OU Athletics trumpets its contributions to local economy

Ohio University Athletics provided some $21.3 million to the Athens County economy last school year, according to a study released last week by the OU Center for Sports Administration and the School of Recreation and Sports Sciences.

The study, conducted by graduate students in the Center for Sports Administration, calculated visiting team spending, fan spending during home events, and revenues tied to outside agencies/organizations to compute OU Athletics' direct economic impact - $8.19 million. Researchers added that to the amount of money the university's athletics department spent in the 2008-2009 year - $11.9 million - to get the $21.3 million figure.

"We have always been strong believers that the athletic department has many strong benefits for the university and for the community," said Jim Schaus, OU's director of athletics. He added he's not surprised by the study's results. "It's nice to have a study that substantiates that," he said.

The Bobcats' football team drew the largest amount of money with $2.12 million. An average out-of-county fan spends $48 in Athens County per football game, according to the study, which surveyed fans at certain games throughout the season last year. An average home football game brings in $409,020 to Athens County. Visiting football teams spent a total of $84,390, the study reported.

The Sept. 5 opening home game against the University of Connecticut drew a record 25,000 fans, Schaus said, the largest crowd any athletic event has hosted in the university's 205-year history. The individuals that come in for a game spend dollars at hotels, restaurants and shops, pumping money into the county's economy, Schaus said.

Men's basketball produced the second-highest amount of money for the county, the study reported, with $1.53 million, followed by baseball with more than $605,000, volleyball with $411,000, women's basketball with $131,000 and softball with $91,000. Non-ticketed events such as women's soccer, field hockey and swimming and diving, and men's wrestling drew in a total of $174,000 for the county, the study said.

While OU's top money-producing teams did not have winning seasons last year, they still brought in large amounts of money to the county, Schaus said. The athletics department's goal, as part of the "Bobcat Renaissance"'s five-year strategic plan, he added, is to be the premier school in the Mid-American Conference. As a result, this study shows how much more money could potentially be brought in if the department reached that goal, according to Schaus.

"This study really shows the important impact Ohio Athletics has on our community and region," agreed Paige Alost, executive director of the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, in an OU Outlook press release. "The ACCVB greatly appreciates the effort and risk Ohio Athletics takes to keep their programs going, especially in their efforts to bring both youth and collegiate tournaments and other special events to Ohio University. Their marketing efforts continue to expand, and we believe their contributions to our community will continue to grow."

The study calculated into the $21.3 million figure the $11.9 million that the university spent last year on the athletics department. The $11.9 million includes athletic scholarships for $5.8 million, administration and salaries for $4 million, athletic support services for $1.8 million and "additional spending" in Athens for $216,000, according to the study.

Researchers only looked for the department's direct economic impacts; therefore, the university believes that secondary impacts of the department could produce even higher figures, according the executive summary of the study.

Secondary impacts include the national exposure the Bobcats' football team attracts by being on national TV or the help athletics provides to the university's enrollment numbers and fundraising, Schaus explained.