Is It Time for a Message? How Does Oklahoma State Stand in Pandemic?
STILLWATER – Earlier this week I had someone email me a link to the following video. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard addresses all of his constituents, the Iowa State fans and updates them on where the Iowa State University athletic department is amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and as the extremely rough year of 2020 progresses into 2021.
During the past eight months or so, I’ve had many Oklahoma State fans ask me how the athletic department was faring with the COVID-19 crisis. Not health-wise; Oklahoma State football, thanks to the sports medicine staff, did very well and did not miss a game. Financially, I don’t know how Oklahoma State did.
Pollard made it clear for Cyclones fans.
“The purpose of our presentation today is to be transparent and very deliberate and straight forward with messages about our department,” Pollard said looking into the camera.
I’ve heard Pollard before. He is sometimes a little awkward and even cheerleader, but his motives can never be questioned. The Iowa State faithful embrace him and believe in him. Why shouldn’t they? Iowa State athletics has stayed competitive despite being the collegiate and Big 12 equivalent of a small market NFL or Major League baseball team.
Like Oklahoma State, Iowa State doesn’t have the rich financial resources of the University of Texas or the University of Oklahoma. Iowa State hasn’t enjoyed a benefactor in the realm of the late T. Boone Pickens. Give them credit. Their fans and boosters have come together and built some nice facilities, particularly in football and as a result they have risen up. The recruiting classes haven’t jumped up, but the ability to develop and support their football athletes have.
I really appreciated Pollard’s early message in getting easy to understand economics on what the pandemic did to the athletic department much of 2020.
He explained Iowa State is basically a $90 million a year operation with $75 million in annual budget, $10 million in debt service and $5 million in facilities and maintenance. I believe from everything I’ve heard or researched that Oklahoma State is in a similar category financially.
Pollard went to explain that he anticipated $35 million in shortfall for the pandemic-riddled year of 2020. He then on the video smiled big and delivered what he obviously felt was great news.
“Our excitement is we feel we can tell you that we cut into that and that we will likely have a $25-million deficit for the year,” Pollard stated. “The difference from where we originally thought and where we think we’re going to end the year is in large part because of all of you. We generated an additional $8 million this fall by hosting football games. That is why we fought so hard to find a way to safely have football fans at games this year. We also found an extra $2-million this fall in savings from our staff finding a way to do things less expensive with our present resources.”
Pollard then explained that he and the upper-level staff at Iowa State will have to find a way to not make up for $25 million, but he explained that Iowa State will add to their dept and finance the loss over 20-years at an estimated $2 million a year. By no means is that desired, but all things considered, like a once in a lifetime pandemic, it is reasonable.
Pollard then outlined three primary initiatives that Iowa State athletics have for 2021.
1. Ending the temporary 10 percent salary reduction for all athletic dept. employees. (That universal voluntary salary reduction was department wide.)
2. Renegotiating football head coach Matt Campbell’s and other key football staff members contracts.
3. Continued investments in football performance facilities and restoring several critical revenue generating projects.
Pollard emphasized that coming off a huge football season with a loss in the Big 12 Championship Game and a win over Oregon in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl that football must be taken care of as it will be the most critical revenue stream for the department’s future.
He talked about the new sports performance center that will open this spring and include a new gateway into the football department, new locker room, new meeting rooms, new academic center (for all athletes), and a new nutrition and dining facility for all 450 Cyclone student-athletes.
Then Pollard hit his pitch and it was very reasonable. He asked Iowa State fans to renew their football season tickets. He asked them all to do it and understand that the prices were being raised to help fund football and strengthen it. He asked all of the fans to renew their Cyclone Club memberships and forgive that they did not receive all their benefits from this past year.
At Oklahoma State, the Posse membership is automatically tied into football season tickets. There is the opportunity to be a Posse member without football season tickets, but buying the football tickets is the key. There is still the opportunity to donate to the Cowboy Athletics Relief Fund.
The rest of Pollard’s presentation moved into a new Gateway Pedestrian Bridge that will go from Jack Trice Stadium toward the facilities to the north such as the Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State is building a $10-million-dollar pedestrian bridge that will serve as a welcome sign to the athletics facilities and eventually be part of an arts and entertainment (athletics) district.
Oklahoma State has its athletics village. Fortunately, OSU is well down the road in that area. The unknowns are where the department stands on coaching and employee salary reductions. How the fall ended from a financial standpoint as football being played had to have helped.
What is the financial plan going forward? Many Oklahoma State fans have contributed to the Cowboy Relief Fund for athletics and how has that fund raising drive gone? What are the plans for the immediate future?
Does Oklahoma State consider football to be as instrumental as Iowa State in moving forward from this extremely difficult time financially?
Pollard’s timing seemed to be good as some of my Iowa State friends were pleased with what they heard. So far at Oklahoma State? No message recently.