Arizona Football: Keeping up with the Joneses

The College Football landscape and culture is quickly changing, and if Arizona Football wants to stay relevant, it has to be a communal effort from everyone.

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By now, it is not a mystery, if Arizona wants to stay relevant in College Football, it is going to have to invest even more in their respective program. Athletic Director, Greg Byrne, has been phenomenal in the process and has been tasked with the tough challenge of keeping Arizona competitive in all sports. Mostly, trying to help rejuvenate and elevate a football program that saw the height of its success nearly 30 years ago.

If you may have heard, Byrne is already trying to think of ways to generate more funds to allocate to the football program. However, the proposed $200 student fee was met with lots of backlash. It is certainly a very opinion-generating topic and is definitely a slippery slope when talking about athletic funding and putting some financial responsibility on the students.

In my opinion, I don’t see why the seemingly nominal fee is that big of a deal ($200 for an entire academic year). How many students (and excuse the presumptuousness of this statement) waste that money on foolish purchases or beer within a given month or so? Most student’s parents pay for these fees anyway. Granted, I am no longer a student, so I know that my opinion likely won’t be received well by everyone.

However, let’s also be respectful to each other’s opinions. Also, I encourage our readers to let us know how they feel on this topic as well. But honestly, let’s take a deeper look at the issue.

Keep in mind, eight out of the 10 public universities in the Pac-12 Conference have a student athletics fee, with the University of Washington and Arizona being the only schools who don’t. The School up North just implemented a fee last year.

As it stands, Arizona ranked 35th last year among all Division 1 Athletic Programs, generating $87 million in revenue, with their expenses being just over $80 million. Including state tuition subsidies, etc. the athletic department netted nearly $9 million dollars.

Nov 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez reacts during a 38-30 loss against the Southern California Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Profit! The athletic department is just fine, they have plenty of money! Wrong! Football and Men’s Basketball are the two largest revenue generating sports in college athletics, so if Arizona wants to have strong athletics, it rests on the shoulders of football and basketball. So for the sake of our entire athletic department, it is almost an absolute necessity to have strong programs. Plus, Tucson’s economy benefits from strong athletic programs.

In College Athletics, that figure can disappear quickly. As fans, we want the best. We want results, we want wins, we want championships, we want our teams wearing the coolest gear, etc. How do you think all those things are generated?

Let’s be real; money doesn’t just materialized out of thin air. A smart Athletic Director isn’t going to spend like crazy (as long as they don’t have excessive amounts to do so). AD’s have to plan, strategize, and prepare for anything (coaching changes, fees, contract negotiations, etc.).

These past few months we saw these possible scenarios shaping up at the UofA. Head coach Rich Rodriguez entertained an offer from South Carolina, and Arizona quickly had a contingency plan in place in case Rodriguez were to have taken that offer. Then he would have had to deal with a coaching search, new contracts, etc. Arizona also just replaced their women’s basketball coach Niya Butts. Spending money is easy, and it can go quickly.

Now let’s address the bigger elephant in the room… Arizona’s Stadium is old and ancient. It’s nearly 100 years old to be exact. You can point to the recent upgrades (Lowell-Stevens Football Facility), artificial turf, video boards, etc. as being substantial enough. That barely even scratches the surface. Those were things needed to be done, so Arizona’s facilities were no longer a laughing stock in college football.

Oct 25, 2014; Pullman, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats mascot, Wilbur, looks on during a game against the Washington State Cougars during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

The bathrooms still need upgrading; the seats don’t have backings (something that is definitely more of a standard in most stadiums today). Additionally, Arizona’s practice situation is unique. While most schools have indoor facilities, Arizona does not.

Arizona is again behind the curve, something that top recruits notice when visiting Tucson. It would certainly be advantageous to have more shade, as Tucson is no stranger to sweltering heat and adverse conditions in the months of June through September (the same time when the football season is nearing kick-off).

In this day and age, it is an arms race. Arizona doesn’t have the ponies to keep up with the Oregon’s, the Ohio States, NS the Alabama’s of the world. Perhaps we may never be able to, but as fans, if we want to remain competitive, in a small way it is partly our responsibility. Buying tickets, attending games, buying memorabilia, giving donations, and staying all four quarters all help.

Students first and foremost want a good education, or at the very least should be qualifying education when picking a school. Second, I imagine students appreciate a good athletic program, where they can enjoy the atmosphere, socialize, and watch a sporting event (all a part of the college experience). It makes the college experience all the more enjoyable and gives the student more pride in their school if they feel it is one of the best.

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Byrne has done a tremendous job in staying creative and finding deep pockets that have put money into Arizona Athletics, but that well is quickly running dry. Arizona doesn’t quite have the boosters that some other schools are fortunate in having, so the proposed fee would certainly help in some ways. It will give Arizona a bit more spending money to maintain facilities, as well as a myriad of other things pertinent to an Athletic Department.

I still don’t see what the big deal is with a $200 fee. Maybe $200 isn’t the answer or maybe that number should be closer to $125-$150, or perhaps the ZonaZoo passes can divide some of their funds to go towards Athletic Facility upkeep, etc. Students are already paying Rec Center use fees and more whether they fully utilize all the amenities offered by the University or not.

I know College is expensive already, and I should know because I paid for it myself! However, an extra $200 isn’t that expensive when compared to the tuition total. Arizona allows you to take advantage of payment plans for school tuition (three per semester), so you’re talking about an extra $33.33 per tuition installment for the entire year. As fans, we want strong athletics, but Wildcats fans don’t always seem to care or are willing to do everything possible within their ability to ensure that happens. BearDown Arizona, and support your Athletics Department!

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