Louisiana athletics operated at $8 million deficit during 2023 fiscal year

[ZoomZoom]

100% Someone get this information to the leaders of our athletics.

Hard to deliver a message to a bunch of ostriches.

Only way to fix that now is for Des to go out and prove casual fans wrong An actual Revenge tour is needed

Can’t frame it that way being the first “revenge tour” wasn’t received well. Just win.

[ULvictory]

Game day experience in football is horrendous; it is more like watching a video game with bad concessions than actually being at a college game.

The University has been an abject failure for 40 years or more in establishing a positive experience for students at athletic events; in fact, MH seems to actively discourage student fan participation.

The University has an entitlement attitude toward the fan base. They need to learn that the public does not owe them ____; it is their responsibility to enthusiastically pursue fan participation through every means available. Fans are earned, not gifted.

This

[Clutch0364]

SBC championship should have been the jumping off point. Instead they ignored it even told us they couldn't even afford a championship banner. Then spent double on an R1 banner for the CD.

It didn’t help that they made the least exciting hire they could make. For me it said we are not trying to take the next step and continue what has been built.

[CajunVic]

It didn’t help that they made the least exciting hire they could make. For me it said we are not trying to take the next step and continue what has been built.

Looking at the financial picture just presented, where do you think they would have raised the money for a splash hire?

Remember, we were already $2.6mm in the hole Napier's last year even with those two years or record performances in football.

[babysitter]

We literally are staring at not having a program. Like, that's where we are. We've lost ~$12mm in 24 months. So our real athletic budget is somewhere around $28mm, which is FCS level. Can't pay the cost of attendance stipend, can't pay an NIL director, can't afford staff to support marketing and sales. Can't support media in this time because you won't hold them to a standard. Won't reach out and work with other platforms. Won't get in the community and sell your brand.

They knew these numbers a year ago. Should have been a 5 alarm fire going off last year. Just what the ____ have they been doing to remedy the issue?

Oh Ohhhh.FCS. Someone finally said those horrible three words. That's exactly where this football and basketball programs should be and are headed there on a rapid pace given out superior financial resume'.

[Scott Malkinson]

I'm with you on the SBC Championship. You sold 30k plus tickets from scratch for that. No other school came close since they've started the Championship game. I remember after that thinking that this is our time. The community was buzzing.

.then, nothing. Not an effort. I mean, the fact that no one has even addressed the lack of a banner or acknowledgment of any sort is just mind numbing.

The game was top notch I had an Texas A&m coworker at the game. He even said that was one of the funnest games he had been to. We literally all the momentum and said nope.

[Scott Malkinson]

It didn’t help that they made the least exciting hire they could make. For me it said we are not trying to take the next step and continue what has been built.

Not only a lame hire they announced it than receded into the darkness. Hire a local guy that doesn't get out locally lol only at UL.

[Clutch0364]

Not only a lame hire they announced it than receded into the darkness. Hire a local guy that doesn't get out locally lol only at UL.

Couldn’t afford to get out. Gas is expensive.

[ZoomZoom]

The Covid excuse is gone. Get to work.

At this moment there is not one thing that motivates me to buy tickets AND/or renew season tickets and my RCAF. Running an athletic program like a glorified high school.

[CajunT]

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/.it/9226032002/

LSU ran a $9M budget deficit in 2021. It's been discussed ad nauseum on this site we spend more money than is budgeted. It has to paid and that is done through a transfer of funds from the University Foundation. This is why there is no separation between RCAF and the University Foundation. The money has to be paid back to the University Foundation which has been done with the RCAF General Fund and Ragin Cajun Facilities Fund. I'm not certain that's all the avenues to repay it, but those are two that have been in the past.

[Turbine]

Looking at the financial picture just presented, where do you think they would have raised the money for a splash hire?

Remember, we were already $2.6mm in the hole Napier's last year even with those two years or record performances in football.

Yet they somehow they spent more money, not less.

Evidently in the wrong places.

More money on the motivational imagination generating hire had the potential to pay for itself.

A non stop Desormeax tour may have worked too but that didn't happen.

[Scott Malkinson]

Couldn’t afford to get out. Gas is expensive.

Maybe the can charter a flight to local Festivals ?

[facelessjonmoon]

Can’t frame it that way being the first “revenge tour” wasn’t received well. Just win.

100%

Just win is right. Don't talk about it. Be about it

[ZoomZoom]

100%

Just win is right. Don't talk about it. Be about it

And MH/UL needs to embrace and grow from success. Not farm it out to people caught up in academics v athletics or 3rd parties.

[CajunVic]

Yet they somehow they spent more money, not less.

Evidently in the wrong places.

More money on the motivational imagination generating hire had the potential to pay for itself.

A non stop Desormeax tour may have worked too but that didn't happen.

This is not helping. More salt to the wound usually generates a response of OUCH, not send me more.