Comments about ‘BYU, Utah, USU football teams more profitable than Utah Jazz’

Why would I,

Fact: The University of Utah has a $2.2 billion dollar operating budget which does not include athletics. State tax payers contribute 8% of that. The U operates as a public university but is financed more like a private university.

Fact: Not one dime of tax payer money goes to fund, operate, maintain or build anything having to do with the athletic programs, teams or coaches at the U.

Do you feel better now?

Bluto:

"...BYU is doing just fine controlling their own Brand and the accompanying Exposure which that brings...The days of obscurity in the MWC are in the rear view mirror now for BYU."

As are your days of obscurity in the WAC, since the WAC is now dead. Coming up next....your days of obscurity in Indy-irrelevance.

@NavyVet

Who is it that is on National TV every game and in every sport?
Who is it that is a weekly regular on ESPN?...
Not U, that's for sure.

Obscurity...
ob·scu·ri·ty
/əbˈskyo͝oritē/

Noun
1.The state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant.

Again, who can be seen on National TV, constantly, and who is not?

It's awesome being part of the PAC 12. Of course the revenue is great, especially the $20+ million coming from the TV contract. Personally, I like to be able to watch Utah on the PAC 12 channel. Watched several football games, and the Utah-Arizona basketball game on COMCAST channel 430 here in Spokane. It's great, prior to PAC 12 membership, I would never have been able to watch the Utes so often.

@bluto: if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to see it....does it make a sound? Translation to football = If BYU plays a nobody at 10:15 Estern time and nobody tunes in to see it....do they actually play?

The ONLY thing BYU fans have in their war chest of arguements is that "my team is on ESPN". One problem with that boys. If the only time your exposure lead to eyes on the TV set were in your losses, does it really do any good? I don't think the exposure in losses to Utah, Boise State, Oregon State, and Notre Dame did anything for the reputation of BYU. All other games were wins against pathetic competition. Gloat about exposure, but it hurt BYU.

There is a reason the Poinsettia Bowl viewer ship was down 30% from previous years, and it wasn't because BYU is a national draw. BYU fans need a real fact check when it comes to what weight your team holds in the "national eye". BYU is no more a national power for 1984 than Colorado is for 1990. Both national champions in those years. I guess BYU = Colorado.

What's even more impressive is that the Utes make nearly $2MM in profit for every football victory more than double BYU's paltry $1MM profit per victory. I only see than disparity continually growing.

College football players are no more exploited than interns, medical residents, and a host of other people that have to earn their stripes.

Wait wait wait, how can real data show the real story??? Yet somehow Navalvet and ChrisB find ways to still fight it. And what exactly are we still fighting...yes, the Utes get up for a game and beat BYU but have mediocre seasons otherwise, BYU makes more money and has a wider fan base, but BYU will never have the same perks as the PAC10+2. We know all this. Besides, isn't the fact that BYU is richer, more popular, and allegedly snobby about it the reason the Ute fans hate BYU to begin with? Then of course, BYU fans have to respond self-righteously which only justifies the Ute hatred? Ah well, I guess if I would have applied to BYU and gotten denied, I'd be mad too

Naval Vet

Interesting factoids:

The PACy-WACers still lag FAR behind their big brothers/sisters in overall athletic success.

BYU's women's soccer and volleyball teams both made deep runs in the NCAA tournament during the fall, and BYU's men's volleyball (ranked #2) and men's indoor track (ranked #14) are both nationally ranked as their seasons are just getting started.

In the Directors' Cup Division I Fall Standings. BYU finished #16; Utah was UNRANKED

BYU Men's CC finished #6, Women's Soccer finished #5, and Women's Volleyball finished #9

BYU Football also won their bowl game.

And in facilities, it'll take the U years just to match the facilities already in place at the Y.

More revenue doesn't mean much if it doesn't produce better results on the field.

@Hawkeye79
That ESPNU fan rankings is based on the list of choices they were given and for some reason the choices they were given were the 30 teams in the preseason rankings (consider that Auburn is on there too).

@Hawkeye79
Actually USC is 3rd and Arkansas is top 10 on there... that's not final ESPNU fan rankings, that's the preseason fan rankings results.

DaveKnowsWhatsUp:

"...how can real data show the real story??? Yet somehow Navalvet and ChrisB find ways to still fight it."

What am I fighting? Do you have a cut-&-paste exerpt from me to refute, or were you just being frantic and emotional?

"I guess if I would have applied to BYU and gotten denied, I'd be mad too."

I applied and got IN. I spent my Freshman year at the Y before opting to transfer. That means I rejected the Y; not the other way around. Fail.

Naval Vet

It's interesting that some of the biggest BYU haters are students who were either rejected by the Y when they applied or simply couldn't cut it after they were admitted, academcially or otherwise.

They usually end up creating some excuse to blame BYU for some imaginary wrong committed by BYU to justify their hatred.

Here's some advice - lose the hatred; it's not healthy.

Find something to cheer for, instead of spending your life cheering against.

There are several comments here lamenting that more of this athletic generated money is not allocated to the student athletes. It will interest all of you to know that under the guidance of PAC 12 commissioner, Larry Scott, the conference is laying the ground work to increase student aide to a level referred to as "The Full Cost of Attendance". When this is implemented it is estimated that aide to student athletes will increase anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 per student athlete above the cost of a scholarship. Granted, not a professional salary nor is it meant to be but an improvement. When implemented, other programs outside of the PAC 12 will have to follow suit in order to compete for recruits.

Can we put a longtime myth to rest today? We'll call it MythBusters, DesNews style?

BYU does NOT have a wider fanbase than Utah. An average LDS person will say they are a BYU fan, even if they've never watched them play. So a Mormon does NOT equal a "fan", despite what BYU fans perpetuate.

If BYU has a national presense (outside of Mormons), then explain why the Poinsettia bowl had the lowest viewership ratings since 2006? Explain why this years bowl was down in viewership by 29% from last year (TCU vs. Louisianna Tech) and 38% from 2010 (San Diego State vs. Navy). Also please explain how there were 400,000 more people watching Arizona vs. Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl and there were 600,000 more people watching the Famous Idaho Bowl (Utah State vs. Toledo). If BYU has such a national following, why don't they watch the most important game of the year?

Answer: Mormon does not equal a REAL fan....just one that will claim they are a fan when they really can't answer the question "Who is BYU's starting quarterback".

phoenix

Stop confusing the PACy-WACer's "superiority" delusion by introducing actual results into the discussion - the "conference of champions" bottom dwellers are confused enough as it is.

They still don't understand how being ranked and winning a bowl game are superior to being unranked and playing in the couch potato bowl.

@ Naval Vet

Another comment about being "frantic and emotional?" Get a new tag line as that one is worn out and thread-bare.

@ Dutchman

No, I don't particularly feel better that my tax money, which is not optional to pay, goes to support the University of Utah in any fashion except medical research. The reason: they always are copping an "attitude."

@midpackmajor

Exactly what poll was BYU ranked in? Sorry Fella, but teams that go 8-5 don't get ranked.

Dutchman

If the UofU doesn't need the $415 million it received from the State of Utah in 2012, I'd suggest returning it to the state so those funds can be used by Utah State, Weber State, Utah Valley, Southern Utah, and other state colleges and universities who actually need and appreciate the investment Utah is making in their schools.

The truth is, you have absolutely no proof whatsoever that "Not one dime of tax payer money goes to fund, operate, maintain or build anything having to do with the athletic programs, teams or coaches at the U."

@ ute4ever

Nice spin job, even for a Ute partisan.

Tell us, how many fans watched the Utes play in a bowl game this year?????

You really think any Pointsettia Bowl is going to draw better than a Navy vs SDSU match-up, played in San Diego? And you think TCU vs Louisiana Tech is relevant to this discussion?

Using that logic, those poor Utes were about zero this year, weren't they, in bowl game fan attendance.

If you think BYU doesn't have a larger fan base than Utah, except in selected areas of Salt Lake City, you need to do some research.

And yes, Utah is making lots of money, which is good, because their team is not.