Funds are distributed unevenly in our athletic department.  The truth in it makes me uncomfortable; I’d even go as far as to say it makes me mad. It seems so unfair.

Cross country runners work hard. The girls on the golf team put in the time. Our tennis teams are busy six out of seven days a week. These athletes work just as hard as our football and basketball players—why are they being overlooked?

After some research, I have come to a rather clichē conclusion—it is what it is.

Whether we like it or not, football and basketball are what are called “revenue sports.” These two sports attract spectators.  Spectators bring in gate money and concession money. Gate money and concession money is used to fund much of our athletic needs for all of the sports.

Two of the most well-attended football games this fall were against West Side and Carroll.  The gate for the West Side game was approximately $2,200.  The gate for the Carroll game was $5,005 with gross sales of approximately $2,000 in concessions.  The athletic department operates on three different funds.  The athletic general fund is where the money from ticket sales goes.  This money is used to pay for game officials and other personnel who help run the sporting events.  A second fund is the concession fund.  These monies are used to stock the concession stands.  A third fund is from major fundraisers and this money is used for large expenses such as new uniforms or renovations of facilities.

With the money we make from our revenue sports, we are able to pay and provide equipment for the non-revenue sports which otherwise would not have funding. Athletic Director, Mr. Kevin Sims, stated, “I try to pay attention to the fact that my job description, in part, is about helping each sport be competitive.  Hopefully we can move in the right direction as it pertains to equipment and inventory so coaches can plan ahead and get what they need.”

Another point to consider is that every sport is different, with unique needs and unique numbers.  For instance, a large amount of money is spent on football.  Before getting too frustrated with the amount of money spent on football, consider that a football team is very large and requires a lot of equipment.  According to Sims, a football helmet alone costs at least $300. It is necessary to spend more money on football because of all the equipment they require to be safe.

The distribution of athletic funding is no easy task.  In an era when many schools are dropping sports to conserve funds, we should probably be happy that we are still able to maintain as many sports as we have along with the adequate facilities that we are able to provide.