Slash!

by John Berkowitz on May 13, 2009 6:21 PM PDT

The UW athletic department announced $1.6 million in budget cuts today as 13 more employees got the axe. The staff cuts project to save roughly $600,000, while the other $1 million will come in across the board reductions impacting existing programs.

Translated, this likely equates to reduced travel squads for all sports, including football. Further, this cut may mean the possible elimination of the traditional hotel stay the night before home football games. However, don't expect the football and basketball teams to be impacted too heavily, as they bear much of the financial burden for the Department of Athletics.

Bob Condotta has the complete story in the Seattle Times.

While examining the newspaper message boards, note how the uninformed readers ask why the President of the University, other staff members, and coaches themselves haven't taken pay cuts.

The answer is simple: President Emmert and many staff members took voluntary pay reductions earlier this year. The football coach and his assistants actually don't cost the University as much as one might think, as the bulk of their salaries come from private donations.

Simply put, if you are a Husky fan and are concerned about budget cuts there is only one answer: purchase season football tickets. Support the football team and you are supporting the non-revenue producing sports at the University.

The cuts at UW are tough medicine but almost every school in the country is considering the same tyoe of measures. If you think it is tough at UW just look across the mountains toward WSU.

The Cougars are scrambling to stay in the Pac 10 right now. As I previously wrote, they may have won the battle last month but they really screwed themselves in the future. The only reason WSU is a member of the Pac 10 is because UW has always insisted on it. They are unlikely to receive such support in the future.

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Slash

They will be no more State funds for the Cougars after this year. They started a war in which they will lose. I can see the Cougras in the same league with CWU, Idaho State and Montana.

by bigdawgdaddy999 on May 13, 2009 7:01 PM PDT reply actions

We can hope

but I won’t count it that happening

by T9ODawg on May 13, 2009 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Its more complicated

I agree with your first statement – ’don’t kill the golden goose’ – though, I also struggle to reason the past 10 years…

I don’t see WSU going anywhere, with or without our support.

Though I would applaud accountability for the latest charade.

But, that’s dreaming.

by GoDawgs! on May 13, 2009 8:17 PM PDT reply actions

I actually don't want to see WSU penalized

I do want to see their administration and the boosters who brought this about shaking in their boots.

I actually think investing in college athletics is a good use of state dollars whether it goes to UW or WSU.

by John Berkowitz on May 13, 2009 9:36 PM PDT reply actions

I don't

not to be a jerk but I don’t really see the use of “non revenue” sports being supported by state dollars (for any school) above and beyond any other student activity like choir or debate.

by mynameisdavid on May 13, 2009 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Why not?

Our “wonderful” state has no problem wasting money on “art” to “decorate” highways and prisons! If we can waste money on “art” for criminals, then spending money on college athletes should NEVER be questioned.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on May 15, 2009 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Personally

I want the Cougars in the league. Husky sports, and the fans on both sides are better off with them in the league. As much as I like to tease my in laws, and they me, the rivalry has always had a touch of class to it that would be sorely missed. I hate the Ducks, but the Cougs rivalry is different. I don’t even care if the state sends a few bucks their way. There are a lot of ways that much gets wasted every year throughout the state. I say, save the Cougs if need be, they are worth it.

by OlyDawgFan on May 13, 2009 9:41 PM PDT reply actions

Swimmers Hosed

I heard on KUOW this morning that by not announcing the dissolution of the swimming program until May 1, the UW prevented swimmers from transferring to another possible scholarship. April 30 was essentially signing day, and so all other Div I schools had filled their scholarships. By not informing the student-athletes they preventing them for competing for scholarships for 2009-2010. Seems pretty stupid, particularly since the swimming coaches apparently knew it was coming.

by NeuroDawg on May 15, 2009 8:47 AM PDT reply actions

Tough to time a budget crisis

I don’t care what business you are in or what you durrently do, things have been very uncertain since last October and for awhile the economy was in free fall. I think we have developed a little stability at this point even though growth hasn’t started rebuilding. That being said it is a challenge right now to balance a budget financially. Season ticket renewal being much lower than normal have had a direct impact on the UW athletic budget. another huge factor is the perfomance of investments the reserve is invested in. I imagine like all our personal portfolio’s the value of it has been cut by as much as one third.

I feel sorry for the swimmers and the timing but sometimes things happen which aren’t exactly within our control. Running the UW athletic department with a balanced budget is a must. The minute you start running a deficit it becomes a very slippery slope.

by John Berkowitz on May 17, 2009 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions

Wazzu budget problems

given the Coug’s preformance throughout their history in the Pac-10 (3 conference titles in football) one could easily see how they actually fit in better with WAC schools. Most of the other Pac-10 schools are located in or around large cities. WSU is located in Pullman,Wash. and are closer to Idaho and Boise State (by strait line distance) than they are to UDub. They fit in better with most WAC schools interms of program prestige than the do with most Pac-10 schools. But they will not leave the Pac-10 for several reasons. The money they get from their share of the confrernce’s revenue is probably more than they would make in the WAC even if they went to the Humanitarian Bowl or the Hawaii bowl every year. Plus I think this is mostly speculation rather than reality. Take Northwestern for example. The people in the Big 10 have wanted to get rid of them for years but have they done it . The same applies to WSU.

by subliminalnirvanaist on May 17, 2009 5:17 PM PDT reply actions

Spokane

has a larger population than does Eugene. Spokane clocks in with 195,000 with 495,000 in the metro area and Eugene only has 154,000 and 343,000 respectively.

Pullman is also closer to Spokane than either Corvallis or Eugene are to Portland (distance as the crow flies).

Pullman is about 50 mi. from Spokane while Corvallis is about 80 mi. from Portland, Eugene is around 150.

I get your point, but Pullman’s location in relation to a large metro area isn’t so much the problem as the whole “cow town” stigma. Spokane (and Pullman for the most part) has enough to do to keep anybody happy but I think the location of Pullman puts it just out of convience to a larger city. That in turn leads to the feeling of isolation rather than the actual problem of isolation.

And as for the idea that WSU would leave the Pac-10…if the head cheerleader asked my fat ass to Prom when I was 18, I would have gone; and I would have stood next to her all night just to be seen, no matter how much she wanted me to go away when she realized her mistake.

by B Money on May 17, 2009 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions