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Neither Organization is Profitable: NCAA WBB or WNBA

M

mpfeiler

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WNBA is not profitable. And the Iowa Hawkeye WBB team does not pay for itself. If the women's basketball team was a standalone Profit and Loss program, it would be in the RED every year. Does not matter how many sellouts the lady Hawks have in a season. Everyone quotes secondary market prices. "STOP" That is not what Iowa gets. And remember Caitlin Clark is gone. Most season ticket packages were about $195 (about $12-13 per game) for last season. The new TV deal for Woman's March Madness will help NCAA WBB teams. Football (TV deals) and Men's BB (March Madness) carries the day and pays for the other sports.

Both women's leagues, the NCAA and WNBA are on the rise but still a long way from profitability.

I believe Iowa fans will continue to support the lady Hawks by going to the game? Yes.
But make the Iowa WWB tickets same price as men's games. Also make the WBB season ticket holders donate money to the athletic program to get the right to buy some tickets. Not so sure what the attendance would be if that was done like Football and MBB?
I enjoy Lady Hawks BB more than the men right now. That is just me.
WNBA is in same boat here. Trust me if the W starts even getting close to making more money, the players will want more. As they should. Low salaries. The WNBA has to go way more than the NCAA WBB to become profitable and popular everywhere.
 
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I saw an article that had the Iowa WBB's program generating revenue for the 22-23 season of $3.8 million (which was a huge increase from the previous year) against $8.2 million in expenses. (Not sure what is included in both of those buckets). My guess the 23-24 season will show more revenue, and that the 23-24 season will be as close to a breakeven year as ever, but they'll still be in the red. I don't think that changes anytime soon.

Heck, even UCONN's women's program operates at a loss, and they've been good for a long time. Quoted from an article by Zaakirah Mujid from BVM Sports, whose source is the annual financial report filed by UCONN for the fiscal year 2023, she writes, "Subsequently, women’s basketball was the third-most revenue-generating sports program at $4.4 million (behind football and its $6 million in revenue). . . . On the upside, women’s basketball has seen an increase in revenue when compared to its $3.5 million fiscal performance from FY2022. . . . Women’s basketball was the third most expensive sport to run – spending $8.9 million in FY2022 to $10.5 million in FY2023."

If UCONN can't turn a profit on women's basketball, who can?
 
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mpfeiler said:
WNBA is not profitable. And the Iowa Hawkeye WBB team does not pay for itself. If the women's basketball team was a standalone Profit and Loss program, it would be in the RED every year. Does not matter how many sellouts the lady Hawks have in a season. Everyone quotes secondary market prices. "STOP" That is not what Iowa gets. And remember Caitlin Clark is gone. Most season ticket packages were about $195 (about $12-13 per game) for last season. The new TV deal for Woman's March Madness will help NCAA WBB teams. Football (TV deals) and Men's BB (March Madness) carries the day and pays for the other sports.

Both women's leagues, the NCAA and WNBA are on the rise but still a long way from profitability.

I believe Iowa fans will continue to support the lady Hawks by going to the game? Yes.
But make the Iowa WWB tickets same price as men's games. Also make the WBB season ticket holders donate money to the athletic program to get the right to buy some tickets. Not so sure what the attendance would be if that was done like Football and MBB?
I enjoy Lady Hawks BB more than the men right now. That is just me.
WNBA is in same boat here. Trust me if the W starts even getting close to making more money, the players will want more. As they should. Low salaries. The WNBA has to go way more than the NCAA WBB to become profitable and popular everywhere.
Click to expand...

Lady Hawks, never heard of them. What university do they play for?
 
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…oh and football. The vast majority of schools that offer football lose their ass on it.
 
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mpfeiler said:
WNBA is not profitable. And the Iowa Hawkeye WBB team does not pay for itself. If the women's basketball team was a standalone Profit and Loss program, it would be in the RED every year. Does not matter how many sellouts the lady Hawks have in a season. Everyone quotes secondary market prices. "STOP" That is not what Iowa gets. And remember Caitlin Clark is gone. Most season ticket packages were about $195 (about $12-13 per game) for last season. The new TV deal for Woman's March Madness will help NCAA WBB teams. Football (TV deals) and Men's BB (March Madness) carries the day and pays for the other sports.

Both women's leagues, the NCAA and WNBA are on the rise but still a long way from profitability.

I believe Iowa fans will continue to support the lady Hawks by going to the game? Yes.
But make the Iowa WWB tickets same price as men's games. Also make the WBB season ticket holders donate money to the athletic program to get the right to buy some tickets. Not so sure what the attendance would be if that was done like Football and MBB?
I enjoy Lady Hawks BB more than the men right now. That is just me.
WNBA is in same boat here. Trust me if the W starts even getting close to making more money, the players will want more. As they should. Low salaries. The WNBA has to go way more than the NCAA WBB to become profitable and popular everywhere.
Click to expand...
The NBA doesn't want the WNBA to be profitable. Big tax write off for them.
 
I have always found those claiming the NCAA and schools are are making billions to be uninformed on the economics of college sports.
Only the BIG and SEC schools along with a few others truly operate in the black most years.

Only FB and men's BB carry the weight for the rest.
If it was a true business only those two sports survive.
 
hawkjt said:
I have always found those claiming the NCAA and schools are are making billions to be uninformed on the economics of college sports.
Only the BIG and SEC schools along with a few others truly operate in the black most years.

Only FB and men's BB carry the weight for the rest.
If it was a true business only those two sports survive
Click to expand...
The interesting thing will be to see the fallout when these schools start making their 20% payment of revenues to the athletes. Both to see just how its distributed, and how many school go deep into the red. Most of these schools don't make nearly 20% profit, and many are in the red now.
 
herkhatescy said:
Trying to talk like you know something when you don't know jack shit.
Click to expand...


It’s simple math…I personally would rather pay taxes on my write offs instead of having a reason to write it off.

Every write off you are losing 70% or so
 
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ZachJump said:
…oh and football. The vast majority of schools that offer football lose their ass on it.
Click to expand...

First off, if women's baskeball isn't paying for itself, so what? It is protected by Title9 and isn't going away. Spend some money and go see some games and pay what some of us pay for seeing men's sports and it becomes profitable.



As far your statement regarding Football, Define "losing their ass". What you are presenting as a "fact" is really a statement/opinion by you that has no definition of what losing your ass means. If college sponsored football teams are losing their ass financially, they play road games at place like Iowa for the big paychck, or drop the sport or drop down a level and don't give out full scholarships. The media rights from men's football and to lessor extent men's basketball keep the lights on for ALL of the women's sports and the fewer un-profitable men sports.
 
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Prior to the last 18 months, I would never bring up TV $$ as a part of this equation. Women's basketball wasn't watched enough to move the needle at all. CC and the Hawks changed that with back-to-back title game runs and along the way destroyed every viewing record on multiple platforms. Unfortunately, the FOX's, Peacock's, CBS' etc benefited the most but that will absolutely play out in the next contract. The Iowa women certainly have provided enough "TV $$" moving forward to make this discussion not as relevant at Iowa as other places.
 
Where are all the WBB and wrestling fans who have been taking shots at the MBB crowds at Carver for years while their season ticket prices are a fraction of the men's? Figured they'd want to sound off in this thread

No?

Weird
 
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ZachJump said:
Sort of like men’s in baseball and track and soccer and rowing and wrestling…and basketball outside of a small percentage of the teams.
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college sports were not started to be businesses, That they (or at least some) have become so does not mean that they all should be treated as such. Nor should the student music or drama productions.
 
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HawkLogic said:
First off, if women's baskeball isn't paying for itself, so what? It is protected by Title9 and isn't going away. Spend some money and go see some games and pay what some of us pay for seeing men's sports and it becomes profitable.



As far your statement regarding Football, Define "losing their ass". What you are presenting as a "fact" is really a statement/opinion by you that has no definition of what losing your ass means. If college sponsored football teams are losing their ass financially, they play road games at place like Iowa for the big paychck, or drop the sport or drop down a level and don't give out full scholarships. The media rights from men's football and to lessor extent men's basketball keep the lights on for ALL of the women's sports and the fewer un-profitable men sports.
Click to expand...


Ya do realize I was supporting women’s sports in those posts?
 
IamHawkeye said:
college sports were not started to be businesses, That they (or at least some) have become so does not mean that they all should be treated as such. Nor should the student music or drama productions.
Click to expand...

No shit…I was responding to someone making a big deal out of women’s basketball not being profitable.
 
College football doesn’t turn a profit at most D1 schools.

I think a big reason college is expensive is because of sports.
 
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toddhawkwi said:
CC and the Hawks changed that with back-to-back title game runs and along the way destroyed every viewing record on multiple platforms. Unfortunately, the FOX's, Peacock's, CBS' etc benefited the most but that will absolutely play out in the next contract.
Click to expand...

Viewership numbers will fall like a roller coaster.

100% reality.

If anyone thinks different, get your head out of the clouds.
 
I never watched a second of Iowa womens basketball until Caitlin came along and now that shes gone I will probably watch very little next year. I know some of you cant stand that but I am sure there are alot of people that will do the same.
 
I hardly watched MBB until Garza and the Murrays came along and now that they are gone I hardly watch. I know that will bother some of you, but I am sure there are a lot of people that will do the same.
 
Not many college sports are self-supporting. Pick on WWB, wrestling, swimming, or any other. Even football when you scan empty stadiums on Saturdays.
 
THe OP and its supporters just want an excuse to dump on womens basketball

as has been mentioned VERY few college sports pay for themselves. Even a lot of D1 schools football does not
AND what about Div 2 and 3?
probably one of the most idiotic threads here
 
HawkMachine said:
Viewership numbers will fall like a roller coaster.

100% reality.

If anyone thinks different, get your head out of the clouds.
Click to expand...
I think you’re right about an overall viewership decline at the college level but would contend that WBB numbers post-CC are likely to be significantly greater vs. pre-CC. I don’t think they will fall as much as you suggest.
 
I love the Iowa WBB program. But the dollars are what they are.
Capacity CHA is 15,500 and highest face value ticket is $15. About 15 home games. Per game revenue ticket sales $232,500 season ticket revenue $3,487,500. That assumes everyone is paying $15 price which is not true. And I don't think there is any requirement for donations to I-Club. That is not bad but it will not pay for the cost of this team.
 
mpfeiler said:
I love the Iowa WBB program. But the dollars are what they are.
Capacity CHA is 15,500 and highest face value ticket is $15. About 15 home games. Per game revenue ticket sales $232,500 season ticket revenue $3,487,500. That assumes everyone is paying $15 price which is not true. And I don't think there is any requirement for donations to I-Club. That is not bad but it will not pay for the cost of this team.
Click to expand...

Still don’t understand your point.

If you are only going to keep profitable college sports we are basically down to P4 football and even less men’s basketball teams.
 
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