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Contention: UAB loses buckets full of money on sports every year.

Verdict: True. UAB athletics was subsidized by about $18 million last year, according to the USA Today Sports college athletics financial database. Subsidies, which often obscure the bottom-line at schools across the country, include student fees and state or school contributions.

Contention: UAB is losing far more on athletics than other schools.

Verdict: False. According to an AL.com analysis of the USA Today data, 125 schools have athletic programs subsidized at a higher percentage than UAB. UAB's subsidy is about the same as Colorado State, Ohio, Virginia Commonwealth or New Hampshire. Some 33 schools are subsidized at higher dollar figures, including Cincinnati, Kent State, James Madison and Houston. Rutgers and UNLV actually posted double the subsidy as UAB.

UAB Head Coach Bill Clark.(Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

If you take the subsidies out of the mix and look simply at the bottom line, 36 schools across the country are hemorrhaging more than UAB. Rutgers and UNLV are bleeding money at twice the rate of UAB.

Contention: UAB Football is the big culprit.

Verdict: False. Kristi Dosh of Campus Insiders reports that UAB's $7.2 million in football revenue last year ranked 98th overall in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Troy University pulled in less revenue, with $6.7 million, and South Alabama earned only $5.8 million.

Contention: UAB is unfit to compete financially with the schools in its own conference.

Verdict: False. In Conference USA, UAB is a middle of the pack financially. Throw out all the subsidies and its athletic losses are sixth worst, behind Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee State, Florida International, North Carolina Charlotte and North Texas.

Contention: UAB gives away thousands of tickets to skew the attendance numbers.

Verdict: True and False. The city of Birmingham, in its contract with the Board of Trustees for the use of Legion Field, receives more than 5,000 season tickets to the games. The city gets 95 complimentary tickets for mayor and council and assorted "dignitaries." It also buys 5,000 season tickets for home games, at a cost up to $225,000. Those tickets are handed out by council members (another issue entirely), given to employees and sometimes school children. But those tickets are paid, even if the people bought them.

Contention: UAB spends far more than other schools on athletics.

Verdict: False. UAB's total athletic expenses last year came to $27.5 million. At least 86 schools across the country spent more. Although it is obvious that you cannot compare UAB's athletic program to that of Alabama, it is worth nothing that Alabama spent $119 million more than UAB last year.

Contention: UAB's football program is tanking on the ledger if not on the field.

Verdict: Debatable. The amount of subsidies from school fees and state funds did more than double at UAB from 2005 to 2013, rising from $9 million to $18 million. However the amount of revenue generated from ticket sales was virtually unchanged in that time, at a little more than $1.1 million a year. Licensing revenues were about $3.4 million in 2005, and $4 million last year.

Contention: Compared to other schools in Alabama, UAB is a gaping financial wound.

Verdict: False. Athletics simply ain't cheap. Fact is, in the state of Alabama last year, only the University of Alabama made money on its athletic programs. UAB, South Alabama, Troy and Alabama State all lost sums in 8 figures last year - when the subsidies are taken out of the equation -- and Alabama A&M lost $5 million. Auburn even came down on the crimson side of the ledge, losing $3.7 million. Alabama made $21 million.

Bottom line. UAB's athletic program is costly. But it is no more costly than many other programs that try to compete these days.