Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Wounded Warriors: Hawaii football team failing to generate points, revenue
By Malia Zimmerman @ 5:31 PM :: 4379 Views :: Higher Education

Wounded Warriors: Hawaii football team failing to generate points, revenue

UH athletics Hawaii opened the season with a loss against the University of Southern California. Photo: UH Athletics

by Malia Zimmerman, Watchdog.org, September 10, 2013 

HONOLULU – The athletic department for the University of Hawaii will get a $13 million bailout, money originally budgeted  for the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents authorized the move, based in part on stagnant ticket sales.

The university in 2012 hired Norm Chow as head football coach under a contract that pays him $550,008 annually plus bonuses, more than any other state employee including the governor, the president of the University of Hawaii and the head of the University’s John Burns School of Medicine. Chow coached in the NFL and with several NCAA Division I teams.

Hawaii was 3-9 in 2012, and winless so far this season.

State Rep. Mark Takai, D-Aiea, a University of Hawaii graduate and candidate for U.S. Congress in 2014, is one of the University’s most loyal fans and serves on the Letter Winners booster club board.

Takai said the success of the football team is “crucial.”

 University of Hawaii head football coach Norm Chow makes $550,000 a year, more than any other state official.

The university this year sold 18,194 of 50,000 available, the lowest number in at least the past 10 years.

Watchdog.org filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with the athletic department. In 2008, the year the Warriors went to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the university set a record for ticket sales with 27,705; the next year it sold  23,976.

Contrast that to 2012, Chow’s first year as coach, when ticket sales dropped to 20,821.

“The biggest revenue generation for the department is from UH football, and the fact that season tickets are down this year is a huge concern and impacts everything to do with athletics,” Takai said.

The university budgeted $8,849,258 for the University Warrior football team for the 2013-14 school year, but it may have to adjust that.

Carl Clapp,associate athletic director, said, “We have a revenue goal for football ticket sales that includes both season tickets and individual game tickets. If, overall, ticket sales decline below the revenue goal, the revenue has to be made up from another area or the expenditure budget will need to be adjusted.”

 University of Hawaii college football has been on a losing streak, impacting athletic department revenues.

Season tickets range from a high of $375 per person for sideline seats to $75 for the upper sections. Stadium parking is $5, plus concession costs.

The state, not the university, benefits from concessions. But the university’s booster clubs, including the Ahahui Koa Anuenue football booster club, for example, contributed $6,959,495 million to the athletic department and its teams in fiscal 2013.

Athletics got $2,219,978 from corporate sponsors in fiscal 2011 and $2,316,861 in fiscal 2012. Cash received by corporate apparel sponsors is included.

“The football team needs to win and get fans in the stands. The football program and everyone tied to the athletic department has to quickly figure this out,” Takai said.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii