UC Board of Regents approves UCLA joining the BigTen, with some provisions

[WestCoastWildcat]

UC Regents OK UCLA Move to Big Ten, but Payment to Berkeley Will be Required

The University of California Board of Regents Wednesday cleared the way for UCLA to move to the Big Ten Conference in 2024, but in exchange required the university to make a multimillion-dollar donation to UC Berkeley to support that school's athletics.

timesofsandiego.com

There was a lot of controversy over UCLA joining the BigTen among the UC Regents, esp the impact on Cal. The regents approved UCLA’s move but UCLA will have to “donate” $2M-$10M to UC Berkeley as to be determined by the regents to prop up the UCB athletics program. It will be interesting to see what happens to the PAC12 and other top programs like Oregon and UW. Losing UCLA and USC is a major blow to the conference and will adversely impact their negotiations for media rights. UCB athletics program has been struggling for years. Stanford also is questionable with the transition of the struggles with their major programs though their athletic department seems to be well-funded.

 

[FanatiCat]

UC Regents OK UCLA Move to Big Ten, but Payment to Berkeley Will be Required

The University of California Board of Regents Wednesday cleared the way for UCLA to move to the Big Ten Conference in 2024, but in exchange required the university to make a multimillion-dollar donation to UC Berkeley to support that school's athletics.

timesofsandiego.com

There was a lot of controversy over UCLA joining the BigTen among the UC Regents, esp the impact on Cal. The regents approved UCLA’s move but UCLA will have to “donate” $2M-$10M to UC Berkeley as to be determined by the regents to prop up the UCB athletics program. It will be interesting to see what happens to the PAC12 and other top programs like Oregon and UW. Losing UCLA and USC is a major blow to the conference and will adversely impact their negotiations for media rights. UCB athletics program has been struggling for years. Stanford also is questionable with the transition of the struggles with their major programs though their athletic department seems to be well-funded.

That is an interesting arrangement although it’s reasonable for the whole UC system to share some of the B1G revenue since UCLA is an integral part of the UC system.

 

[PURPLE Book Cat]

That arrangement may in the slightest way benefit Northwestern, as it weakens the financial war chest available to UCLA from Big Ten payments relative to Northwestern by up to about 15%.

Northwestern must figure out how to leverage the benefits of proximity to the economic opportunities of Chicago to funnel NIL funds to student athletes in order to remain a viable power five contestant.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Stanford also is questionable with the transition of the struggles with their major programs though their athletic department seems to be well-funded.

Didn't Stanford cut a bunch of their non-revenue sports not long ago? I seem to remember reading something about that, although maybe I imagined it.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Didn't Stanford cut a bunch of their non-revenue sports not long ago? I seem to remember reading something about that, although maybe I imagined it.

I didn't imagine it. Stanford announced in 2020 that they would be cutting 11 varsity programs, but then reversed that decision in 2021.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

I didn't imagine it. Stanford announced in 2020 that they would be cutting 11 varsity programs, but then reversed that decision in 2021.

I thought Stanford had been generally supportive of their non-revenue sports. In spite of money coming in I know it’s an on-going struggle. I’ve previously served on the committee that oversees intercollegiate athletics and recreation here at UC San Diego. When I first served on the board years ago UCSD was in DIII and transitioned to DII. Since my time on the board we are in the process to move to DI and the funds needed to compete at that level have dramatically increased- we need almost twice the annual athletic budget when the school was in DII. It will be interesting to see the role NIL on collegiate athletics and funding. Our undergrad pop has swelled to 44,000+, and we our maxing out space for new campus construction. We might end up with a football program now that we are in DI but the startup costs are daunting. Our non-revenue sports like volleyball, fencing and water polo are decent but the pressure is on now to be able to sustain them at the D1 level. (Financial support for women’s Title IX programs is also a funding factor in the annual athletics budget.)

 

[WildcatWillie]

West Coast, you offer impressive insights into the complexities of running athletic programs at the level(s) below SEC, Big 10, and the like. I tire of the media focus on "big-time" college sports when the reality is that most programs struggle to do what they can with limited means. It's like the institutional NCAA message that reminds how few few college athletes have post-school careers in their sports.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

West Coast, you offer impressive insights into the complexities of running athletic programs at the level(s) below SEC, Big 10, and the like. I tire of the media focus on "big-time" college sports when the reality is that most programs struggle to do what they can with limited means. It's like the institutional NCAA message that reminds how few few college athletes have post-school careers in their sports.

Thanks Willie. I’ve attended the annual UCSD athletics banquet for years (well, decades) and every time I attend I come away amazed and proud of our student-athletes and their accomplishment on and off the field. Many of them also donate time as volunteers on campus and in the community. These student-athletes really have sacrificed their time and represent what I have admired in our athletics program. Some of these students maintain near 4.0 gpa’s in majors like engineering and math. I really don’t know how they do it.

The impact of NIL and the transfer portal remains to be seen but it’s certainly a new world for college athletics across the board. It’s going to be a challenge for NU to remain competitive and still maintain standards without bending admissions criteria to some degree. USC seems to be a prime example of a program that has maximized the portal. I’m torn about NIL. I support the athletes being fairly compensated but struggle with what that means, and how extensive compensation will impact college sports and recruiting. At the very least I feel athletes should receive medical insurance after their careers to cover the impact of sports injuries they may have received during their careers. That coverage for sports injuries could be tricky too.

I enjoy college athletics particularly the downscale experience at UCSD. I also follow NU and have witnessed some classic games (like the 2000 Michigan game and our bowl game here in SD). All of these changes- NIL, portal, conference expansion seem to be happening all at once and seem overwhelming to me. It’s definitely an arms race for facilities and talent.