Uncovering College Athletics: Financial Reports and Coach Contracts
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Presentation Transcript
Game on! Covering college athletics Christopher Schnaars, USA TODAY | cschnaars@usatoday.com | @chrisschnaars
What’s in the Box? • What documents tell you about the money flowing to and from college athletics? • Where can you find these documents? • What numbers should you keep an eye on? • Are there tips or warnings to keep in mind when looking at these documents? Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shmectorcom/
Start Small • NCAA won’t provide reports. • FOIA reports and contracts from schools. • Get reports from other schools in the same conference. • Some schools collect outside income reports. • IRS 990s for private schools. Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/67975747@N02/
Revenue Categories Include: • Ticket sales • Government support • Student fees • Institutional support • Media rights • NCAA and conference distributions • Royalty payments
Expense Categories Include: • Athletic student aid • Coach and staff salaries • Severance payments • Recruiting • Team travel • Debt service and rent
Tips for Reading Financial Reports: • Focus on the big numbers. • Know what the numbers mean. • Read the comments. • Look at how numbers have changed. • When looking at numbers from different years, adjust for inflation.
COACH CONTRACTS
Contract Tips: • Know the meeting schedule of the school’s governing board. • Watch out for amended contracts. • When requesting contracts, also ask for amendments and records of bonuses paid. • Fact check when you can.
When to File FOIA Requests: • NCAA financial reports: Jan. 15 • Football coaches: Mid-June • Basketball coaches: Early Fall • Athletic directors: Any time
Resources: • USA TODAY Interactives • http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries • http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances • NCAA Financial Reporting System:http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/finances/ncaa-membership-financial-reporting-system • Tipsheet: http://bit.ly/sports_data • Slides: http://bit.ly/sports_slides