Writer says FSU Athletics should be worried by recent success at Florida
By Jason Parker
FSU has had some recent success against their hated rivals from Gainesville – but one writer says titles from the Gators should make us worried.
It was bad enough as a fan of the Florida State Seminoles to watch the FSU baseball team yet again come up short in Omaha during the College World Series and be sent back home without a title – but then, those darn Florida Gators had to go out their and win the whole thing when they defeated LSU in two straight games.
For those Crocs, it was the third national title this spring (including men’s track and women’s tennis) and is enough to make some fans of the Seminoles cringe since Florida State hasn’t won a team national title since the women’s soccer team in 2014.
Now, some think this could be a sign of trouble for FSU. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel posted a column last week saying the recent success could help more money pour into Gainesville and the SEC – and ultimately bankrupt the Seminoles and the entire ACC:
"…ACC revenues dropped during the 2015-16 fiscal year and the conference offered the lowest annual payout per school ($23.8 million) of any of the Power 5 conferences. Compare that to the SEC’s bowl and TV payout of $40.42 million and then do the math. If this massive discrepancy were to continue over a 10-year period, the Gators would make $160 million more than the Seminoles. That’s a lot of plush facilities to entice wide-eyed recruits.If you really want to put it in perspective, think about it this way: The discrepancy between the SEC and ACC payouts is almost as large as the discrepancy between the ACC and the American Athletic Conference payouts. In other words, when it comes to financial comparisons, the Gators are to FSU what FSU is to UCF."
While I would love to say that Bianchi is just being a Florida homer (which he can be at times, but as also been a cheerleader for the Seminoles and is more of just a clickbait troll), the issue he is talking about is not something new. It’s the reason Seminole Boosters are continuously asking for donations and trying to keep up with other schools.
The ACC, and FSU in turn, are hoping that the eventual launch of the ACC Network – which is still planned for 2019 despite recent questions about it based on layoffs at pattern ESPN – will be able to combat some of the difference and get the conference’s teams back on par with other Power Five conferences.
Related Story: FSU, Conference Foes Spending Millions on ACC Network Years Before Launch
FSU football can brag about winning six of the last seven games against the Gators while FSU basketball is riding a three game winning streak as well. The problem is that, in the current state of college athletics, sometimes it’s the schools with the prettiest buildings and bells and whistles can win out over those doing their jobs on the field. FSU isn’t desperate for money – but the future will require more and more cash to continue holding their seat at the table.