The Wiz of Odds is conducting a comprehensive study of bowl game expense reports. All of the data collected — expense reports for 56 teams and bowl surveys for 40 teams — are being posted on the site. Here is the latest installment. For an overview of the project, click here.
The nonprofit Cotton Bowl Athletic Association operates the Cotton Bowl, first played in 1937, making it the fifth-oldest bowl game.
2011 participants: Louisiana State and Texas A&M.
LSU expenses: The school reported only 97 absorbed tickets at a cost of $12,950. The biggest reported expense came from additional compensation and fringe benefits, which totaled $586,740. The school gave no other details. Download Louisiana State Expenses
LSU's travel party numbered 741, 10th highest among the 56 teams whose expense reports were obtained by The Wiz of Odds.
Survey: LSU did not provide a bowl survey to The Wiz of Odds.
Texas A&M expenses: The Aggies reported only 17 absorbed tickets at a cost of $2,125. The biggest expense listed was administrative, totaling an off-the-chart $773,542, easily the highest administrative cost of the 56 bowl reports obtained by The Wiz of Odds. The school did not disclose why those costs were so high. Download Texas A&M Expenses
Survey: Athletic director Bill Byrne answered either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" to each question on the survey. He gave bowl officials high marks for their use of technology.
"Bowl manual was well organized and easy to find answers to questions," Byrne wrote. "Having Manual [sic] on ipads [sic] made it easier to carry with you and have the ability to answer questions for various groups."
Sports Business Journal annually tracks what gifts bowls give to players. The Cotton Bowl declined to reveal what they would present to the players, but Byrne let the world know when he wrote this comment: "The student-athletes were very happy with the Ipad [sic]." (It's iPad)
Byrne did have one suggestion when asked what the bowl could do to improve the experience.
"Area to improve …. The driver pool (group that provides transportation). Drivers didn't know directions to stadium or other locations from hotel and would get lost, causing delays," he wrote. Download Texas A&M Survey
Great story except the iPad fixations. Nerds don't run multimillion athletic departments.
Posted by: Steve in Beaumont | June 16, 2011 at 12:35 PM