Like football and basketball are viewed. This post is all about suggestions.

Here are your problems:

1. Some big percentage of the best 18-22 year old players do not play college baseball because they either have been drafted out of high school or signed out of the Dominican or Venezuela.

2. You have scheduling issues, with the weather. The NCAA wants the season to roughly overlap with the academic year, which means the season starts in February. At that point, you can draw a belt across the middle of the country and eliminate home games and fan interest above that line. If you wait longer to start the season, it ends long after there are any students on campus.

I'd assume some of the SEC schools, maybe the Big West, etc. make some money on baseball. There's a ceiling because of the two issues above.

Whether a college sport is a revenue-generator depends on the external interest (Football/MBB nationally, baseball in the South, hockey in the Northeast/Midwest). There isn’t anything fundamentally that can be done to turn a sport into revenue generator barring a renaissance of external interest. The vast majority of NFL/NBA players go through college, that isn’t the case for MLB/NHL due to baseball in Latin America and hockey in Canada/Scandinavia, so the broad interest just isn’t ever going to happen.

They need to move the season back by 4-6 weeks

As a Vanderbilt baseball fan, I strongly feel the ceiling is limited for the college game to become extremely popular and, as such, a major money maker. College baseball is a fairly big deal in warm weather states but there are still limits. And with anything in society, limits are typically based on sheer numbers (or lack thereof).

For instance ... For Vanderbilt home football and home basketball games, I see a lot more young fans and fans of color than I do compared to Vanderbilt home baseball games. And if that dynamic plays out at other universities (and I feel it does), it is clear, the "pool" of potential fans for college baseball is limited due to demographics.

The math doesn't crunch well for college baseball overall.

Lack of MLB right now is helping I'm sure. These CBA talks are upsetting a lot of fans.

(03-09-2022 04:16 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  Like football and basketball are viewed. This post is all about suggestions.

IIRC, LSU's baseball program usually makes between $500k and $1 million in profits most years, so .... do what LSU does.

(03-09-2022 04:32 PM)ccd494 Wrote:  2. You have scheduling issues, with the weather. The NCAA wants the season to roughly overlap with the academic year, which means the season starts in February.

Yeah, they think that *college* baseball should be a college sport, and not just single-A level baseball played during the pro baseball season by players wearing a college’s colors and logos.

Some other people think that keeping college baseball as a college sport is a crazy idea.

This thread is more about baseball being a money maker at the school level but here is something from the NCAA.

Quote:Of 90 NCAA championships, only five (all in Division I) generate at least as much money as they cost to run: men’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, wrestling and baseball.

https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/5/13/wh...ey-go.aspx

(03-09-2022 05:32 PM)AZcats Wrote:  This thread is more about baseball being a money maker at the school level but here is something from the NCAA.

Quote:Of 90 NCAA championships, only five (all in Division I) generate at least as much money as they cost to run: men’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, wrestling and baseball.

https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/5/13/wh...ey-go.aspx

Not surprising, as those championships generally draw a big crowd. I wonder how close Women's Basketball, Softball and Lacrosse are.

(03-09-2022 05:04 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  They need to move the season back by 4-6 weeks

This right here.

Honestly, it really could happen. Plenty of college baseball programs generates net positive revenue, either from player tuition OR ticket sales/sponsorships/donations etc.

The biggest problem is that building that revenue requires a SUBSTANTIAL administrative investment that few sports are going to be willing to do, because the short and medium term priorities will always be football and basketball. If baseball was an AD or a conference's top focus, it would build out the sales force needed to grow the pie more. But doubling baseball revenue may not be as impactful as being a little bit better at football....so there we go.

2021 may not be a great year for measuring the long-term college baseball trend. The Covid pandemic impacted attendance, the number of cancelations, etc.

Here's a statement (retrieved via Google) regarding Mississippi State baseball during 2021.

"The 2021 fiscal year resulted in a revenue of $5,049,218 from tickets. Davis Wade Stadium operated at a 25% capacity. And while baseball brought in $1,664,620 in ticket sales, Dudy Noble Field wasn't at full capacity until late in the season. Feb 22, 2022"

(03-09-2022 05:40 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-09-2022 05:32 PM)AZcats Wrote:  This thread is more about baseball being a money maker at the school level but here is something from the NCAA.

Quote:Of 90 NCAA championships, only five (all in Division I) generate at least as much money as they cost to run: men’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, wrestling and baseball.

https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/5/13/wh...ey-go.aspx

Not surprising, as those championships generally draw a big crowd. I wonder how close Women's Basketball, Softball and Lacrosse are.

I believe Women's Basketball and Softball are "knocking on the door" close. Softball would be helped by moving to a facility with a larger capacity for fan attendance. That seemed to benefit Baseball. Women's Lacrosse is probably a little down the list.

(03-09-2022 04:41 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Whether a college sport is a revenue-generator depends on the external interest (Football/MBB nationally, baseball in the South, hockey in the Northeast/Midwest). There isn’t anything fundamentally that can be done to turn a sport into revenue generator barring a renaissance of external interest. The vast majority of NFL/NBA players go through college, that isn’t the case for MLB/NHL due to baseball in Latin America and hockey in Canada/Scandinavia, so the broad interest just isn’t ever going to happen.

Not sure that this is exactly right. The number of NBA players who don't go to college is growing constantly. Elite college basketball (both men's and women's) programs are still generating impressive revenue...even if college players rarely make the NBA.

IMO its other broader external factors that are hurting college baseball. For most potential fans, baseball games are too long and have limited action. MLB has hurt the sport during the past several generations with labor strife, as well as drug & gambling scandals. College baseball is fighting against the broader trends in building adequate revenue.

Somehow college baseball needs to partner with MLB to experiment on changes that will re-establish fan interest. Specially for casual fans like women and children who would enjoy a pastime.

A big fat TV contract, that is how you make it a revenue sport.

I could actually see softball do it before baseball because games are so much faster.

As far as Single A or Double A baseball, kids are actually better going to college. They get better travel, better living and better coaching. Problem is, DI only allow for like 12 baseball scholarships, that makes no sense to me. JuCo’s have over 25 scholarships a year to give. With less minor league possibilities after the minor league contraction a couple years ago, may see more kids go to college, but the NCAA needs to allow for more scholarships.

(03-09-2022 06:21 PM)Usajags Wrote:  A big fat TV contract, that is how you make it a revenue sport.

I could actually see softball do it before baseball because games are so much faster.

As far as Single A or Double A baseball, kids are actually better going to college. They get better travel, better living and better coaching. Problem is, DI only allow for like 12 baseball scholarships, that makes no sense to me. JuCo’s have over 25 scholarships a year to give. With less minor league possibilities after the minor league contraction a couple years ago, may see more kids go to college, but the NCAA needs to allow for more scholarships.

Agree on all points.

Watching College Softball is very entertaining

Would be great to see more scholarships allowed for both baseball and softball.

(03-09-2022 06:01 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(03-09-2022 04:41 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Whether a college sport is a revenue-generator depends on the external interest (Football/MBB nationally, baseball in the South, hockey in the Northeast/Midwest). There isn’t anything fundamentally that can be done to turn a sport into revenue generator barring a renaissance of external interest. The vast majority of NFL/NBA players go through college, that isn’t the case for MLB/NHL due to baseball in Latin America and hockey in Canada/Scandinavia, so the broad interest just isn’t ever going to happen.

Not sure that this is exactly right. The number of NBA players who don't go to college is growing constantly. Elite college basketball (both men's and women's) programs are still generating impressive revenue...even if college players rarely make the NBA.

It’s exactly right. 25 of 30 1st round picks and 50 of 60 overall picks were from college last year. That fits the definition of “vast majority”.

(03-09-2022 05:18 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  As a Vanderbilt baseball fan, I strongly feel the ceiling is limited for the college game to become extremely popular and, as such, a major money maker. College baseball is a fairly big deal in warm weather states but there are still limits. And with anything in society, limits are typically based on sheer numbers (or lack thereof).

For instance ... For Vanderbilt home football and home basketball games, I see a lot more young fans and fans of color than I do compared to Vanderbilt home baseball games. And if that dynamic plays out at other universities (and I feel it does), it is clear, the "pool" of potential fans for college baseball is limited due to demographics.

The math doesn't crunch well for college baseball overall.

Well, sure. For MLB, the average fan is a 55-year-old white guy. It's a sport that is going to take a massive popularity hit within the next generation.

As to the topic at hand, this would have to have been done many, many years ago. It would have taken completely eliminating or hugely reducing the impact/influence of Minor League Baseball. NCAA baseball would have needed to be seen as a de-facto minor league for the MLB in the way that CFB is for the NFL and MBB is for the NBA.

From scholarshipstats.com for year 2019-20

Number of US High School Baseball Players 2019-20 - 512,213