The Creighton University Athletics Program is small relative to the programs in the BCS conferences. During the 2007-2008 season, Creighton spent $12.9 million on its athletic programs. That’s only 10% of the $120.2 million revenue earned by the University of Texas during the same time frame.
Let’s see if we can figure out what Creighton spends its athletic budget on.
Creighton Athletic Department Revenue
| Team | 2007 Revenues |
|---|---|
| Men’s Basketball | $4,335,702 |
| All Other Sports Men | $1,454,227 |
| Total Revenues Men’s | $5,789,929 |
| Women’s Basketball | $468,016 |
| All Other Sports Women | $1,455,909 |
| Total Revenues Women’s Teams | $1,923,925 |
| Total Basketball | $4,803,718 |
| All Other Sports Total | $2,910,136 |
| Total Gameday Revenues | $7,713,854 |
| Not Allocated by Gender/Sport | $5,196,415 |
| Total Revenues/Expenditures | $12,910,269 |
(Source)
As we would expect, the men’s basketball program is the largest revenue generating sport at Creighton, covering 33.5% of total revenue or expediture.
For the most part I am using revenue and expenditure interchangeably in this article. “Gameday” revenues account for only $7.7 million (59.7%) of Creighton’s $12.9 million in athletic expenditures for the 2007-08 school year. The remainder must be covered by donations and the school’s general fund.
What does the Creighton Athletic Department spend its money on?
Creighton Athletic Scholarships
| Teams | Expenditure |
|---|---|
| Men’s Teams | $1,294,626 |
| Women’s Teams | $1,719,283 |
| Total Scholarships | $3,013,909 |
(Source)
$3 million is spent on athletic scholarships. This is equivalent of approximately 81 full ride scholarships per year.
NCAA Maximum Scholarships per Sport
| Sport | Men’s | Women’s |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 13 | 15 |
| Soccer | 9.9 | 12 |
| Baseball/Softball | 12 | 12 |
| Volleyball | 12 | |
| Tennis | 4.5 | 8 |
| Golf | 4.5 | 6 |
| Rowing | 20 | |
I am reasonably certain that Creighton fully funds thirteen for men’s basketball and 9.9 for men’s soccer. If the school also fully funds 12 for baseball, there would be 48 scholarship equivalents available for all other sports.
That leaves $9,896,360 in expenditures unaccounted for.
Recruiting Expenses
| Teams | Expenditure |
|---|---|
| Men’s Teams | $110,972 |
| Women’s Teams | $72,103 |
| Total Recruiting Expenses | $183,075 |
(Source)
Recruiting isn’t a huge part of the budget. $9,713,285 remaining.
Operating Expenses
| Sport | Men’s | Women’s |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | $440,591.00 | $179,559.00 |
| Baseball | $205,219.00 | |
| Golf | $43,085.00 | $43,086.00 |
| Rowing | $75,815.00 | |
| Soccer | $140,260.00 | $111,087.00 |
| Softball | $101,922.00 | |
| Tennis | $21,233.00 | $21,234.00 |
| Track and Field,X-Country | $17,517.00 | $17,517.00 |
| Volleyball | $102,138.00 | |
| Total Operating Expenses Men’s and Women’s Teams | $867,905.00 | $652,358.00 |
(Source)
“Gameday” expenses account for $1,520,263 (11.8%) of the budget. $8,193,022 remaining
Coaches
| Coaches | Salary Expenses |
|---|---|
| Men’s Head: | $1,302,960 |
| Men’s Asst: | $505,970 |
| Women’s Head: | $365,864 |
| Women’s Asst: | $376,344 |
| Total Coaches Salaries: | $2,551,138 |
(Source)
These salary expenditures wouldn’t seem to include the rumored off the book monies that Altman receives from individual donors.
$5,641,884 remaining. Expenses attributable to scholarships, coaches, recruiting and operating expenses total $7,268,385. That’s $445,469 less than gameday revenues.
Expenses by Team
| Team | Expenses |
|---|---|
| Men’s Basketball | $3,610,271 |
| Women’s Basketball | $1,042,466 |
| Total Basketball | $4,652,737 |
| All other sports Men | $1,977,198 |
| All other sports Women | $2,580,567 |
| All other sports Total | $4,557,765 |
| Total Expenses Men’s | $5,587,469 |
| Total Expenses Women’s | $3,623,033 |
| Total Allocable Expenses | $9,210,502 |
| Not Allocable by Gender/Sport | $3,699,767 |
| Grand Total Expenses | $12,910,269 |
(Source)
Expenses attributable to scholarships, coaches, recruiting and operating expenses total $7,268,385. That’s $445,469 less than gameday revenues.
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