Save UAB football rally

UAB football players, alumni, students and supporters attend a rally to save the football program on the campus green, Sunday, November 30, 2014. (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com)

(TAMIKA MOORE )

The UAB football program actually made money last year, at least in theory, according to the most recent available data.

Amid rumors of the football program's imminent demise, detractors have pointed to the team's previous attendance woes and financial instability for why the program should be disbanded. Even Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley questioned the program's long-term stability two weeks ago when he said, "You have to have a certain number of fans that attend the game. So I think fan base has to be looked at."

But a closer look at the football program's most recent financial data shows that it might be in better shape than other similar schools.

By the numbers



-- The football program posted a slim positive margin of $24,222 in a time frame of Oct. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Equity in Athletics data

-- UAB spent $8,956,079 on its football program and generated $8,980,301 in revenue during that time. The football program represented approximately 29 percent of the entire athletic department's revenue, per Equity in Athletics.



-- The athletic department posted a profit of $636,635 once all revenue and expenses were added up.

Subsidies pay the way



However, neither the football program nor the UAB athletic department is self-sufficient. Both benefitted greatly from $18.1 million in subsidies during the 2013 fiscal year, according to the school's NCAA financial report.



-- The subsidies represented 64 percent of revenue from 2012-13 and without them the athletic department would run at a nearly $17.5 million deficit.



-- The subsidies include nearly $5 million in student fees -- a rise of 86 percent since 2006 -- plus government money and direct or indirect institutional support.

Eighteen million in subsidies is unheard of for major athletic departments like Texas or Ohio State. But at the mid-major and lower level it is quite common for schools to get a lot of money from student fees or institutional support. In fact, 33 Division I schools are subsidized at a higher amount, including former Conference USA members Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis.

Without subsidies, the University of Alabama would be the only profitable in-state athletic department during the 2013 fiscal year. Auburn, which made it to last year's national championship game in football, had a deficit of $3.7 million.

What does the program spend the money on?

The bulk of UAB's football expenses are from game-day expenses, scholarships and coaching salaries.

UAB head coach Bill Clark has a three-year contract that pays him $500,000 per year. The salary breaks down to a $450,000 base, $25,000 for radio appearances and $25,000 for promotional and fundraising, according to CBS Sports. He was also eligible for $25,000 bonus for reaching a bowl, $10,000 for winning a bowl and up to a $30,000 bonus for season ticket sales.

Game-day expenses totaled $1,314,121 during the Oct. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014 time frame.



Beyond subsidies, the program generates revenue through football tickets, television rights and licensing. Conference USA's television rights deal earns each school approximately $1 million annually, according to Forbes.