Part two had some interesting figures.Juice Stand wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2024 7:02 am The Gazette did a two-part series on the proposed NCAA settlement. For dummies like me, this was a nice breakdown of that the deal is, how UMass might be affected, and how joining the MAC may save our bacon. For all the negative nellies out there, yes we're still going to be screwed and won't be able to keep up with the SEC or Big 10 financially, but making the move to the MAC might put us in the room and give us a seat at the table, even if it's only the kids table.
Part 1: https://www.gazettenet.com/Part-1-How-w ... l-55484476
Part 2: https://www.gazettenet.com/Part-2-How-i ... l-55495331
As a result of UMass’ move from the A-10 to the MAC, it will earn more (thanks to the MAC’s TV deal) and also pay less into the settlement than if they had stayed in the A-10. Because the A-10 is a stronger basketball league with a stronger NIL presence than the MAC, its schools will have to pay more into the settlement.
So, where is this $400,000-500,000 coming from? UMass will have to cut expenses or make up the revenue through other sources. Athletic facilities projects – though usually almost fully sourced by philanthropic donations – will most likely take a pause.
“We’re going to have to figure out how to meet those needs in other ways,” Bamford said. “Either that, or we’re going to have to figure out how to cut $400-500,000 out of our budget, which we don’t want to do.”
Bamford said that everything is being reviewed, from the ways UMass fundraises to how it sets up its third party agreements, media rights deals and corporate sponsorships.
Many schools may decide to cut Olympic sports to compensate for lost revenue paid into the settlement. Payments to athletes are another expense line, if a school chooses to opt in to the revenue-sharing model. Like many other ADs across the country, Bamford said cutting sports programs altogether is a last resort. Ultimately though, the money has to come from somewhere. There are only so many athlete services, athletic department positions and coaching salaries that can be cut.
While UMass’ revenues will take a hit, it’ll also see a large increase in TV revenue because of the MAC’s football media rights deal with ESPN, which will pay the school about $1.5-2.5 million per year. This is several times what UMass would expect to earn from Atlantic 10 revenues, which come primarily from men’s basketball. The Minutemen will receive 75% of a share of MAC distributions in 2025-26 (expected to be between $1.5-2 million) and a full share every year thereafter (expected to be between $2-2.5 million).
