Louisiana Tech Receives $1.1million From The W A C

the real grad88 · July 9, 2007

From a Monroe News Star article
3. Louisiana Tech received a revenue sharing check from the WAC for more than $1 million. Does that kind of money make it worth playing in conference that is a bad geographic fit for the Bulldogs?
Looks good on paper, but no rivalries and ludicrous travel demands make this league the ultimate sell-out for Tech. -- Letlow
Not when you consider the money the Tech teams spend on travel. -- Boatright
Ideally Tech would play in the WAC just for football and find a more regional conference for other sports. -- Kern
Never. Right now, Tech's only natural rival is a team it doesn't play. -- Stickney
The travel expenses alone eats up most of that check. For that reason I say no. It's not worth it. Money is not the issue here though. If it was, you would schedule ULM and ULL on a home and home bases every year. Renew the interest for the FANS. You'll make the same money and have only a fraction of the travel expense. -- Soignier
It helps out some, but how can you really justify the volleyball team traveling to Idaho? -- Reynolds
FULL ARTICLE
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...010/1006/SPORTS

LA Tech ougth to tell the WAC to go fly a kite if they aren't willing to make a legitimate Eastern division made up of 6-8 teams.

Arkstfan · July 9, 2007

Tech cannot leave because they do not have the financial base to do it.

Again back to the numbers.

Spending $8,000 less than Arkansas State but pulling in $1 million more in league revenue and $1 million more in game guarantees. The difference is in donations, sponsorships, ticket sales, and athletic fees.

They can't add enough in game guarantees to assure they can make budget. Without special dispensation from the WAC they have to play a lame duck season there with no conference revenue. How do you play a year of a WAC schedule as the only central time zone team with $1 million sliced from your budget?

Obviously they could divert at lot of their current expenditures once out, but you've got to survive to get there, and after all the CUSA or bust talk from the leadership and all the talk about separation, etc., how do you return to the Sun Belt without losing some donors?

You can scrape by on a barely make-it budget much more easily than you can survive a one-time $1 million hit to the budget.

Tech will not be back unless the situation becomes so critical and the rest of the WAC so ready to have them gone that they are willing to permit an immediate departure or they are willing to let them go lame duck for a year and still draw a league check. I suspect Tech's long-term planning at this point is to hope that the Big East takes a CUSA school in the next three years or so and they end up getting the opening.

the real grad88 · July 9, 2007

Tech cannot leave because they do not have the financial base to do it.
Again back to the numbers.
Spending $8,000 less than Arkansas State but pulling in $1 million more in league revenue and $1 million more in game guarantees. The difference is in donations, sponsorships, ticket sales, and athletic fees.
They can't add enough in game guarantees to assure they can make budget. Without special dispensation from the WAC they have to play a lame duck season there with no conference revenue. How do you play a year of a WAC schedule as the only central time zone team with $1 million sliced from your budget?
Obviously they could divert at lot of their current expenditures once out, but you've got to survive to get there, and after all the CUSA or bust talk from the leadership and all the talk about separation, etc., how do you return to the Sun Belt without losing some donors?
You can scrape by on a barely make-it budget much more easily than you can survive a one-time $1 million hit to the budget.
Tech will not be back unless the situation becomes so critical and the rest of the WAC so ready to have them gone that they are willing to permit an immediate departure or they are willing to let them go lame duck for a year and still draw a league check. I suspect Tech's long-term planning at this point is to hope that the Big East takes a CUSA school in the next three years or so and they end up getting the opening.

I can't for the life of me understand what's up with the WAC and La Tech. Do they want them in their conference or not. If they were trying to get rid of them, you would think they would just say so. Afterall, it means more travel for the Western schools as well. If not, then they need to accomodate them with an eastern division. I have never understood the arrangement.

MeanGreen61 · July 9, 2007

I can't for the life of me understand what's up with the WAC and La Tech. Do they want them in their conference or not. If they were trying to get rid of them, you would think they would just say so. Afterall, it means more travel for the Western schools as well. If not, then they need to accomodate them with an eastern division. I have never understood the arrangement.

Tech is a victim of the EWAC stampede to CUSA. :rolleyes:

NT80 · July 10, 2007

Tech is a victim of the EWAC stampede to CUSA.

Tech also insures nine WAC conference teams. 4/4 home/away conference games and insurance in case one leaves for greener pastures or folds (SJSU). There were no other available western 1-A schools or Tech would have been ousted. That may change if Montana ever moves up to 1-A.

Edited July 10, 2007 by NT80

MCMLXXX · July 10, 2007

Tech will not be back unless the situation becomes so critical and the rest of the WAC so ready to have them gone that they are willing to permit an immediate departure or they are willing to let them go lame duck for a year and still draw a league check. I suspect Tech's long-term planning at this point is to hope that the Big East takes a CUSA school in the next three years or so and they end up getting the opening.

The SBC already has one to many Basketball Schools (Denver). We don' t need more BB teams to split revenue with, and with WKU becoming the 9th football team there is no advantage to adding a tenth. Why would the SBC want to add La Tech?

Arkstfan · July 10, 2007

I can't for the life of me understand what's up with the WAC and La Tech. Do they want them in their conference or not. If they were trying to get rid of them, you would think they would just say so. Afterall, it means more travel for the Western schools as well. If not, then they need to accomodate them with an eastern division. I have never understood the arrangement.

It means one trip every other year in football and several other sports and one trip a year in men's and women's basketball and some other sports. In other words not much of a burden.

Count noses. The WAC has six schools together for five or more years and 9 together for four or more years after this upcoming season. A Division I conference wanting an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament needs 7 members. Six must be together for five years, but if a program leaves there is a two year grace period. This is the first season since the great CUSA migration that the WAC could lose a member and fall within the grace period.

Arkstfan · August 16, 2007

A side note for those who think La.Tech is rolling thanks to WAC membership.

On the men's basketball side they've signed a home/home deal with SWAC member Arkansas-Pine Bluff (AKA an occasional buy 'em to come money game for UALR and ASU) and has signed a three for two contract with UALR (3 games at UALR in return for 2 at Tech).