January 2020 - 22

Most athletic budgets stable
One in five schools saw a slight bump in their athletic
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
budgets this year, but most programs remain stable.
Athletic administrators continue to worry whether they'll
have enough money to keep all of their teams afloat without
drastic changes, but that's not always possible. In our survey,
17.1% of athletic directors said their department was hit with
at least a 2% decrease in the 2019-20 budget. Nearly twothirds
of schools said there was little or no change.
" Our budget boils down to needs-equity-progression, " said
one athletic director. " We also limit our bus travel. In the
end, with the budget, many times we aren't able to reach the
progression stage as school funding is cut, but we put our
focus on the necessities. "
One surprising finding: Despite the lack of additional
funding, 17.1% of athletic directors said they were able to
increase allocations for professional development by at least
10%. Investing in the growth of the coaching staff is always a
goal for athletic administrators, but they're not always able to
pay for it.
SCHOOLS REPORTING AT LEAST A 2%
INCREASE IN ATHLETIC BUDGETS
11.1%
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
17.6%
21.2%
21%
23.8%
13.2%
22.1%
24.6%
20.6%
WHERE ARE SCHOOLS SPENDING MORE?
Schools with reported spending increase of at least 2%
HELMETS
FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT
APPAREL
FIELD MAINTENANCE
EQUIPMENT
COACHING SOFTWARE
INJURY TREATMENT
FIELD SURFACES
SCOREBOARDS/SIGNS
32.6%
29.4%
24.3%
23.4%
19.9%
18.8%
18.1%
17.4%
ATHLETIC DIRECTORS SOUND OFF
ON CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE
" The decrease in the officials' pool is a major
concern. We are closing in on a near crisis in some
sports already, and there's no easy answer with the
current way parents and coaches treat officials. "
" Funding is an issue for our sports, and we're
also falling behind on facilities. Our high school
has only one gym and no weight room. ... Our local
schools are getting ahead with facilities, and we will
lose incoming families if we don't catch up soon. "
" Athletes who have been recruited by colleges
early and they decide to shut it down their senior
year, afraid of being injured. Look at the college
level, where a kid who might be drafted in a high
round decides he's going to sit out the bowl game.
They're setting the standard. "
" Our organization is very big, maybe one of
the largest in the country. The issue I have is
that the higher-ups make decisions and don't
ask the coaches or athletic directors with years
of experience about our concerns. Most people
making the decisions have never taught or coached
in the public school system. "
" I think athlete specialization is an increasing
problem. A lot of parents are spending big money
on AAU/travel teams, personal coaches and trainers
in hopes of helping their son/daughter secure a
college scholarship. In actuality, that money could
be saved toward college, and student-athletes could
spend more time competing in interscholastic
sports. "
" I'm concerned with the win-at-all-costs mentality.
More schools recruit and get away with it because
of who they are. Smaller schools cannot compete
with the richer schools, and it leads to dangerously
unfair competition. "
" Finding the best balance of goals and
expectations for interscholastic athletics at the
various levels. And, finding qualified coaches who
understand these goals and expectations moving
forward with their respective programs. "
" Getting students to come out for sports. We
could have a shortage of athletes in the next few
years, based mostly on apathy. I don't see many
solutions, because our teams across the board are
consistently competitive and winning. "
" I worry about the lack of dedication and pride
by athletes and some coaches. Student-athletes
are transferring into schools because the other
school has a stronger team, and athletes are being
recruited at young ages. "
22 JANUARY 2020
January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2020
