Since 2020, Georgia & SEC have greatest financial return on investment. UCLA, Rutgers & Big Ten at the bottom. List of FBS schools & conferences.

I’ve been discussing some financial concepts with my Sport Finance class, and began to think of value with respect to all of the investment in college athletics programs, especially the amount of debt paid to enhance athletics facilities and, in some ways, help to pay for golden parachutes for college athletics coaches. Debt was also used to help keep some athletic departments (such as Iowa, Indiana, and South Carolina) stable and above water during the limited athletics campaign in the COVID 2020-2021 epidemic. 

Return on Investment of Capital (ROIC)
 

So, I began to think of Return on Investment of Capital as a concept to rate an athletics department’s financial value relative to other athletics departments. Return on Investment = Earnings / (Debt + Equity) (link). An interesting part for this exercise was not earnings (revenue - expenses), but rather the “capital” side of the denominator beyond athletically-related debt. How, or should, we measure equity?  

Research shows higher education programs, like businesses, consider government support and private grants as equity when making financial decisions (link, link). Colleges that receive this type of support on an annual basis become accustomed to this support and roll it into their budgeting decisions. It goes like this: government “equity” helps to fund a product (higher education) to benefit the greater good (building of minds and our future leaders).  

Institutional and government support of educational programs is equity: this money received by an institution turns into an investment from the institution back into the educational enterprise, with future societal benefits (including a richer tax base). Institutional support of athletics would be similar to a company (say, Nike) investing cash into its business to build a new production facility for a new line of shoes. Government support specifically to athletics is rare and fairly insignificant, often related to a state law (say, Title IX) requiring investment for meeting certain legal requirements.  Therefore, the focus of this article includes subsidization as equity in the ROIC calculation. 

 
Read the full article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/since-2020-georgia-sec-have-greatest-financial-return-hirko-ph-d-/

Brandon Unverferth named DC Sport Management Student of the Month for September 2022

(Oct. 16, 2022) -- Defiance College student Brandon Unverferth is the college's "Sport Management Student of the Month" for September 2022.  Unverferth is from Ottawa, Ohio, in Putnam County.  He has a self-designed major in "Sport Communication" in which he is working with faculty in Communication, English, and Sport Management.  He is a leader in the new Sport Analytics class, SPMT 350.  Unverferth is the sports editor for DC's online newspaper, the Defender and also works in DC Athletics' Sports Information office. Unverferth aspires to become a sports journalist for a major sports network such as ESPN, CBS, or FOX and focus on college football.

Congratulations, Brandon!

"Hail the Purple and the Gold" exhibit at DC Archives in Dana Hall: now through Oct. 28

Currently on display in the DC Women's Commission Gallery is the fourth DC Archives Special Collection Exhibit offering viewers a unique glimpse into the history of DC athletics. Featured is a video recording of a presentation on DC sports history as documented by the DC Archives by Lead Librarian and Coordinator of Metadata and Archives, Barb Sedlock. The exhibit runs through October 28th.

 

Looking for an internship? Here's a list of 312 internships across USA

 If you are looking for an internship, be creative. 

1. Think about an internship away from home, or away from Defiance. 
2. Look for an opportunity that pays $$$$.  
3. Have your resume completed, and proofreaded.
   
4. And, find an internship in an area that interests you: ticket sales, corporate sales, events, sports information, team merchandise, graphic design, box office/ticket sales, or otherwise.
   

I just came across this link on Team Work Online, which shows MORE THAN 300 internships across the country:

https://www.teamworkonline.com/jobs-in-sports?employment_opportunity_search%5Bquery%5D=intern&commit=Search&employment_opportunity_search%5Bsort_by%5D=most_recent

You're ready - so go for it!

--SRH--

Pennsylvania Sports Business Conference

For the 13th consecutive year, The Pennsylvania Sports Business Conference will take place at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). 

We would love for you and your students to attend, as this is a great opportunity to network with professionals in the sport industry. SAVE THE DATE for this annual conference: April 23, 2023.  Thank you in advance, and we hope to see you there!

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Hadley Building. 

- SRH - 

I found 18 profitable & 211 money-losing NCAA Division-I public athletic programs in 2020

I was doing some research using the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database to calculate the profit of Divison I public athletic programs. I was trying to learn how many programs turned a profit in 2020 (the 2021 COVID year was not used because it has some convoluted, though interesting, data: for instance, ticket sales varied greatly based on conference rules and state laws related to the pandemic; and, many athletic departments reduced staff or asked coaches to take pay cuts). Therefore, I created a complete list for all Division I institutions (below).

Of available data, a total of 18 of 229 public Division I athletics programs generated more money than they spent in 2020. This ranged from a whopping $270 million profit (thank you for the gift, Nike co-founder Phil Knight) at the University of Oregon to a massive $48.2 million deficit at James Madison University. (Notably, military academies were not included, and some institutions did not provide data).

How was this calculated?  Link here to read the article on LinkedIn and to access the full data set.

Watch the video interview posted on Matt Brown's "Extra Points" through College Sports Connect:

Welcome Back to Defiance Fall 2022!

Welcome Back Defiance Sport Management students

For those coming to Defiance College for the first time, including freshmen, WELCOME and congratulations of being a Yellow Jacket!  For those returning, we hope you had a great summer break. It is our hope after these first few weeks that you have settled in well to your classes and met new DC sport management and other DC students.

A few announcements for the Fall 2022:

1. We welcome Dr. Keith Christy as our new Sport Management faculty member.  Dr. Christy will be teaching Introduction to Sport Management (SPMT 130) and Event & Facility Management (SPMT 230) this fall.  You can read more about Dr. Christy and visit his bio over at LinkedIn.  
2. Become involved this fall!  I encourage you to consider joining a student group to enhance your experience (and boost your resume).  Contact the Office of Student Life to learn about more DC Student Organizations. 
3. Use this website as a resource with links, job information, information about classes and the Sport Management curriculum, advising information, and other items of note going on in the sport industry.
4. Come to class on time - and a reminder: DO NOT BRING YOUR MEAL TO CLASS.  If you are hungry, go ahead and eat before entering the classroom.  This respects others in class. 
5. Read the syllabi! The syllabi, which can be adjusted throughout the term, is your guidebook to your class.  It includes learning objectives, expectations, assessment (how you will be graded), and a general outline of content.  It also includes what materials are required for class. 
   
6. For athletes: YOU ARE NOT EXCUSED to leave class early for games or practices.  You are a student first, and coaches are aware of your obligations to your academic classwork. 
7. For athletes: we understand your commitment to athletic contests and the need to travel.  You will be excused from all of in-class work and attendance when you are on the road to represent DC on the athletics field/court. 
8. We will choose a Sport Management Student of the Month throughout the school year for students that standout in the classroom or are good representatives of the Sport Management Program. Look for Announcements!
   
9. Questions? If you have any questions at all, feel free to email Dr. Scott Hirko, shirko@defiance.edu.