American Amateur Athletics Watchdog / The BCS Watchdog

The 32 bowls following the last 2 seasons paid out approximately $210 million in 2006 and $235 million in 2007. The 66 BCS teams received approximately 85% of these bowl payouts each year, $180 million in 2006 and $203 million in 2007, compared to only 15% for the 53 non – BCS teams, $30 million in 2006 and $32 million in 2007. The average BCS team received bowl payouts of $2.7 million in 2006 and $3.1 million in 2007, which were 5 times the average non – BCS team bowl payout of $0.6 million in both 2006 and 2007! Some non – BCS teams, after expenses, actually lost money going to a bowl game!

Each of the 66 BCS teams, regardless of their football record and skill, received an average payout of $3.1 million in 2007 – 5 times the average amount of $600,000 by each non – BCS team. This huge financial advantage allows BCS schools to improve facilities (e.g., stadiums, weight training and work out facilities, locker rooms, etc.), attract and pay higher salaries for successful coaches in demand, improve and expand recruiting, and, importantly, subsidize the expenses of not only the football program, but other sports at the BCS schools. Football generates most of the revenues that pay for other college sports. Many schools (especially non – BCS schools) have had to eliminate sports because of a lack of revenues. With additional revenues, the non – BCS schools could subsidize more men and women sports and more fully comply with the spirit of Title IX. Accordingly, the BCS is not only unfair for the football players of non – BCS teams, but for their entire student body, aspiring student – athletes in sports not offered, and their communities.

BCS schools, on average, return to their campus after a bowl with net revenue or a profit (after bowl expenses). Unfortunately, many non – BCS schools actually have a net loss after a bowl trip. A San Diego Union – Tribune bowl financial survey from 2007 received a response from 18 bowl teams – 6 teams lost money from the trip and 2 others broke even (see December 17, 2006 article by Brent Schrotenboer entitled, “Bowls gone wild!”, at http://www.signonsandiego.com/ ).

The BCS teams have received an astonishing 96% (i.e., 90 of the 94 BCS bowl berths through 2008) of the very lucrative BCS bowl berths (and their huge relative payouts - $18 million per team per BCS bowl berth this year in 2008) since the BCS commenced in 1998. Most of the non – BCS teams play in smaller bowls that have payouts per team equal to or less than $1 million.

The percentage sharing of bowl payouts between BCS and non – BCS teams this year, in the 2008 bowl season, is not expected to be materially different than the 85% / 15% split in 2006 / 2007. If a non – BCS team does not receive a BCS bowl berth, the percentage of bowl payouts received by the BCS teams jumps to approximately 94%!

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