4B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY,MAY7,2003
Texas athletics department to reduce Title IX subsidies
By Elizabeth Esfahani
Daily Texan via U-wire
University of Texas-Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — For the last decade, Texas has subsidized intercollegiate athletics with more than a million dollars each year to help women reach parity with men in collegiate athletics, which were mandated by the 1993 Title IX decision. But those subsidies will soon come to an end.
"We have been pushing intercollegiate athletics to stand on its own," said Texas President Larry Faulkner during a legislative hearing earlier this year. "There are very few intercollegiate programs in this country that break even — we have one that can."
that commitment, moving forward with cutbacks that will reduce next year's subsidy to $500 million dollars and completely eliminate it in two years. This year, Texas athletics received $1 million from the University funds, and in previous years had received upward of $3 million, Faulkner said.
The subsidies have been on a gradual decline, but the decrease was accelerated in the midst of tight budget times, said Ed Goble, associate athletic director for men.
Athletics officials however said the department was well-prepared to stand on its own for the first time since the Title IX settlement, the lawsuit which required the University to provide equal opportunities for men and women in sports.
"We know that every discretionary dollar becomes important to the University in tight times," said Chris Plonsky, interim athletics director for men. "We have planned for this for a long time."
The department has been readying for the loss of funds by cutting costs and analyzing new ways to generate revenue. The department has also enjoyed some pretty favorable conditions, such as healthy Big 12 revenue shares and ticket sales, which have made the transition to self-sufficiency easier, Goble said.
But the world of college sports has changed over the past decade as operating costs have soared to new heights. The University's athletic budget has not been an
"We face very big challenges in the way we fund ourselves and in the way we will fund ourselves in the future," Plonsky said.
exception, roughly doubling to $59 million since 1993.
Athletic departments not only have increased costs due to Title IX but are spending more in order to build the best facilities, hire the best coaches, recruit the best players and, they hope, to be the best. Once you are at the top, the challenge then is to stay there, Plonsky said.
But so far, the Longhorns have been the fortunate child in college sports. The University has a long line of dedicated fans ready to fork over a couple of twenties for a ticket or thousands for a luxury suite. And these generous alumni will be key to the Longhorn athletic future as an increased emphasis is put on fund raising to finance college sports, Plonsky said. "There is only so much you can charge for a ticket."
And having a solid football team is also key to remaining fiscally sound in collegiate athletics. Football is the primary moneymaker in college sports. At the University, the football program generates about 85 percent of the revenue that flows through the program, Goble said.
That is why programs justify the high prices they are spending on coaches and why the University is willing to do the same, said Pat Ohlendorf, vice president for institutional relations and legal affairs.
"To have (the) best coaches, you have to pay what the market
will bear," she said. "We are willing to pay what we do because we want to keep the coaches we have around."
But while there has been an increase in the marketing and commercialization of collegiate sports, Texas officials agree that the University has done a good job of balancing the need to generate money and retaining their commitment to student athletes.
"Theoretically, it's a neat concept that you shouldn't be for sale as a university, but practically, we have to operate in today's market," Goble said. "But while we have become a big visible entertainment-type outlet, the vast majority of institutions still maintain sound philosophies in supporting kids and running clean programs."
Illini go 'old school' with wooden bats
By Bobby La Gesse
Daily Illimu via U-wire
University of Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, III. — Illinois is about to go old school.
The Illinois baseball team took on Missouri last night and, for the first time in the Itch Jones era at Illinois, the team used wooden bats in a game. In 1972, aluminum bats were first used in college baseball, replacing wooden bats.
we got some wooden bats here that we never use and we'll probably throw them out to our players and see what happens," Jones said.
Jones said the decision to use wooden bats in the game was made by both coaches.
When sophomore third baseman Chad Frk found out about the wood bats he could barely contain his enthusiasm.
"It just seems a little more like a pure game," Frk said. "It is always good to see guys break bats and hit balls hard with the wood because it is harder to do with the wood."
The Illini do not swing with wooden bats during the season, and Jones said the team would not practice with them during practice this week.Most of the players on the team use wooden bats with their summer teams.
"It will be, get the bats out of the moth balls, play Tuesday and put them back in the moth balls." Jones said. "If we do it again in a year from now, we will do the same thing."
Most likely Illinois will not need to dig through the equipment room for bats.
Jones said that bats would be provided for both teams by the River City Rascals, a professional baseball team in the Frontier League.
The Rascals play at T.F. Hughes Ballpark.
Jones sees college games played at professional parks as a potential trend.
"They are going to pay all the expenses for the teams, so you can go in there and play a game," Jones said. "It is not a home game and it is not a road game. This may be a trend with all the new independent professional baseball parks going up."
With the natural rivalry that exists between Illinois and Missouri, this game was bound to happen. In O'Fallon, the game is being billed as "Bashing Along The River."
"Since we play Missouri in football and basketball, I said heck that's great, let's do it," Jones said.
The use of wooden bats will
create subtle differences in the game.
"I think the biggest thing is a little smaller sweet spot," Frk said when comparing a wooden bat to an aluminum bat. "We just have to make sure we try to hit the ball a little more squarely."
Jones sees other differences too.
"The outfielders aren't going to be as deep," Jones said. "I told them I will probably get more guys thrown out because the outfielders will be shallow. I think you'll see less errors at first and third because balls won't be hit as hard as they get jammed or get hit off the end."
There should be differences on the mound as well. Rowe, who usually pitches the first game in the weekly Big Ten series, goes against a hot-hitting Missouri team. The Tigers bat .317 as a team.
Ohio State senior drafted by WNBA
By Emily Haynam
The Lantern via U-wire
Ohio State University
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the WNBA finally reached an agreement a week ago to continue its season, there was one Ohio State athlete breathing a sigh of relief.
OSU senior forward Courtney Coleman was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2003 WNBA draft. Coleman was the first player chosen in the second round.
Coleman had her day in the sun when the Connecticut Sun drafted her with its first pick on April 25. The draft was held a few hours after stalled labor negotiations were finally settled between the league and the players' union. The two sides eventually agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement.
"I was excited because I went higher than I was expected to," Coleman said. "I didn't really care what team I went to as long as I was drafted."
As a Buckeye, Coleman was named to the Second Team AllBig Ten squads the past three seasons. She was team captain for the last two years and scored more than 1,000 career points. Coleman led the nation in field goal percentage for much of the 2002-03 season and ended with an overall 60.3 percent career field goal percentage, ranking her first in OSU women's basketball history.
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