Iowa
University of Iowa Athletics expects to break revenue records in upcoming year • Iowa Capital Dispatch
The University of Iowa is expecting another record-breaking year for its athletics department while Iowa State University Athletics is working to handle changes to expected revenues as a result of collegiate athletic conferences shifting, university budget documents show.
With revenues slated to increase in football, women’s basketball, wrestling and volleyball, among other areas, the UI is projecting a total income of more than $150 million for fiscal year 2025, just over a 7% increase from last year.
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According to budgets submitted to the Iowa Board of Regents, which are set to be discussed at the board’s meeting next week, Hawkeye Football ticket revenue should increase this fall due to “a favorable home schedule and price adjustments,” and budgeted income for women’s basketball went from $1.3 million to $1.65 million in fiscal year 2025 because of “additional guarantees received for away contests.”
The university athletics department saw record-breaking revenue last fiscal year as well, prompted by soaring popularity in the women’s basketball team. Iowa women’s wrestling is projected to make $80,000 in fiscal year 2025.
Renegotiated television contracts from the Big Ten Conference will give athletic conference revenue at the UI a $13.4 million bump from the $61.8 million the university saw last year.
ISU Athletics is expecting to earn around $114.2 million in revenue for fiscal year 2025, $2.7 million more than the fiscal year 2024 budget. Cyclone Football is also expecting increased ticket sales due to an additional home game, and the athletic department is also planning to see increased ticket sales for women’s basketball and wrestling. The biggest bump is expected to come from women’s basketball, with the budget line increasing from $450,000 to $700,000.
However, with changes to collegiate athletics conferences and tournaments, ISU Athletics has put certain projects on hold and “is continuing to make operational and personnel changes as necessary,” according to the budget document.
With four universities added to the Big 12 Conference as of July 1, ISU and the other continuing conference members will receive $40 million less in Big 12 contributions through fiscal year 2031 than what was previously expected, according to the regents document.
Also impacting the ISU athletic department’s budget is the College Football Playoff expansion, which makes it so playoff revenues aren’t equally distributed among the different conferences, according to the document.
“With two athletic conferences essentially receiving the contractual increases in television revenue resulting from the new playoff format, the revenue allocations to members of the Big 12 conference will remain flat,” the document stated. “The financial impact of this change is approximately $5M per year (through FY 2031) when compared to earlier projections.”
The University of Northern Iowa, the only state university to provide support to its athletics department, is also the only university to expect a decrease in revenue for its athletics this upcoming fiscal year. According to the budget document, athletics revenue is projected to fall from around $14.8 million to just under $14.7 million.
As with previous years, UNI men’s basketball doesn’t have game guaranteed revenue to include in the budget yet.
“Sports income for football includes game guarantee revenue resulting in a budgeted revenue increase when compared to the FY 2024 budget,” the budget document stated. “Conversely, men’s basketball has no game guaranteed revenue on the schedule at this time.”
The university will also see a more than $1 million reduction in revenue from marketing due to its new contract with sports marketing company Learfield. The UI will only see a $150,000 decrease in its income from the contract it holds with Learfield, according to the document.
UNI will allocate $3.26 million in operational support, $1.28 million in scholarship funding and $485,000 for “one-time support,” according to the regent document.
The university included an almost $100,000 increase in income from UNI football, but decreases in other men’s and women’s sports.
Iowa
Kirk Ferentz Talks Hank Brown, Brendan Sullivan, Iowa QB Situation
Kirk Ferentz Talks Hank Brown, Brendan Sullivan, Iowa QB Situation
In addition to holding court on several big picture issues like the transfer portal, Iowa’s NIL positioning, and the 105-man roster limit at Friday’s media availability, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz also spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Hawkeye quarterback situation.
First, he talked about the process of adding Auburn transfer Hank Brown, the newest member of Iowa’s quarterback room. “It’s like anything you do in the portal. If you go to the portal, you’re trying to improve your depth, trying to improve the level of competition at any given position,” Ferentz said. “Obviously, we’re a little thin at that spot right now body-wise. [We] need some guys that we think have a chance to really develop and grow.”
READ MORE: COMMIT: Portal Quarterback Hank Brown Chooses Iowa
“I know [offensive coordinator] Tim Lester has been really thorough with his evaluations on everybody, including high school film,” noted Ferentz. “That was a big part of the evaluation, going back and watching all the prospects that we look at in high school, following it to whatever college tape may be there.”
“I think the things that Tim is looking for, he found that with Hank,” said Ferentz. “The other key component is what is it going to be like when we meet the prospect, his family, how we feel they’re going to fit in the program. Vice versa, it has to be a mutual deal. [We] felt really good about it. We’re excited about it.”
READ MORE: Three Thoughts on Hank Brown’s Commitment to Iowa
Ferentz also noted that both Brown and incoming true freshman Jimmy Sullivan were joining the program shorly and would be available to practice with Iowa in the lead-up to the Music City Bowl against #19 Missouri (December 30, 1:30 PM CT).
It’s new for us,” Ferentz said. “At least we’ll get eyes on these guys, get them out there. Tim will have them totally confused by Monday. They can travel with us to the bowl game but they can’t play. We’re going to add to the competition here in the spring and see how it goes. Both [Brown] and Jimmy Sullivan will be a part of that.”
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Ferentz was also asked if he was comfortable with where Iowa was at in terms of adding players out of the transfer portal. “It’s a process, as you know,” he explained. “A lot of people are out traveling around. I guess it all comes to an end Sunday, I think. Seems like it’s been a long journey.”
“I think we’re in a good position,” Ferentz added. “We’ll do our due diligence. If it works, it works with players we’re involved with. If not, so be it. We have a couple more visitors coming here I guess before Sunday. As far as I know, we’re done Sunday. That could change. I think we’re comfortable right now.”
Finally, Ferentz also addressed the condition of Brendan Sullivan, who missed the last two games of the regular season, but was back atop the new depth chart released on Friday.
“[Sullivan looks] really good,” Ferentz said. “I’m going back to the end of the season. Friday and Monday, we were off that weekend. That Friday and Monday we worked. Just shorts, not contact. I don’t think he did anything or didn’t do much. Since that time he’s been great. He feels fully confident. The injury is in the history now.”
“[He’s] just getting caught up because he missed a couple weeks there. This has been a good period where he’s getting some work,” Ferentz explained.
“Tim even had like a little quarterback school going a couple days where we weren’t work, just working those guys mentally, going out in the field walking through some things, letting them throw the ball, stationary, things like that, things you can’t do in the spring because of all the stupid rules we have. That goes back to we need to change our approach to January to August. We really need to change that. But that’s a discussion for a different day.”
Iowa
First human case of avian influenza in Iowa confirmed
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The first human case of avian influenza in Iowa has been confirmed, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Friday.
Iowa HHS said the person was exposed to infected poultry while working with a commercial flock in northwest Iowa.
The person is receiving treatment and is recovering from mild symptoms.
Testing at the State Hygienic Laboratory identified the case, and it was also confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, the CDC has confirmed 64 cases of H5 HPAI in humans across nine states.
However, there has been no evidence of human-to-human transmission of influenza A(H5) in the U.S.
Officials say the majority of the exposures are linked to infected poultry or dairy cows.
“Iowa has monitored the spread of avian influenza closely since it was first detected in poultry in the state in 2022, and our state is prepared with the established knowledge, strong partnerships, and effective tools to mitigate its impact on our community,” said Iowa HHS State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse.
Iowa HHS said there is no concern about the safety of eggs and poultry products or pasteurized milk and dairy products.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Will the Amazon strike impact Iowa deliveries? Here’s what to know
Amazon strike hits during final holiday shopping days
Workers at Amazon are striking during the last days of holiday shopping, but Amazon representatives say it won’t slow operations.
A union vying to represent Amazon employees ignited the largest strike in the company’s history leading up to the holidays.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ strike started Thursday morning in four states, including neighboring Illinois.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price.”
Will the strike impact Amazon deliveries in Iowa this holiday season?
Will the Amazon strike delay deliveries to Iowa?
The strike isn’t expected to have any impact on Amazon’s operations, according to an email from an Amazon spokesperson to the Des Moines Register.
Nationwide, any delays would be minor and similar to winter weather delays, Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a software provider that tracks on-time delivery data for package shippers, told CNN.
Amazon has a lot of warehouses and very few are included in the strike, he said noting that the retailer could route packages through other facilities.
Why is Amazon on strike?
The strike of nearly 10,000 Amazon workers is aimed at fighting for higher wages, better benefits and safer conditions at work, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union aims to put pressure on the online shopping retailer by threatening to delay deliveries during one of the busiest times of the year.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an email to the Register that the union doesn’t reflect its workers, who have not held an election to seek union representation.
“The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous,” Nantel said. “We appreciate all our team’s great work to serve their customers and communities, and thanks to them, we’re not seeing any impact to customers’ orders.”
Are there any Amazon strike locations in Iowa?
Strikes are expected to take place at Amazon sites in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois and Southern California. No strikes are planned at any of the facilities in Iowa.
Where are some of the Amazon warehouse locations in Iowa?
Ankeny is home to a new 150,000-square-foot same-day delivery Amazon warehouse. There are at least four Amazon warehouses around the Des Moines metro with locations in Grimes, Bondurant and Altoona.
Iowa City and Davenport are also home to Amazon warehouses.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
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