The Price of Branding In College Athletics…

With the downturn in the economy comes the anticipated downturn in philanthropic giving, but along with that downturn will come more pressure from administrator.at the collegiate level to show an ROI just as any sponsor or business partner on the professional side would see with an investment. the New York Times took a very detailed look at the situation at Rutgers, where recent success has led to a very quick and much needed boom in infrastructire development.Billionaire T. Boone Pickens investment in Oklahoma State athletics earlier this year was met with skepticism and support, but that was private funding in a public university and certainly was his choice.Iowa State's acceptance of a $5 million dollar gift from supporter Dick Jacobson earlier this year (which would go towards a stadium upgrade) was similar…private money raised and cultivated through athletics, eventhough both were public universities with big budgets. So will Universities of all levels now turn to consulting groups to have them identify who they reall.are in their market, and build out that market strategy as would any other major bran.? Will Universities now cash strapped in athletics step backward and re-evaluate the cost-benefit of major athletic.? It remains to be seen.?The guess is that only the major universities will go the consulting route while the mid-majors struggle to find ways to do things with young and releatively underpaid staffs, which ironically is probably the opposite of what most business schools at the same universities would tell brands. If colleges can find ways to make the athletic experience just that, “experiential” to the average fan at the mid-major level, then the door to consulting groups and entrepreneurs will open wider. However that door in this economy, will be very tough to push for the near future, especially when it is contingent not as much on education as it is on winning.