The coronavirus pandemic has affected every industry, and the Southern Miss athletic department is no exception.
Southern Miss has already lost nearly $1.5 million in revenue this quarter, athletic director Jeremy McClain said. Most of the funds came from NCAA distribution, which took a hit from the men's basketball national tournament being canceled.
The NCAA originally budgeted to distribute $600 million to Division I members to specifically focus on supporting college athletes. Most of those funds came from television and marketing rights of the basketball tournament. In March, NCAA presidents agreed to distribute $225 million to programs instead, approximately $375 million less than originally budgeted.
Despite the losses in revenue, the department was able to save expenses because teams were not traveling, McClain said.
"We've slowed down some projects and different things we had planned," McClain said. "It's just a matter of trying to regroup as quickly as you can and limit that exposure as quick as you can in a short amount of time."
The loss of baseball played a part in the hit the department took financially. In recent years, Southern Miss has ranked in the top 20 nationally for attendance, and Pete Taylor Park made the NCAA's "16 best college baseball stadiums, according to fans" list last summer. The 2020 season brought the debut of the park's estimated $1.35 million in renovations, which included an artificial field surface and a new VIP members' section.
"It's a revenue sport for us because it's very popular here and our fans are very supportive," McClain said.
Upon the cancellation of the season, the athletic department called season ticket holders and gave them the option of a refund. About three-quarters of the season ticket holders opted to donate the rest of the season ticket costs to the program, according to McClain.
"That speaks volumes about our baseball fan base," he said. "That was a big deal, and that was difficult for us in a lot of ways. It obviously was a revenue hit, but that gesture by our fan base went a long way in trying to limit the damage that was done by the cancellation of the baseball season."
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Some coaches around the NCAA have had to take pay cuts during the pandemic. Athletic programs such as Boise State, Iowa State and Louisville have agreed to temporary pay reductions.
For the remainder of the the fiscal year, which ends on June 30, Southern Miss is in a position avoid furloughs or layoffs for any of its employees. The budget for fiscal year 2021 will, however, be smaller than this past year's budget.
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May 22, 2020 at 05:27PM
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Southern Miss athletics expects to lose $1.5 million in quarter due to pandemic - Clarion Ledger
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