UNO counters ESPN story
May 9th, 2011
Omaha, NE – The University of Nebraska-Omaha is taking issue with an article published by ESPN’s Outside the Lines this weekend. The ESPN story was an investigation into UNO’s recent move to Division I and the controversial cuts of the wrestling and football programs.
For the article, titled Wrestling with the truth in Nebraska, ESPN solicited economist, Andy Schwarz from California firm OSKR, to analyze the numbers, and said “discrepancies†were found in the figures. It reports that financial statements filed with the NCAA show UNO’s football program was short just over $50,500 in its budget and wrestling was ahead by $143,000 for 2009-2010.
Those numbers don’t match up with the millions UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts has said the programs, particularly football, were costing the University. The report indicates the discrepancy may come from UNO not including funds from student fees and university support.
In a statement released late today, UNO’s head of communications, Tim Kaldahl, wrote the “financial information provided to ESPN, the Board of Regents and the community†is “consistent†with the NCAA report. The statement continues that university support and student fees are not included in the numbers because they are not sport-generated revenues. Without those fees, the statement says “UNO football lost over $1 million and wrestling lost over $250,000†for the fiscal year 2009-2010.
I always am suspicious of people who don’t comment on camera and then counter in print later. I think that OTL hit to close to the mark, so the University is trying to cover their tracks. Trev Alberts is a snake and can’t be trusted. He is trying to force his will on the the University. I hope all of the athletic donations dry up and he is out on his can, just like the athletes he kicked to the curb.
There are some serious Enron like accounting going on at the University of Nebraska-Omaha athletic department!
By that accounting, how much did the hockey and basketball teams lose?
Typical, why didn’t they accept interviews? Show your support at facebook.com/saveoursports
Just another cover attempt from a shay administration. Maryville will be lucky to have the Wrestling Team. Interesting how the Basketball losses weren’t enclosed. Just how much revenue is the Soccer and golf teams going to bring? lol
How much tuition do athletes pay that are on partial or no scholarships? How much money is UNO going to lose when those tuition paying athletes go some place else to compete?
These numbers were calculated by two sets of people with completely different goals in mind. UNO to convince people that there was only one decision to be made and ESPN to create a controversay so people will watch thier show and go to ESPN.com. Please tell me the #1 truck in America – pretty sure every manufacturer had claimed that in the last year – and they all use the same numbers.
And the deleting of emails on a major decision by University officials including Mr. Alberts, does that run with what most Universities do? The omittance of telling people that there would be a $1.4 mm dollar entry fee to go to D-1 , as reported by The Omaha World Herald this week? UNREAL! This is simply becoming a real disgrace to what everything the Uiversity of Nebraska sysytem should be about.
UNO = University of No Opportunity!!! Trev Alberts is truly a snake in the and should be run clear out of Nebraska!!! If I were a Husker fan I would be ashamed to say he played for my team….what a loser!!! Not to mention a failure at every job he’s had since leaving NU!!
Unfortunately, the University of Nebraska system is dominated by UN-Lincoln. The good ole U has been threatened by UNO as UNO has grown and improved in recent years. UNO has a growing campus population and as people realize that Omaha is better than stinkin’Lincoln. UNO has cut into UNL admissions. The hidden hands at Lincoln will not allow this to happen to the beloved Nebraska Cornhusker football program. States all around us compete with multiple D-1 programs within each state. Nebraska chooses to make less competition within the state, take a program away from the city of Omaha, and instead of stepping up to a challenge in Lincoln, they made things easier for themselves by removing UNO football altogether. I feel the wrestling program is the biggest loser, because they are caught in between this football dilemma and the D-1 Horizon league. The funny thing is, the wrestling team was winning championships!
Haha…Trev is a “snake” because ESPN used the wrong numbers! In all likelihood ESPN knew they were reporting inaccurate numbers.
Why should UNO comment when OTL’s only aim is to stir the pot? Forget facts that report the story accurately, just use the ones to support your imagined story lines.