Why Not Us?

In ancient times, the common man would walk to a nearby arena to eat, drink, and scream profanities at the battles staged in front of his eyes. In a world where shirt-tie ensembles are found in NBA stadium seats, eyeliner and mascara are worn to an NFL football game, and a JumboTron tells fans when to scream and yell, there is one aspect of sports that has held true to its original disposition: college athletics. Hundreds of thousands of college kids across the nation, armed with their voices and clothed in their school colors, gather together to eat, drink, and scream at the competitions held right before their eyes.

The beauty of it is fine and specific; nothing can really compare to it. College pride, unity, and fame come from nothing more than a good sports program. We all know that the men's basketball team—despite this past "rebuilding" year—has made quite the name for itself in the world of Division I basketball, and our student section is nationally recognized because of it.

St. Joe's fans, game in and game out, walk through the cold, heat, and any other obstacle West Philadelphia provides them with, just to pack the stands of an arena that is home to a team that they hold so close to their hearts. Saint Joseph's University loves basketball season; but why does it stop there? Why does it have to be once a year that our school gets excited for something? Why can't we have something else?

When comparing St. Joe's to other small, private schools in the country, Duke University came to mind. They have a similar tuition price and a similarly sized undergraduate student body, but here's the kicker: Duke has its renowned, consistently ranked basketball team, a competitive soccer team found in the NCAA Soccer Tournament almost every year, and a famous (but also infamous for other reasons) lacrosse team that became a model for many other Collegiate Lacrosse programs in the country.

Some might say that comparing Saint Joseph's University with Duke University is like comparing apples with steak, but Duke isn't the only small, private school in the country with an incredible athletics program. Take a look at Wake Forest University for example; they have a great basketball team, football team, and a nationally-ranked third place soccer team. Why is it that these schools have so much more to their athletic programs than St. Joe's?

It all comes down to the answer of all answers: money. It's important to put everything into perspective when looking at this issue. Small schools like Villanova, Saint John's, Marquette (part of the Big East), Duke, Wake Forest, and Boston College (part of the ACC) are all in college athletic conferences that dominate most NCAA Division I tournaments. So, why does that matter? A school's success depends on the team, not the conference they play in, right?

Jim Brown, the assistant vice president of Athletics Business Affairs and Renie Shields, the director of Compliance Services at Saint Joseph's University both addressed the issue of how similar-sized schools have more to their athletic programs than St. Joe's.

"Look at the conference they play in," Shields said. Confused and silent, I sat there trying to put two and two together. Brown explained that anytime a team gets into the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, they make loads of money for their team. 

"Each game in the tournament is worth approximately $200,000 per year for six years.  The source of those funds is the CBS contract with the NCAA. The money is sent to the team's conference where it is used to cover conference expenses and then distributed to the member schools in a predetermined formula," Brown said.

This year in the ACC, six teams went to the tournament. In the Big East, eight teams went. However, in the Atlantic 10, three teams went.

"The $200,000 number can be misleading because it will sound like schools in the tournament will be getting that money directly," Brown said.

Brown added that although $200,000 is a lot of money, after the expense coverage, schools only see around a quarter of it. Hypothetically, if all the teams that got into the tournament from the ACC, Big East, and Atlantic 10  lost in the first round, the ACC would've made $1.2 million for six years, the Big East would've made $1.6 million for six years, and the A-10 would've made a miserable $600,000 for six years. Teams in those always-successful conferences can put more money aside to cover the costs of elite recruitment expenses and operating expenses. Therefore, when everything is running smoothly and at a high level, things really can't go wrong. More money brings a better team, which brings even more money.

On top of the economic issues, there are also other matters that hinder Saint Joseph's success in other areas of athletics. At big universities like Oklahoma University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Kentucky, they  spread word all over the nation about their sports programs. Most huge universities such as those own the best teams in college athletics.

"Let's say Phil Martelli finds a prospect when the player is a freshman in high school. He saw potential and talent and stood by him throughout his high school career so that by the time he had to make his college decisions, he'd go to Saint Joseph's," said Michael Bradley, a visiting professor of sports journalism at St. Joe's. "Let's say he was so good, that schools like Kentucky and North Carolina also recruited him. What school do you think he'd pick? A small school like Saint Joseph's? Or a school that can spit you out in one year, getting you in the NBA with fame and money?"

He then went on to add that big schools are able to hide players in easy academic courses. These courses are designed to get them through college and make it easy on them to focus on their athletics. Student-athletes lay low in those programs until they graduate or decide to leave early to enjoy themselves in the world of professional sports.