Report: UAB Football To Be Reinstated By University President

Dan Regester10 years ago

A few months back, school President Ray Watts announced that the University of Alabama-Birmingham would be terminating the football program due to the institution not being able to financially support the program. After informing the team that they would not suit up in green and gold for the 2015-2016 season, players and coaches vented their disgust with Watts.

An independent study then challenged Watts’ claim that the program was simply not profitable, and found that reason to be utter bullshit.

From ESPN:

We find that the three sports in question did not cost the university anywhere near the $3.75 million indicated on UAB’s accounting statements,” wrote Dan Rascher and Andy Schwarz, partners of Bay Area firm OSKR. “Instead, after making the sort of adjustments suggested by the economics literature, we conclude that the three sports were effectively break-even to slightly positive. Football and bowling showed a modest positive return for 2013-14, the last year for which complete data was available. Rifle showed a deficit, but the three-sport balance was positive to the tune of $75,000.”

We conclude that going forward, anticipated improvement in ticket sales from 2013-14 levels and new College Football Playoff revenues will outpace new expenses from Cost of Attendance stipends and unlimited food allowances,” they wrote. “Once these new revenues and expenses kick in, we anticipate the aggregate annual surplus from football, bowling, and rifle would exceed $500,000, even without including the anticipated but hard-to-quantify benefits to admissions and enrollment, donations, and media exposure.”

With that report out, and increasing support for the program, it seems Watts is backtracking altogether.

Not only is it expected for UAB football to be back, but thanks to a plethora of donations, they’re getting themselves some serious upgrades.

Watts just got himself into the wrong battle. Taking football away from residents of Alabama is straight up sacrilegious. He’s either overturning his decision to save face and keep his job or this is one of the greatest PR stunts of recent memory and the whole thing was an elaborate ruse to gravitate attention to the university..

[via ESPN]

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