The cost to run the University of Connecticut’s athletic program increased the school’s budget deficit for the 2021 fiscal year.
A UConn report shows the deficit rose to $47.2 million, which is a $4 million increase between July 2020 and June of last year.
School officials blamed the pandemic for a loss in ticket sales due to the cancellations during the Huskies football season, and with the men’s and women’s basketball teams forced to play in empty arenas.
All three programs helped generate $7.9 million in ticket revenue during the 2019-20 season. The report showed that ticket sales for the 2021 fiscal year totaled just over $106,000.
The pandemic did save the school about $1 million in operating expenses for Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, where the football team plays. It also saved about $2 million in travel expenses, with $900,000 of that coming from the program.
In a statement, UConn said the school continues to work toward less reliance on institutional support and is on track to achieve a level more in line with its peers by the end of the next fiscal year.
The school said it hopes to reduce its deficit — the highest in the nation — to $33.6 million.
