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August 2004 A Different Game in College SportsThere is a different game being played on the nation's college campuses, both on the field and in athletic departments, where a different but no less resourceful breed of sports execs is directing athletic competition for tens of thousands of student athletes every year. Whereas in the pro ranks every franchise is a business whose ultimate goal is to make money, see its team capture championships, and build positive ties in local communities, at the college level, the tasks are multiteam and more varied and complex, though arguably less cutthroat in matters pertaining to the bottom line. "In addition to developing teams for NCAA competition, we also have a mission to provide sporting recreational options and opportunities for our entire student body—gym access, club sports, intramurals," says Stanford Senior Associate Athletic Director Debra Gore-Mann, MBA '87. Which isn't to say there are not major financial pressures and the attendant marketing challenges. "We have a budget of $50 million for everything we do, the recreational as well as NCAA competitive programs," she says. Thirty-three varsity programs, to be precise. Among them, football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, and baseball draw the largest crowds and provide the greatest financial opportunities. And that's important because the Stanford athletic department's varsity sports program is not funded from a general university fund, but from its own revenues and endowments, which must equal about $40 million per year to make the program go. "So, yes, we undertake marketing campaigns, seek corporate sponsors and radio and television revenues where we can," says Gore-Mann. "When the Notre Dame football team comes to town or, next year, USC, we do everything we can to fill the stadium. But in the end, with all we do, we just break even. Collegiate sports at Stanford is a nonprofit enterprise." Like Gore-Mann, Princeton Associate Athletic Director Jamie Zaninovich, MBA '01, helps direct an athletic program of 38 men's and women's sports as well as a large recreational series of programs. However, the athletic department is funded primarily by the university rather than by its own revenues. As much as revenue, community outreach to the Princeton area drives the marketing efforts of Zaninovich and his colleagues. "For instance," says Zaninovich, "Princeton's football stadium with 27,000 spectators seated close to the field provides a great viewing experience. There is a temptation to drive up the ticket price for the value, but we don't. We 'cost down' the tickets because the football experience is one of the ways we introduce people to the university," he explains. Like his pro sports counterparts, Zaninovich reaches out to a host of community groups to bring their members to Princeton football games: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, to name a few. And, likewise, he is building registration campaigns online to create a database of Princeton sports fans for whom single game and season ticket plans can be crafted. Strategically, Zaninovich wants to target high-profile contests like basketball games against perennial top-ranked University of North Carolina or Kansas, which would bring larger crowds and wider TV and radio audiences, to push online registrations. "We think this trend in managing customer relationships with a personal touch will be a good one for us," he concludes. —DAVID MARKUS |
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