Our cut from the CWS?

[flanaganmike02]

On a recent basketball post, somebody pointed out that we have been receiving money from Utah's 1998 Final Four team, when they were in the WAC. This money is divided evenly among the remaining WAC schools that didn't make the Final Four that year, to my understanding.

Does something similar like this happen in baseball? For instance, will five baseball-playing schools benefit financially from Rice's run to the CWS championship series? I realize that the Final Four is more profitable than the CWS, but if there's enough money made to give to other conference schools, then perhaps our baseball people could find something useful to do with that money.

Even if we don't gain any financial benefits, having a WAC team have such a successful season would benefit all WAC schools from a recruiting & public relations standpoint. Hopefully Rice will be able to dispose whichever California team they play in the final series & bring a championship to the WAC.

Mike

[Designated Hitter]

I will take a stab at answering your question about any payout to WAC from CWS and how much baseball gets. I did not keep article from last Fall by NCAA Baseball on what they paid out, but will try to recall as best as I can.


1. Schools put in bids with guaranteed amounts to pay into NCAA Baseball Pool. Any revenue generated above the guaranty is kept by the hosting institution and is not shared with Conference affiliation.
2. The guaranty money form host bids, revenue from CWS, and ESPN TV money for CWS goes into NCAA pool. I forgot total reported last year, but payout was something close to $175,000 for regional participant, doubled for Super Regional participant, and so forth and so on. Plus I believe the CWS champion got two shares as CWS participant
3. Paricipating schools cover expenses with their payout. Any left after expenses is provided to Conference and distributed according to that conference's rules. I do not know what the WAC rules are.
4. WAC may have a small share to split out due to the fact that Rice hosted a regional and super regional this year and avoided travel costs.
5. Whatever share Tech may get from WAC, you can rest assured the money is not going to baseball. It will go into the general athletic operating budget. Same as any NCAA Basketball money.

Hope this helps and gives you general understanding of how it works.

[flanaganmike02]

DH, thanks for the help. Surely I'm not the only one that thinks any money we receive from this should go directly to baseball? I understand we have to satisfy the Title IX Nazis, but I just don't think the football or basketball programs should see that money. Our baseball team earned that money.

[Dirtydawg]

Our baseball team earned that money.

Um, would you then agree that baseball shouldn't get any football or basketball money? I'm not saying I don't agree that it should go to baseball, but how did the baseball team earn that money any more than the football team earns the money they get or basketball?

[PawDawg]

Dirty, we are starting to agree on things too often. I'm a bit uneasy with that.

Unfortunately, we don't have the resources to designate any "extra" money coming in to a particular sport. CWS money will be "chicken feed" to most schools that receive it, but it will be a huge bonus for us if we get any. Football and MBB have the potential to make real money for the AD. Put the money "wisely" into those sports. Coach Sim will take care of business on his end if Jim will just give him a little rope.

One of our biggest promotions next year should be for the family baseball pass. I didn't buy one this year, but plan to next year. Even if you don't plan on going to games your money will be working hard to make Tech Baseball all it can be.

[Dirtydawg]

Dirty, we are starting to agree on things too often. I'm a bit uneasy with that.

You're finally coming around. :twisted:

[hisaw]

it was said that after the ncaa basketball tourney that the CWS (and I assume other rounds ofthe playoffs) is the NCAA's second largest money maker.

[CajunDave1]

The CWS might be the second biggest money maker for the NCAA, but other than picking up the expenses for the participating schools, it does not return much (if any) money to the schools involved. I can assure you that UL-Lafayette, and the Sun Belt Conference, did not recieve a windfall from the NCAA in 2000 when the Cajuns finished 3rd at the CWS. The greatest benefit that a school recieves from participating in the CWS, other than the obvious chance to play for the national championship and the experience it provides the players and fans, is the publicity and exposure the school and its baseball program gets. This cannot be measured in direct dollars and cents.

Remember, if there was a lot of money to be made by the schools and conferences reaching the CWS, you can bet that the BCS schools would be trying to change the rules to make it even harder for non-BCS programs to make post season play and have a legitimate chance to share in that money. It would be very similar to what they do in football and basketball, allow the rich to get richer!

Don't worry about the little bit of money that "might" come to Tech based on Rice's performance in Omaha. If you want the Bulldog program to improve, buy season tickets and support Coach Simoneaux in whatever way he asks you to. He knows how, and what it will take, to build a winning program in Ruston, because he helped do it here in Lafayette. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight, but be patient and it will happen if the Tech fans give him enough time!