Studies Show Loss of 2020 College Football Season Could Cost Billions
As the nation begins an attempt to slowly return to some sort of normalcy, whatever that may now be, professional and college sports are hoping to return as well. As Major League Baseball, the NBA, NHL and NFL all wrestle with ways to either resume or begin their seasons several studies have been done on college athletics...specifically football.
Any limited schedules or cancellations would have a massive economic impact on not just the schools involved but college athletics overall. In one such study compiled by ESPN Patrick Rishe who is the director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis says no football would be a financial disaster
According to ESPN Rishe did a study centering on 65 Power 5 schools. These are top of the line football programs in five major football conferences comprised of: The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeast Conference (SEC). According to Rishe's report the Power 5 schools could lose over $4 billion dollars in football revenue.
ESPN writers Mark Schlabach and Paula Lavigne report that Rishe's estimate includes a loss of $1.2 billion dollars in lost ticket revenue. Added to that would be tens of millions of dollars lost in concessions, corporate sponsorships and local and network broadcasting revenues.
According to more information in the ESPN story in a study done by Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications public Power 5 athletic departments average half of their operating revenue from football. Oregon State athletics director Scott Barnes states in the article that 75 to 85 percent of athletics department revenue is directly attributed to football.
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