By Michelle Menner
Deciding the individual budgets for each athletic team is like trying to give equal playing time to all the members of the basketball team; everyone just isn’t going to get a fair share.
In one year’s time there are 24 sports teams that are in play on the Hill and each one has its own budget. Their budget consists of costs related to travel, equipment and uniforms and contest officials according to Dr. Ethan Seidel, vice president for Finance and Administration.
These related costs are what cause discrepancies among the individual budgets for each athletic team.
“I have no idea of other teams’ budgets and can only concern myself with my program,” said Coach Michael Diehl of the women’s golf team in an email. “I believe the school does the best they can in providing funds for each team but athletes/coaches/students are always going to want more if they can get [it]. What person in business would not?”
Seidel declined to share individual team budgets, but disclosed the total expenditures for travel, equipment and uniforms and contest officials for fiscal year 2007.
“The aggregate travel expenditure was $245,274. The aggregate expenditure on equipment and uniforms was $140,068. The amount spent on contest officials was $44,348,” Seidel said in an emailed statement. “These are all of the operating expenditures directly attributable to the teams,” he added.
There are several factors that decide how much money a team gets for their budget and certain factors may increase the expenditures of one team’s budget over another’s.
Travel is a category where there are often significant cost differences among the teams. If a team has more away games than another then their travel budget will be larger.
Another area where discrepancies arise is the cost of uniforms.
“Every three to four years generally” teams get new uniforms according to Director of Athletics Jamie Smith.
If a team is getting new uniforms, then their costs will be higher than a team that is not getting new uniforms.
There are also disparities in the equipment costs. The amount of equipment needed for certain sports and the replacement of equipment are all a part of this category.
For instance, the cost of equipment needed for the football team, which is the extreme example, versus what is needed for the swim team will show that there is “not an equal amount,” said Seidel.
Another cost built into a team’s budget is money to pay for the officials. If a team has a home game then they are responsible for paying the officials. The more home games a team has the higher their cost will be for athletic officials.
The size of the team is another factor that affects the budget. Again, Seidel uses football as the prime example. He said that some years there were over 100 players on the team. Also, he explained that football is the largest team with the most equipment so they’re “obviously spending more money.”
However, Seidel stressed that everything shouldn’t be about whose getting more money. He explained that the real question is “Is the student-athlete getting the same amount of attention? Is the student-athlete being treated equitably?”
“We provide what is needed [and] the appropriate support,” Seidel added.
However, Kevin Bowman, a Green Terror runner disagrees.
“I do think that the athletic department overlooks the track/cross country team in terms of money and supplies,” Bowman said. “I have no real way of knowing for sure as I don’t see the bills; it just seems that way in terms of other sports like football placing lights, benches and other crap on the track so we only have four [track] lanes instead of eight.”
Coaches seem to be happy with the financial support that is provided to their teams.
“I am actually quite pleased with the women’s lacrosse budget. While I would never turn away more money, in comparison to what other women’s lacrosse programs receive we are at or above them,” said Coach Muffie Bliss.
Coach Diehl added, “I would say that the school had been very supportive of the women’s golf program . . . I believe that the school does the best they can in providing funds for each team.”