Is reviving football at WSU worth the high cost?

The debate about whether to revive football at Wichita State University got some daunting numbers this week to go along with all the emotions – initial facility costs estimated at $40 million and annual budgets of at least $6.5 million.

And according to the 69-page feasibility study from College Sports Solutions released Monday, the annual price of a program at the top Football Bowl Subdivision level could be $10.5 million, including $2.5 million for coaches.

The report quantifies and furthers an important discussion that WSU president John Bardo and interim athletic director Darron Boatright launched six months ago as part of a full evaluation of the athletic department and whether WSU might leave the Missouri Valley Conference. They now want to hear more of what the community thinks.

The idea is as exciting to contemplate as ever, though cost and implementation would be tough in a time of shrinking state funding for higher education, ever-rising tuition and fees for students, and increasing pressure on private donors to support what are public institutions.

It’s telling that none of the eight other football reports and studies since 1987 has led to action. But the persistence of the question also shows how much it matters to many people in the Shocker family, who see the sport as key to the university’s identity, stature and future.

Any 21st-century football program at WSU must follow NCAA rules and fill more seats. Football and basketball rules violations made WSU the most penalized school in NCAA history in the mid-1980s. And average attendance at 30,000-seat Cessna Stadium was 9,690 per game during the Shockers’ final 3-8 season in 1986. WSU would need to expand women’s sports to comply with Title IX, and reviving football could also mean organizing and outfitting a marching band.

Bardo and other officials need to be certain that football would boost enrollment and serve the university’s academic mission. For all the benefits of the men’s basketball team’s stellar recent performance, including a Final Four appearance in 2013, WSU’s enrollment has hovered around 15,000 for years.

The Bardo era hasn’t lacked for change, from the development of the Innovation Campus to the addition of Shocker Hall and its injection of new student life on campus. But the campus’ mostly idle stadium is a constant reminder of what’s missing.

It’s too early to say which direction would best serve the aspirations of both the university and Wichita. The information in the football analysis should help focus minds for the hard choices ahead.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Is reviving football at WSU worth the high cost?."