Pandemic, coaching changes cause $26 million deficit for Arizona Athletics

2020-21 was a rough year for Arizona Athletics as it was revealed the Wildcats experienced a $26 million deficit as a result of the pandemic and coaching changes. 

Things are heating up in the desert as several sports seasons are beginning to kick off for the 2021-22 school year for Arizona Athletics.

And even with Covid seemingly on the rise again, things have mostly been back to normal thus far, however, I imagine there will still be some challenges and obstacles for the Wildcats to overcome  this year. Until things begin to happen, we just won’t know what to expect, but either way, this coming year is a vital one for the future of Arizona Athletics.

As we are all too familiar with by now, Arizona Athletics is coming off a wild year in which they experienced season and game postponements and cancelations. Fans also had limited opportunities to attend live sporting events.

Because of the restrictions, Athletic Director Dave Heeke announced that Arizona Athletics experienced a $26 million deficit for 2020-21.

Just ahead of the school year, Heeke announced the major shortfall by Arizona Athletics, and while it is greatly concerning, it also isn’t surprising either. Remember, Arizona was greatly impacted by the pandemic as the school heavily relies on the attendance of Men’s Basketball and Football as well.

But also, the school also went through two major coaching hires. Arizona Football terminated Kevin Sumlin, owing him a hefty amount left on his contract, while in Men’s Basketball, the Wildcats parted ways with Sean Miller, paying him roughly $1.5 million on his remaining contract.

Assuming Arizona didn’t have to go through the coaching searches, the pandemic had the largest impact as ticket sales were virtually zero for the vast majority of the year.

Should fans be able to attend games, the Wildcats can close on that deficit a little, but still, I would expect the effects of Covid to have an impact for a little while longer.