The Aging Demographic Supporting College Athletics

[The Sultan]

https://view.email.sportico.com/?qs=432ca9d7ba7382a98fddaf447823dc859c5f4d79be49dffc3ae81dc977ce814248fa2be7b3217c174855ea0a00af441b4257e608dba8657eab70f91fe741c1ee2be0e7da4f74a090

"Historically speaking, athletic departments have relied heavily on fundraising revenue to cover the costs of their various sports programs (including scholarship aid for student athletes). But as alumni of the 1960s, '70s and '80s begin to age out, concerns are beginning to mount about the shortfall they will leave in budgets and whether it can be replaced. "The fact that most donors are in an older age bracket is very scary," said Jay Judge (Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development and External Affairs, Seton Hall University).

It wouldn't be so scary if there were another generation of boosters ready to assume the responsibility. The problem is graduates of the '90s and '00s are significantly underrepresented among current donors, and it very much remains a question whether they will ever give back to athletic programs in the same way their predecessors did."


My (anecdotal) take.  With all of the money in college athletics, I think many aren't viewing their support of college athletics as a particular worthwhile charitable endeavor.  Younger donors aren't necessarily supportive of *institutions* but more supportive of *projects* those institutions sponsor that have a more direct charitable element.

[Dr. Blackheart]

There is no question C19 has disrupted the sports world as well. Coupled with this, does this send it off the cliff? Or will fans flock back? Ultimately if you look at strike seasons, interest will slowly return, but for MU in an urban city, I think the younger generations and business interest will remain on the business side. With MU being a one trick pony, l think this helps.

[jesmu84]

Probably doesn't help that we're all behind the 8-ball thanks to 2 of the worst economic times of existence coupled with a student debt catastrophe. I'm not sure how many millennials have the money to spare for college sports donations when they can't afford a house.

[tower912]

So, scoopers are the hope for the future?  Uh oh.

[Galway Eagle]

Probably doesn't help that we're all behind the 8-ball thanks to 2 of the worst economic times of existence coupled with a student debt catastrophe. I'm not sure how many millennials have the money to spare for college sports donations when they can't afford a house.

Not if you ask Fluffy. Millennials and the subsequent generation  are just mismanaging money, their entry level wages are fine to pay all bills, loans, live independently, etc and should still have money left over for things like donations and season tickets. And if you can't then the response "that's your fault get a better job"

(Call back to an argument like 3yrs ago)

[The Big East]

https://view.email.sportico.com/?qs=432ca9d7ba7382a98fddaf447823dc859c5f4d79be49dffc3ae81dc977ce814248fa2be7b3217c174855ea0a00af441b4257e608dba8657eab70f91fe741c1ee2be0e7da4f74a090

"Historically speaking, athletic departments have relied heavily on fundraising revenue to cover the costs of their various sports programs (including scholarship aid for student athletes). But as alumni of the 1960s, '70s and '80s begin to age out, concerns are beginning to mount about the shortfall they will leave in budgets and whether it can be replaced. "The fact that most donors are in an older age bracket is very scary," said Jay Judge (Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development and External Affairs, Seton Hall University).

It wouldn't be so scary if there were another generation of boosters ready to assume the responsibility. The problem is graduates of the '90s and '00s are significantly underrepresented among current donors, and it very much remains a question whether they will ever give back to athletic programs in the same way their predecessors did."


My (anecdotal) take.  With all of the money in college athletics, I think many aren't viewing their support of college athletics as a particular worthwhile charitable endeavor.  Younger donors aren't necessarily supportive of *institutions* but more supportive of *projects* those institutions sponsor that have a more direct charitable element.

I think if you look around the landscape of college sports, you will find many of the larger donors are successful alumni, men and women, who played on an athletic team at their college. A lot will point to their collegiate athletic experience, whether star or scout team,   as foundational to their own development. I don't see changing.

As to the general base of donors , you are making a good point. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

Not if you ask Fluffy. Millennials and the subsequent generation  are just mismanaging money, their entry level wages are fine to pay all bills, loans, live independently, etc and should still have money left over for things like donations and season tickets. And if you can't then the response "that's your fault get a better job"

(Call back to an argument like 3yrs ago)

Millennials won't be the issue it's Gen X. Millennials are at far more games than us Boomers were at their lifestage. Bringing kids to games was taboo actually, BITD. And yes, "Milkennials" have more debt but at much lower interest rates.

But the Gen Xers attend with work or their parents' legacy seats. They don't dole out the cash.

This is all kidding, btw. Sports will be fine after a reset. People want to get out and socialize.

[CTWarrior]

Probably doesn't help that we're all behind the 8-ball thanks to 2 of the worst economic times of existence coupled with a student debt catastrophe. I'm not sure how many millennials have the money to spare for college sports donations when they can't afford a house.

I think the relatively large tuitions paid by the more recent graduates definitely has a hand in it.  More of a "I gave plenty already" mentality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqKK4ysI7g

[jficke13]

I think the relatively large tuitions paid by the more recent graduates definitely has a hand in it.  More of a "I gave plenty already" mentality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqKK4ysI7g

Anecdotally, almost all of my cohort have that attitude to some extent.

Tuition inflation attained ludicrous speed for my generation (Undergrad class '09) and forward to the point that people are skeptical to say the least when the begging calls/letters come in.

[brewcity77]

Probably doesn't help that we're all behind the 8-ball thanks to 2 of the worst economic times of existence coupled with a student debt catastrophe. I'm not sure how many millennials have the money to spare for college sports donations when they can't afford a house.

I think the shifting of wealth has absolutely impacted this. Younger grads are under a much heavier debt burden and coming into a less robust job market. They simply don't have the disposable income past generations have had.

[Galway Eagle]

I think the shifting of wealth has absolutely impacted this. Younger grads are under a much heavier debt burden and coming into a less robust job market. They simply don't have the disposable income past generations have had.

But lower interest rates!
They should just not have those low paying jobs! Those who do have those aren't doing it for the money!

[Hards Alumni]

Anecdotally, almost all of my cohort have that attitude to some extent.

Tuition inflation attained ludicrous speed for my generation (Undergrad class '09) and forward to the point that people are skeptical to say the least when the begging calls/letters come in.

Absolutely, and the calls started even before I walked across the stage.  I laughed and replied that I'd consider donating when my loans are paid off in 16 years.

[Skatastrophy]

There is no way for young people to watch sports. Without an engaged fanbase it's going to be hard to capture the imagination of the future donor-class. People don't pay for television or sports streaming services unless they are older.

The Big East needs to open up streaming on Twitch/Youtube. Lead the charge, monetize it via subs (to view and chat), and we will slaughter all other conferences with the younger audience.

As long as sports are on ESPN, FS1, CBSSN or whatever there will be dwindling young people watching. Fewer young people, a smaller chance at capturing future donors.

[vogue65]

As we age getting to the Garden, St. John's, or Newark becomes more difficult.
There may be a new model in the making.
Pay per view, Division-3, major sports only, a lot of change around the corner.
My crystal ball is broken.

[MU82]

There is no way for young people to watch sports. Without an engaged fanbase it's going to be hard to capture the imagination of the future donor-class. People don't pay for television or sports streaming services unless they are older.

The Big East needs to open up streaming on Twitch/Youtube. Lead the charge, monetize it via subs (to view and chat), and we will slaughter all other conferences with the younger audience.

As long as sports are on ESPN, FS1, CBSSN or whatever there will be dwindling young people watching. Fewer young people, a smaller chance at capturing future donors.

I don't think I understand what you are saying.

Young people are so poor that most of them don't even have basic streaming services? Or they have to work so much that they don't have the time/energy?

[GooooMarquette]

There is no way for young people to watch sports. Without an engaged fanbase it's going to be hard to capture the imagination of the future donor-class. People don't pay for television or sports streaming services unless they are older.

The Big East needs to open up streaming on Twitch/Youtube. Lead the charge, monetize it via subs (to view and chat), and we will slaughter all other conferences with the younger audience.

As long as sports are on ESPN, FS1, CBSSN or whatever there will be dwindling young people watching. Fewer young people, a smaller chance at capturing future donors.

This survey from May disagrees.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/742452/media-streaming-services-penetration-rate-age/

Percentage of people by age group who currently subscribe to a streaming service:

18-34: 70%
35-44: 72%
45-64: 58%
65+: 49%

It doesn't break it down by specific streaming provider, but younger people certainly do pay for their TV service.

[cheebs09]

This survey from May disagrees.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/742452/media-streaming-services-penetration-rate-age/

Percentage of people by age group who currently subscribe to a streaming service:

18-34: 70%
35-44: 72%
45-64: 58%
65+: 49%

It doesn't break it down by specific streaming provider, but younger people certainly do pay for their TV service.

Yea, I think it's less about the ability to watch and more about making it a priority to watch. People aren't shifting around plans to watch the games. I think that spans most ages based on some of the posts on here.

[muwarrior69]

I think the shifting of wealth has absolutely impacted this. Younger grads are under a much heavier debt burden and coming into a less robust job market. They simply don't have the disposable income past generations have had.

Not to mention a BS or BA no longer has the value it once did. I gradated with a BS in Chemistry and Biology. I was offered 9500/year salary back in '69 for my first job. That is equivalent to about 90K today. How many graduates today are offered 90K to start right out of school with just a BA or BS?

[GooooMarquette]

Not to mention a BS or BA no longer has the value it once did. I gradated with a BS in Chemistry and Biology. I was offered 9500/year salary back in '69 for my first job. That is equivalent to about 90K today. How many graduates today are offered 90K to start right out of school with just a BA or BS?

Yep. In many fields, a bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma. And even for those where a bachelor's can get you into a good career, you won't be starting near that income level unless it's in something like Chemical Engineering or Computer Science from Stanford or MIT.

[Skatastrophy]

I don't think I understand what you are saying.

Young people are so poor that most of them don't even have basic streaming services? Or they have to work so much that they don't have the time/energy?

Young people love streaming services paid or not. They drop major $$ on Twitch. People just don't pay for live television streaming searching out FS1.

This survey from May disagrees.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/742452/media-streaming-services-penetration-rate-age/

Percentage of people by age group who currently subscribe to a streaming service:

18-34: 70%
35-44: 72%
45-64: 58%
65+: 49%

It doesn't break it down by specific streaming provider, but younger people certainly do pay for their TV service.

Good data, but you're misusing it a bit. The SVoD market is huge, and dominated by Netflix, Amazon, & Disney+. None of those have live TV. Hulu has about 60% of the subscriber base of Dis+ (Dis+ has about 20% the subs of Netflix), so people just aren't coming across Marquette or Big East games on their SVoD platform of choice... because most SVoD platforms don't have live TV.

Sports has to get onto the platforms where young people live in order to capture more eyes. Hulu ain't it, and relying on Fox Sports to solve this problem is going to take too long.

This all comes with a big caveat: Our game streaming rights get locked up with our TV rights. My whole point might be moot unless we can free up our streaming rights.

In conclusion - Pirated streams are super popular right now, and the first major sport/conference to "come to where the users are" is going to cash in bigly by grabbing the eyes (and hearts) of young people.

[jesmu84]

Good news though, somewhere in the new stimulus bill is an attachment that makes pirating a felony with jail time.

[Skatastrophy]

Good news though, somewhere in the new stimulus bill is an attachment that makes pirating a felony with jail time.

That language is specifically for companies profiting from streaming. I guess it's going to be used to harass Youtube, Pornhub, et al? It won't dent piracy at all.

[MU82]

Young people love streaming services paid or not. They drop major $$ on Twitch. People just don't pay for live television streaming searching out FS1.

Most streaming services don't include at least some basic sports channels? I ask because I seriously don't know.

[Skatastrophy]

Most streaming services don't include at least some basic sports channels? I ask because I seriously don't know.

The major players don't.
Netflix doesn't.
Amazon Prime had 20 NFL games this year (Thursday night football), replays of old NBA and MLB games
Disney+ doesn't.

"Channels" are an artifact of television, so they should be a thing of the past but it's a paradigm that major sports leagues are still locked into because of the way deals are done. For example, the Big East sold their TV+streaming rights to Fox. Fox wants people to pay for their TV channel because that's how they produce content, and that's the end of that.

If you want live major sports via streaming you have to pirate it, or you basically have to pay for cable but on the internet via a service like Hulu or Sling or Fubo costing you ~$50/month. The subscriber base of those platforms is minuscule compared to other streaming platforms). It's also missing the point of cutting the cable cord since you're getting a full cable package just on the internet. Part of "the point" of cutting cable is only paying for content you want. The major television companies (who own Hulu) are opposed to switching things up though. It's too profitable the way it has always been.

The NFL dipping their toes into streaming is a good sign, hopefully the Big East follows suit!

You know who's avant guarde is the G-league:
1. They live stream games on their Twitch channel - https://www.twitch.tv/nbagleague
2. They allow any content creator on the platform to simulcast the game. For example, I could stream a Wisconsin Herd game for everyone here so that we could have our own chat room while we watch the game. Or if I were one of the podcast teams that posts here I could announce the game how I'd want. (Highlight example of a dude doing a G-league simulcast on twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/videos/211684975)

That's the North Star here for me. Get away from traditional broadcasts, and get the content out there into modern media delivery mechanisms.

I know this derailed the thread, so to bring it back around I think that this will get a much younger audience reengaged with the sport. Capturing more eyes will capture hearts. Captured hearts are more likely to donate.

[Hards Alumni]

Not to mention a BS or BA no longer has the value it once did. I gradated with a BS in Chemistry and Biology. I was offered 9500/year salary back in '69 for my first job. That is equivalent to about 90K today. How many graduates today are offered 90K to start right out of school with just a BA or BS?

My BS in Biomedical Science got me a job in a lab at under 40k in '06.  Sure the benes were good, but that was the pay.