To hear the average student tell it, George Mason University doesn’t have football because of a variety of reasons, all of which seem to point toward outgoing president Alan Merten.
To hear George Mason University athletic director Tom O’Connor tell it, Division I Patriots’ football is a more complex issue. GMU football has been a hot topic for years and, with Merten’s imminent retirement, seems to be gaining additional steam.
O’Connor, who held a press conference at George Mason University on Thursday, spoke about the prospects of developing a football program at the school. He laid out logistics and requirements that are necessary for a football program to take off and described the possibility of Patriots’ football as a financial issue.
Tom O'Connor (Image courtesy GoMason.com)
“It’s a dollars and cents issue,” said O’Connor, who is entering his 16th year as GMU’s athletic director.
After five formal studies into the matter, O’Connor still has not been able to convince any of the board of directors to adopt the program. The topic of football gets mentioned as a side-bar to other athletic conversations, and figures are constantly and consistently updated.
According to O’Connor’s most recent figures, building a football stadium that would be adequate for Division I play would cost roughly $80 million. In addition, two to three million dollars would have to be allotted to the running of the team per season. What does this mean for students? An extra $500 in tuition. O’Connor isn’t against football at the school, he just wants to make sure it’s the right thing for GMU.
“We have to ask ourselves if this is how we want to spend our money,” O’Connor said. “I’m not saying it’s not, I’m just saying it’s a question we have to ask.”
Having football certainly has benefits. With the addition of football, women’s sports at the University would be totally funded. Expansion of the school could occur at a much quicker rate. O’Connor also points out that football would create a great sense of community, as tailgaters and GMU alumni alike would be able to get together to celebrate and share a sport they love. They have all the figures they need.
Now they just need the money.
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