Look beyond the SEC to find groups that track sales and other data
USA Today database editors Jack Gillum and Jodi Upton and projects editor Steve Berkowitz gathered data from the NCAA to see how much money colleges and universities spend on their athletic programs as they cut other programs. They write:
“The subsidies have reached that level amid a continuing crisis in higher education funding. At some of the schools where athletics is most heavily subsidized, faculty salaries have dipped, state-funded financial aid is drying up and students are bracing for tuition and fee increases.”
Today’s Tip: Search for the statistics gatherers.
Public companies aren’t the only ones who have to report revenue. Many organizations such as non-profits and schools have to report data. When you first start covering a beat, ask your companies if they have to report to anyone. You can also use Google’s directory search to find organizations that may track statistics.
Robert Niles also has compiled a list of online sites to find data.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to investigate the business of college athletics, attend a free Reynolds Center workshop on the topic on March 10 in Indianapolis. Two of the authors of this USA Today package — Steve Berkowitz and Jodi Upton — will be sharing how they put this database together, plus how to get the info you need from colleges through Freedom of Information Act requests and how to analyze coaches’ contracts. Other top-notch presenters for this daylong workshop, hosted by the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University’s IUPUI campus and the Associated Press Sports Editors, are “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger, top NCAA official Wallace Renfro and ESPN.com editor-in-chief Rob King. To register, click here. We also hope to live-stream the workshop on BusinessJournalism.org. Stay tuned.
