to drop that $2-4 Billion every couple of decades to keep the team - and that number needs to be increased by much more than inflation as owners demand more and more. Also if you have a small population like Iowa your efforts might still not be enough as ownership expects a lot of expenditures by the fanbase to keep them afloat.

You might lure them for the life of a stadium, but I doubt you will ever be able to keep them.

 

[theshadow]

That is 100% a stunt and isn't worth the attention it took either of us to type these posts.

Those are the kinds of bills that get introduced (so someone can use them as a PR stunt) but have 0% chance of advancing. There are dozens of them every session, like "take counties from Illinois" and "force UNI and ISU to do annual feasibility reports about adding baseball."

 

[Cycsk]

So what is the ISU deficit this year? How much of the $20.5 million in revenue sharing is coming from reserves?

 

[dirtfarmer]

If you look at ISU financial numbers(and many other D1 schools), Football and Mens basketball can carry their own weight even in the modern NIL era.

The problem isn't NIL, it is asking the athletic department to support all the other money-losing sports that are really only around to support the broader university. Universities as a whole have become accustomed to the recruitment and alumni engagement benefits of athletics, but they don't want to pay for them. They want it for free, carried on the back of football and men's BB.

 

[Cycsk]

If you look at ISU financial numbers(and many other D1 schools), Football and Mens basketball can carry their own weight even in the modern NIL era.

The problem isn't NIL, it is asking the athletic department to support all the other money-losing sports that are really only around to support the broader university. Universities as a whole have become accustomed to the recruitment and alumni engagement benefits of athletics, but they don't want to pay for them. They want it for free, carried on the back of football and men's BB.

As football programs move toward reliance on "general managers," I suspect that some of the internal inequities are going to become a much bigger issue for institutions.

 

[qwerty]

Alabama doesn't have a deficit thanks to football.

 

[isufbcurt]

So what is the ISU deficit this year? How much of the $20.5 million in revenue sharing is coming from reserves?

The 2025 Fiscal Year isn't over until 6/30/26 so we don't officially know yet