The annual report on Equity in Athletics shows a decrease in the gap between average annual salaries of head coaches of men’s and women’s sports teams, but a gap still exists.
The report, released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) states that, currently, the average salary of a head coach of a men’s team at Bowdoin is $53,027 compared to $47,232 for a head coach of a women’s team.
Compared to 2014, these averages are down from $53,365 for head coaches of men’s teams, but up from $42,856 for head coaches of women’s teams.
In comparison to other NESCAC schools, Bowdoin has a greater average salary gap than most according to data from 2014, the last publically released data from NESCAC peer schools. Amherst is the only other NESCAC institution with a greater pay gap between men’s and women’s head coaches.
Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan said there are a number of factors that determine the salaries of each head coach.
“One is level that they bring to the position. Two is the workload associated with the position. While many of our positions are similar in nature, there are differences as you move from one particular sport to another,” he said. “Lastly, the market [small, liberal arts colleges] compete in for hiring staff members and members of our coaching staff has an impact.”
Ryan also said the differences in average annual salary have to do with the number of head coaches in general as there are currently 12 head coaches for men’s teams and 14 head coaches for women’s teams at the College.
The report also detailed data about the College’s athletic expenses by program. The football team received $634,049 in 2015 for their expenses, followed by the men’s ice hockey team which cost $268,700, according to the data.
“A lot of that is the nature of the sport,” said Ryan. The NESCAC has a roster cap of 76 students per football team, yet the comparatively large roster, and thus staff size, drives up the team’s expenses.
According to Ryan, although the expenses seem high, when each team’s total expenses are divided on a per-student basis, football is ranked fifth for expenses.
The funding for these athletic programs comes from a combination of college endowment funds and fundraising.
“The vast majority of our college programs are funded by the College. We raise just under $150,000 a year to help support the operations of our programs from our alumni, parents and friends,” said Ryan.
Additionally, the report states the recruitment funds dedicated to men’s and women’s teams. According to the report, the funding went down for men but up for women, as $15,655 was used for the recruitment of men’s teams and $15,311 for the recruitment of women’s teams in 2015, compared to $15,728 and $14,869 respectively, in 2014.
Between 2011 and 2012 the amount of money spent on recruitment made a significant jump, which Ryan says was due to a change in NCAA rules.
“At the time of that significant increase there was a change in the administration of the recruitment expenses within the NESCAC, which resulted in the College having the opportunity to devote additional resources to recruiting,” said Ryan. “We have been fortunate across our entire department to have broad-based success and that would be reflected in the ways we distributed those funds across our programs.”
Although the total expenses of the athletic programs in 2015 was $4,505,652, the amount of revenue generated was $5,060,614. Ryan says the school typically breaks even—meaning the total revenue usually covers the expenses.
The annual report is in compliance with federal Title IX regulations. The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) requires that all institutions that receive federal funding must report records of their finances in athletics annually.