Are college 'Booster Clubs' unfair to GT?

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GT Ace

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How can these kinds of 'Clubs' pay for scholarships that other schools, maybe Ga Tech, can't even approach in scope? Is GT's A-T Fund about the same thing? Is the Tech Fund? I'd really like to know!
I posted on here a coupla yrs ago that FSU uses 'Booster Club' money to bolster up the pay of the Fla St coaches beyond what the Athletic Association hires them for. No wonder you have huge 'name' assitant coaches choosing the really big scools with the really big 'Booster Clubs'.
It just ain't a level playing field. Here's a report on the dues of 'The Gamecock Booster Club' going up.

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/SPORTS0102/705290331/1026
 
It's a level playing field all right. Any school's alumni can give money to their alma mater, most Georgia Tech alums just choose not to. And when an alum hits it big and decides to donate, he's probably going to give it to academics rather than athletics, such as with the recently built Klaus Building.
 
If you look at the school's with the biggest enrollments, they'll typically reflect the school's which also have the best teams. At one point, Texas was in the top 5 in every sport which they played: football, baseball, cross country, tennis, everything. The sheer number of alums give more money to coaches, facilities and such, either through outright AA payment or through booster clubs. These teams typically become better than other schools, helping to draw many sidewalk fans in as well.

Tech is somewhat fortunate to be the exception with a small alumni base (with many outside of Atlanta) and few sidewalk fans. A certain number of Tech alums in Atlanta real estate or CEOs of technology/engineering companies kept Tech athletics from going down the tube in the early 80s. Because of the rich alums and the Atlanta location, Tech is now in a better position than many schools out there, such Miss. St.

I don't know if we'll ever get to the same level as Texas, tOSU, Florida and such, but we can remain more competitive than most D-1A and have some damn good years along the way.
 
gth816f said:
It's a level playing field all right. Any school's alumni can give money to their alma mater, most Georgia Tech alums just choose not to. And when an alum hits it big and decides to donate, he's probably going to give it to academics rather than athletics, such as with the recently built Klaus Building.
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Not to pik nits beause I know what you'r really saying but Klaus hasn't graduated. And probably never will. $$$$$$$
 
LongforDodd said:
Not to pik nits beause I know what you'r really saying but Klaus hasn't graduated. And probably never will. $$$$$$$
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Haha yeah that's true...a little ironic too. I'm sure we will probably give him an honorary degree or something eventually.
 
LongforDodd said:
Not to pik nits beause I know what you'r really saying but Klaus hasn't graduated. And probably never will. $$$$$$$
Click to expand...
Maybe it's just semantics but you don't have to graduate to be considered an alum at GT.
 
GT Ace said:
How can these kinds of 'Clubs' pay for scholarships that other schools, maybe Ga Tech, can't even approach in scope? Is GT's A-T Fund about the same thing? Is the Tech Fund? I'd really like to know!
I posted on here a coupla yrs ago that FSU uses 'Booster Club' money to bolster up the pay of the Fla St coaches beyond what the Athletic Association hires them for. No wonder you have huge 'name' assitant coaches choosing the really big scools with the really big 'Booster Clubs'.
It just ain't a level playing field. Here's a report on the dues of 'The Gamecock Booster Club' going up.

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/SPORTS0102/705290331/1026
Click to expand...

All schools are still limited to NCAA rules on number of scholarships and what can be paid for. Unless Tech AA can't come up with the money needed to pay the NCAA allowed amounts for schollies I don't see how this could have any disadvantage. The extra bucks can be used to provide better facilities, bigger coaches salaries, more PR, etc. which definitely does affect the "attractiveness" to the recruit.

Several have mentioned that the AA must spend on a par with UGAg if we expect to be on a par with them and therefore, the supporters need to pony up more (as in PSL). They quickly forget that our fan base is far smaller and that to give at an equal total amount we each have to pony up 3, 4 or 5x what the average UGAg donor give. That ain't gonna happen.

If we really believe that total $ spent = level of athletic success and we want to be up there with the top 5 in every sport, we need to merge with Ga State or expand enrollment like hell, lowering our entrance standards in the process (that aint gonna happen either).
 
ContactBuzz said:
Maybe it's just semantics but you don't have to graduate to be considered an alum at GT.
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Alumn just means they've attended. We claim Carter and he went off to the Naval Academy after his sophomore year.

Klaus is indeed an alumn, and a pretty nice/approachable guy for being so rich.
 
FYI - the USC club in the article is affiliated with the school itself. It's their version of the AT Fund. It's not an extra club.

What you are referring to is the type of group that paid off baby Bowden at FSU, which is not controlled by the school.
 
Tech's Endowment

is double that of Uga. That is amazing considering the relative size of the two schools and the fact that Tech is 100 years younger.

Tech people have always demonstrated an ability to give to what is important to them.
 
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