By the numbers

Which sports team cost UConn the most in 2018?

Which team had the highest ticket sale revenue? We break down the numbers in the financial report UConn recently submitted to the NCAA.

A report submitted by the UConn athletic department to the NCAA recently shows the struggles the university faces in funding a competitive Division I athletic program on the national stage, especially when in a conference outside the Power Five.

The report shows the athletic department incurred $80.9 million in expenses in 2018, down slightly from 2017, while generating $40.4 million in revenue. The university subsidized the department with more than $8.5 million in student fees and more than $30 million in additional institutional support. Here are the other numbers to know:

$42 million The highest subsidy in the country

UConn subsidizes its athletic department with close to $42 million. That figure is made up by more than $8.5 million in student fees and another $30 million in institutional support. The student fees are assessed through an annual fee charged to undergraduate students, of which $434 goes toward athletics.

A USA Today analysis of data from 2016-17 shows the school’s athletic department receives the highest subsidy of any Division I public institution. While its allocation as a percentage of total reported revenue is just under 51 percent and middle-of-the-pack, it’s higher than any school in the six biggest conferences.

$8.7 million How much UConn football lost

UConn football was the biggest drain on the athletic department in terms of a single sport. While the team was the highest performing in terms of revenue at just over $7 million, it incurred nearly $15.8 million in expenses. Coaching salaries accounted for nearly $4.6 million, student aid for nearly $4.4 million and game expenses for $2.3 million — the three highest costs for the program.

The program’s deficit was actually much smaller in 2018 than the previous year, but that was mostly due to the fact more than $5 million in severance was paid out in 2017 to football coaches, led by Bob Diaco.

$700,000 How much more the UConn basketball team made off ticket sales than football

Despite more home basketball games than football games, the football team is typically expected to be the biggest driver of ticket sales in major Division I programs. This was not the case in 2018, with men’s basketball raking in $3.1 million vs. the football team’s $2.4 million. The women’s basketball team was nearly even with the football team, with the department pulling in $9.1 million worth of ticket sales overall.

Ticket sales from 2017 dropped by about $900,000 in 2018 for the football team, while the men’s basketball team saw a slight increase. The women’s basketball team saw an increase of over $200,000 in ticket sales.

$2.7 million Athletic department contributions

The UConn athletics department certainly saw a dip in contributions in 2018 at $2,711,053. The year prior, the department brought in nearly $5.7 million as a whole. The men’s basketball team saw a dip of nearly $300,000, while football fell nearly $500,000. Contributions to women’s basketball was down nearly $200,000.

Last week, a $1 million donation was made to the UConn football program by an alum. Coach Randy Edsall has pledged to match 10 percent of donations toward the next million, up to $100,000, out of his pocket.

$2.2 million How much expenses were cut by

The athletic department cut its expenses in 2018 from the previous year by more than $2.2 million. Travel was trimmed by $300,000, the department saved nearly $500,000 on game expenses and close to $400,000 was saved in team meals, much of that savings coming through shifting the cost of the football team’s meals to the university’s expenses. The decline in the aforementioned severance payment was the biggest savings.

On the flip side, the department saw increases in the direct overhead and administrative expenses, athletic facilities debt services, leases and rental fees expenses and there was an uptick in fundraising, marketing and promotion efforts.

$4 million Decline in revenue from the previous year

While expenses were cut, the department’s revenue was more than $4 million lower than the previous year. The department, despite aid from student fees and the university, incurred a net loss of nearly $1.6 million in the 2018 fiscal year,

This was driven by a $700,000 decrease in ticket sales, a $200,000 decrease in conference distributions, nearly $400,000 less in NCAA distributions, and the steep drop in contributions.

Dan Brechlin can be reached at dbrechlin@courant.com.