Best performance for revenue sports in 19 years?
There were hard moments this year for sure. But all things considered, I don't think the two programs have been this good together since 1997-98. Here are some notable accolades and accomplishments
Football:
First ranking in the Final AP top 10 since 2006
First back-to-back double digit win seasons since 2002-03
First ever New Year's Six major bowl berth
Beat three eventual divisional winners consecutively in Colo, Penn State and Wiscy
Jabrill Peppers wins Paul Hornung Award and Lott Trophy
Jake Butt wins John Mackey Award
Basketball:
First Big Ten Tournament championship since 1998
Third Sweet Sixteen in 5 years after none in the previous 18 years by avenging 2013 against Louisville
Got revenge over SMU to win the 2K Sports Classic
Handed Izzo his largest loss to us in his 22 year coaching career
First season sweep of Indiana since 1994-95
No disrespect to the hockey program, but to my recollection, it generates something like $3 million in revenue compared to maybe $150 million for the AD as a whole so 2%. Maybe 3%. All of the other sports, including baseball and women's hoops etc are maybe 5% or so of total revenue generation. It's really two sports and the gap between football and men's basketball is massive too. Also, hockey has above average expenses so if you want to look at a per sport net operating profit it is not that much above break even.
Unless maybe you want to allocate a bunch of the licensing and TV revenue that's not directly sport specific to hockey, but I don't that's really a driver for where that money comes from.
Strictly by the definition of 'revenue sport', football, basketball, and hockey all make the cut even though there is a massive disparity in the actual revenue generated. I do believe hockey was netting $1-2 million a year even before BTN stuff kicked in
For the record, I remember reading that softball was financially positive as well, so that probably deserves to be thrown into the "revenue" pile, assuming that's true.
Boy oh boy. How far have we fallen in Hockey for it to be forgotton.
Hockey is actually a revenue generating sport here. And at one time there was a debate on who the #2 sport was at Michigan when no one was going to Basketball and Hockey was winning big and drawing big like it used to every year.
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#2 in people's hearts and maybe even in ticket revenue at some point circa Ellerbe/Amaker. It's never been close to basketball in total revenue since cable $ really started flowing ~30 years ago. You can sell out Yost for a season and have no one go to a game at Crisler all season and the basketball TV contract $ is still significantly more than what hockey generates. The money in college sports is in TV and licensing and hockey never had the former. To some extent it drove the latter, in A^2 and on campus particularly, but for the wider non-student fanbase, it's a minor factor overall.
There were years when student hockey ticket sales exceeded basketball sales, but total attendance at Crisler has always been higher, I'm pretty sure. (The higher seating capacity helps, but there's also a reason for that higher capacity.)
The interesting thing about hockey is that it tends to attract a very hard core group of supporters but relatively few casual fans. Basketball, at Michigan anyway, has tended to be the reverse.
And according to a poster on Scout, Moe Wagner on a moped
I saw Chris Evans on one of those on the day of Signing of the Stars.
Some Spartan is screaming illegal benefits somewhere.
In our best revenue season in 19 years we couldn't beat the nuts in either sport.
/sigh
seasons for football and basketball were arguably better, IMO.
The football team wasn't as good, and the season was certainly better since the luck went our way instead of against us. EPIC UTL win over ND, we beat OSU and I don't care how bad they were and we won a BCS bowl. Not a stellar game but a very exciting finish in New Orleans. Has to be the best combination of destination, a win, and a somewhat meaningful bowl since the 90s.
Basketball team overacheived to share a regular season B1G title which is aruably as good as or better than the combined BTT and sweet 16 of this year and was more fun to get that first bball banner in forever on the last day conference play. We were 22nd in kenpom that year compared to 20th this year.
Very close but I'll take superior outcomes even if the teams weren't quiiiiiite as good.
"First back-to-back double digit win seasons since 2002-03"
Whoa.
Your timeline has been sparse pickings for both teams doing well. I'm excluding hockey.
Basketball was a hell hole until Beilein showed up. Football was a hell hole for most of the post Carr era.
If double digit wins is a baseline for football (which should be an easier bar to hit in the past 10-15 years with the additional games plus Big 10 championship game etc) your only choices are:
- 98: 10-3
- 99: 10-2
- 02: 10-3
- 03: 10-2
- 06: 11-2
- 11: 11-2
- 15: 10-3
- 16: 10-3
In bball "97-98" (so that I guess would technicall be 1998) was Ellerbe's first season and would be the main contender to this year. Believe it or not that team went 25-9 and lost in the 2nd round of the NCAA.
Amaker had a couple of 22-11 type seasons and NIT champs and NIT runner up type seasons. (03-04, 05-06 so in these terms 2004 and 2006). Then football went to sod as bball picked up.
As someone said above 2011 was the only similar situation other than 1998. 11-2 football and 10-11 bball went 21-14 and lost in the NCAA 2nd round. Pretty similar to what happened this year sans the BTT run.
So 98, 11, 16 are the 3 contenders. The only one of those years we beat OSU was 2011 so I'm going to use that as the tie breaker even if this year's UM team would smash that year's team in my mind. And that OSU team was the worst in 2 decades - at this point beggars can't be choosers; we don't have many OSU victories to count anymore in football for people under the age of 25.
The 97-98 basketball season went with the 1997 football season - assuming we are going by school year.
but the 2011 football team won the 2012 Sugar which was the same season the bball team shared the regular season conference title in Trey's first year. You're off by a year there for basketball. And with that bball conference champtionship, in my mind, 11-12 was a better combined year for football and basketball.
Um Hockey is revenue sport and had its worse season in 29 years or some such. Gotta include that. Softball is to come and i think that turns a small profit. Also let's not exaggerate basketball success. Slightly above average for a BIG team to make the 3rd round, and was given a 7 seed based on overall season...about average there
I think all that considered those sports combined are nowhere near other years
Thank god we got revenge on them. That SMU loss was burning a hole inside me.
Either that or the whisky.
Football: 11-2; Sugar Bowl Champs
Basketball: 24-10; lost in first round of NCAAs
Hockey: 24-13-4; lost in first round of NCAAs
I'd still take this year though. Football was better (even if the record didn't show it) and basketball turned out better, even with hockey being abysmal
2016-17 Michigan Women's Basketball became the WNIT Champions!
Not forgotten. Women's BB is not a revenue sport
If you knew that, then why are you lamenting that the women's basketball team is being forgotten in a thread about revenue sports...
Let me explain why I wanted to make note of the Michigan Women's 2016-17 Basketball Team.
My entry to the Michigan Family came late in my life through the education of one of my children who's a "Double Wolverine." My undergraduate and professional education brought me close to some athletes who became NCAA and Olympic champions at another school; few of them participated in "revenue sports."
Through my child's connections, I've met and heard about some Michigan athletes, not all of whom participated in "revenue sports." But, from what my child learned and what I heard from those people, I believe that every single one of them worked every bit as hard as their fellow Wolverines to bring pride to the university.
I suppose that my original post here could've been phrased better. I understand your reaction, but that won't prevent me from believing that ALL Michigan athletes who've achieved special success deserve recognition (and no, the Women's NIT championship might not be considered a special success when measured against Big Ten and national championships -- but still, it's a championship.)
So, criticize me if you wish. I'm happy to continue to respect and honor the accomplishments of ALL Michigan athletes, regardless of how much revenue they bring to the school. GO BLUE!
First ever New Year's Six major bowl berth
I guess technically this is true (since "New Year's Six" has only been a thing a couple years) but it's a little silly to say this of our program.