TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — While the University of Arizona as a whole deals with an ongoing financial crisis, the Athletics Department specifically has been placed under a microscope.
According to the U of A's interim CFO, Arizona Athletics was $35 million dollars over budget last fiscal year—and will be $30 million over budget this fiscal year.
In an effort to get the department out of the red, the university is raising ticket prices for many of its sports, including football, men's and women's basketball.
This is the email I received from Arizona Athletics as a season ticket holder. It lays out the ticket increase sport by sport:
- Men's basketball leads the way, with the average ticket price next season increasing 20%
- Football season tickets will increase an average of 17% this fall
- Women's basketball season ticket will go up an average of 7%
Increases are also planned for volleyball and soccer.
We spoke to Edward Rios, a Wildcats fan who has season tickets to several sports. He tells us he's angry about the increases:
"It's going to impact people not wanting to renew their tickets. I know that I'm going to cancel a couple of my season tickets," said Rios. "Next time the University of Arizona hires an administrator they should make sure they have heavy background in finance and contract management."
The email to season ticket holders points out the need to provide resources for programs to compete for championships. However, it does not specify how much these increases will offset the budget issues the department is experiencing.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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