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« on: August 07, 2024, 10:32:41 PM »
There are not major financial resources issues at YSU that cannot be managed by competent planning, nor is there a problem with teams coming to Beeghley to play the Penguins. These concerns are matters of outsized fan base expectations.
YSU has the same apprehensions regarding financial assets as any other collegiate institution, or any individual for that matter. There is never enough to go around. As resources expand, programs expand to encompass them. How long has it been since a poster heard another institution or person remark that it, he, or she has all the resources needed, and assets are no longer an issue in life? YSU is in a better position than neighbors Canisius, Niagara, Binghamton, St. Francis, and many schools in the MAC. YSU's stipend from the State of Ohio alleviates a number of financial pressures. Imagine what the private schools are experiencing. Additionally, YSU had a thriving basketball program over the past two years. Attendance is in the upper half of mid-majors and may be higher. Road “buy” games yield a premium. This contributes to the bottom line. Most importantly, YSU directors and executives understand who and what we are. We are a medium sized state institution with regional appeal. Nothing more. Administration does not attempt to become something the school was not intended to be or equipped to be. Resources are not endless. Neither are they driven by fan base expectations. The school spends accordingly. This is not the case with a number of MAC colleges in Ohio and Michigan.
Home game scheduling may not be quite as bad as represented on the board. First off, the game against Western Michigan this season is at home. The Penguins played at Kalamazoo last year. They would not play there two years in a row. Next, the teams mentioned above, i.e. Canisius, Niagara, Binghamton, St. Francis, the directional Michigans, and for that matter all MAC schools, must schedule non-conference games, too. They are in the same position as the Penguins. It is difficult to imagine any of them would not want a home and home with YSU, with the exceptions of Akron and Kent State. You could probably add Valparaiso, UIC, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Bellarmine, Tennessee Tech, St. Peter’s, American University and a host of others to the list off colleges comparable to YSU who would be willing to play us home and home. Colleges with more of a national reputation would present more difficult scheduling scenarios. YSU is likely paying Westminster around $2,500 for a home game. How much does it cost to rent a bus and a driver for a twenty-minute trip? Bethany may require a bit more as they would have a longer journey. It is likely both teams are pleased merely to be on the schedule of a Division I school.
YSU is operated in a responsible manner financially. It is not driven by expectations. The Athletic Department follows suit, although it performs the more important matters better than some of the smaller, public facing tasks.
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