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Athletics department considers economy

By Jayson Jenks

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Construction workers and materials fill the area next to Allen Fieldhouse. New turf is on the football field.

A new practice facility was unveiled last week — its locker rooms and adjoining offices still not completely finished.

And the improvements aren’t done. Plans call for a newer, larger video screen to replace the current one inside Memorial Stadium.

These upgrades ­­— the ones that continue to increase Kansas’ facilities in the Big 12 hierarchy — come at a time when the lackluster economy is affecting all parts of the country. They come at a time when people are watching their dollars with a more cautious eye.

But the Athletics Department isn’t slowing down. Athletics director Lew Perkins said that, money permitting, Kansas would continue looking to upgrade and improve.

“I think it’s a mistake if you look at slowing down,” Perkins said. “I think if you slow down, it’s going to put you further and further behind and the prices are going to go up every day. And I might be wrong on this but I’ve always felt that if you have a plan, you stick with it and go forward. Now, if we don’t have the money, we can’t go forward.”

Though Perkins said Kansas had experienced only a slight drop off in donations, he said he was also fully aware of the economy’s trickledown effect. And it’s something visibly seen in recent decisions made by the department.

First, there’s the multiple ticket packages offered for football games. Kansas has three-game ticket packages in place — a move Perkins said should help those unable to financially commit to season tickets.

Then, more noticeably, there’s Kansas’ decision to sell courtside seats in Allen Fieldhouse for $15,000 each. Perkins said the seats were already sold out and would generate $750,000.

“For us to come up for a new concept with those seats, it’s huge,” Perkins said. “And we waited a long time. We talked about how we have some history and tradition and we wanted to keep that.”

Perkins said the economy — and the added revenue source — factored into the department’s decision.

“Oh sure,” he said. “We did that because we wanted to make sure we had enough revenue to pay our expenses.”

So what, then, is the economy’s effect on Kansas Athletics?

For starters, Perkins said the department had seen a slight increase in the number of donors asking for payment-plan options instead of simply paying all at once. He also said there had been a small decrease in the amount of donations.

But Kansas will also look to cut costs when possible. Instead of flying to certain places, for example, Perkins said the Jayhawks would take a bus.

“We’re careful how we spend our money,” Perkins said. “As I told all of our coaches and administrators, we’re going to move forward and we’re going to continue to build and work hard. But let’s make sure we’re spending our dollars on important things.”

But it’s perhaps the easiest time to market Kansas athletics. Many have picked the Jayhawks to win the Big 12 North in football, and the basketball team should open the season as the No. 1 team in the country.

And women’s basketball is expected to make a splash in the loaded Big 12 this season. Perkins said it made dealing with the economy more manageable.

“The timing for us has been really good because right now everyone is talking about Kansas athletics,” Perkins said. “It’s like we’ve really worked our way and now the pieces are beginning to fall into the puzzle pretty good.”

Still, the economy is something Kansas is keeping a close eye on. Associate athletics director Jim Marchiony said that Kansas was always watching the economy, but that monitoring at this point in time was even more critical.

“It’s as important as it ever was right now to talk with our donors and make sure that we take care of them,” Marchiony said.

Last week, Kansas’ athletic administrators met to begin discussing a new five-year plan to follow the current plan. Perkins said the discussions hit every topic — ticket prices, seating plans and facility upgrades.

And the economy remained an important part of the discussions.

“It’s hard to raise money and it’s hard to get people to commit,” Perkins said. “People are worried about their retirement, about their future and about their kids. And then we go in and hypothetically ask for a million dollars; it’s hard.

“So we have to be sensitive to those types of things. We have to be careful that we don’t be arrogant about it and that we do it the right way.”

Click here for related story.

— — Edited by Abby Olcese

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