The UW-Madison Athletic Department has increasingly become a separate entity from the rest of the university. This hurts everyone involved with the university including students, fans, donors and athletes.
Not only is the department breaking away from the university financially, it is also distancing itself from Wisconsin fans. Athletic director Barry Alvarez lobbied for a bill last week that would exempt charitable donations made to the Badger Fund from taxation. These donations, though, are often mandatory for some season ticket holders to retain their seats and parking spots for various Badger games. These charitable donations"" hardly seem charitable.
The recent audit of revenues from the Big Ten Network shows the Athletic Department receives 70 percent of revenue - totaling more than $4.1 million - while the university will get $1.3 million.
Wisconsin ranked third in the Big Ten for reported athletic revenues in the 2005-'06 year. In contrast, UW-Madison's library system has about $4 million less than Minnesota - which ranked seventh in reported revenues. Of the Big Ten Network revenues, the UW-Madison libraries will receive less than $500,000. This money will not fulfill the needs of the libraries for an extended period of time.
With increased power, the Athletic Department also has the ability to influence disciplinary decisions with its athletes, which is one example of the department's separation from the university. Over the years, many football players have committed various crimes, yet received minimal punishment from the university.
Without UW-Madison there would be no UW Athletic Department. As more money pours into the Athletic Department to fund scholarships and new facilities, some of the department's money should also go to the university. UW-Madison's academics are just as important as its athletics to attract students to the university.
