The economy can affect all types of businesses, both big and small.
The University of Arizona is no different.
One interesting piece of information came out in the past week as there was some interesting insight into UA athletics.
A piece in the Arizona Daily Star talked about how athletic programs are coping with saving and spending money such as the women's volleyball team and how they are trying to keep their expenditures down when going on trips during the season.
With the increased cost of airline tickets due to fuel prices and the extra charge for first and second checked bags, travel costs seem to be going beyond what anyone could have imagined just 10 years ago. Add on the cost of hotel rooms and meals and the costs go even higher.
An interesting note in the story was that money can be given to other athletic teams if the previous one does not use it. That brings up a very interesting point.
Back in 2006 a CNN article talked about how the UA men's basketball team was the most profitable team in the NCAA with revenue of $16 million and a profit of $12.5 million after expenses. The second most profitable team was the University of North Carolina who after expenses had a profit of $10.2 million.
So with the continued success (hopefully especially since the last few seasons) of the basketball team the university should be able to have all the athletic teams taken care of. But what about football? With a stadium capacity of over 56,000 the program could be a real help if it develops into a consistent winner.
In 2006 this article showed that the Arizona football team was 34th in the nation in attendance with 390,589 and with seven games at home it averaged out to 55,798.
This season the UA has seven home games with major Pac-10 teams such as California, Southern California, and rival Arizona State visiting Tucson.
So far after two games against Idaho and Toledo, the UA has had crowds of 47,511 and 50,939 respectively coming out to a total of 98,450.
With five more home games left and a current record of 3-1, the team has a chance of making this year be very successful in terms of profit. The highest average attendance was in 1994, with an average of 56,562 and in the last three years the UA has averaged 53,613, 55,798, and 52,160.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Border research project has some questioning if it is necessary
As of right now I am working on a story related to border issues and the economy. The story focuses on the Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration, or COE BSI, at the UA that just officially opened up earlier this month. The Department of Homeland Security has chosen the UA and the University of Texas El-Paso to co-lead the center with the UA leading the research aspect and UTEP leading the educational part.
While I was able to talk with people directly involved in the center here at the UA, I wanted to get a perspective of someone who is not involved with the project and has knowledge of the border and the issues that go with it.
So after getting some leads from Professor Rochlin, I was able to get into contact with the founder and former President of Humane Borders Robin Hoover. He founded the group back in June 2000 and its main office is here in Tucson at First Christian Church located at 740 E. Speedway Blvd.
Hoover said he has been following both border and immigration issues since 1986 and feels that the research project is nothing new. DHS is giving this research project $16 million over six years.
"It's just more about border enforcement," Hoover said. "I would like to see the government engage in softer research of immigration but there is no money for that."
After looking over some of the ideas that the research is intended to study, Hoover said that the entire project has "a stunning lack of imagination."
He also mentioned that the size of the Border Patrol has tripled in the last decade or so but that the number of immigrants crossing the border has basically stayed the same.
One of the more interesting things he talked about was how the economy is affected by immigration. He believes that the U.S. as a whole benefits from immigration but those towns and states close to the border with Mexico, such as Arizona, don't benefit as much as others because of economic reasons.
"Border states suffer because of issues such as the cost of health care provided to immigrants and law enforcement that is used to patrol and police the area."
While the DHS, UA and the other universities involved seem excited about the research ahead, Hoover thinks that the project won't produce more knowledge other than what is already known.
"They might be able to do something such as finding better ways to control migration of immigrants," Hoover said. "But I think at the end of the research they will only find out what we already know now."
While I was able to talk with people directly involved in the center here at the UA, I wanted to get a perspective of someone who is not involved with the project and has knowledge of the border and the issues that go with it.
So after getting some leads from Professor Rochlin, I was able to get into contact with the founder and former President of Humane Borders Robin Hoover. He founded the group back in June 2000 and its main office is here in Tucson at First Christian Church located at 740 E. Speedway Blvd.
Hoover said he has been following both border and immigration issues since 1986 and feels that the research project is nothing new. DHS is giving this research project $16 million over six years.
"It's just more about border enforcement," Hoover said. "I would like to see the government engage in softer research of immigration but there is no money for that."
After looking over some of the ideas that the research is intended to study, Hoover said that the entire project has "a stunning lack of imagination."
He also mentioned that the size of the Border Patrol has tripled in the last decade or so but that the number of immigrants crossing the border has basically stayed the same.
One of the more interesting things he talked about was how the economy is affected by immigration. He believes that the U.S. as a whole benefits from immigration but those towns and states close to the border with Mexico, such as Arizona, don't benefit as much as others because of economic reasons.
"Border states suffer because of issues such as the cost of health care provided to immigrants and law enforcement that is used to patrol and police the area."
While the DHS, UA and the other universities involved seem excited about the research ahead, Hoover thinks that the project won't produce more knowledge other than what is already known.
"They might be able to do something such as finding better ways to control migration of immigrants," Hoover said. "But I think at the end of the research they will only find out what we already know now."
Monday, September 15, 2008
Mexican Businessman buys stake in NY Times Co.
While the U.S. economy seems to be shifting up and down with news of oil prices, hurricane Ike and Wall Street firms closing down, there is at least some interesting news.
Carlos Slim Helú, a 68-year old businessman from Mexico, recently purchased a 6.4 percent stake of the New York Times Co., which is worth close to $127 million.
When I read the story about Slim's purchasing a stake in the NY Times, I learned more about the richest people in the world. Much like in college football and college basketball where there is a top-25 listing of the best teams in the U.S., Forbes also keeps a close watch and updates who is the richest person in the world.
The top three, in terms of net worth, looks like this:
1. Warren Buffet, $62 billion
2. Carlos Slim Helú, $60 billion
3. Bill Gates, $58 billion
Slim is really no stranger to business dealings such as this as he has been involved with the Mexican Stock Exchange, Altria (formerly Philip Morris), SBC Communications (now a part of AT&T) and the now bankrupt CompUSA.
Slim is probably most known in the telecommunications industry because over 18 years ago he led a group of investors into buying two major Mexican companies in Telmex and Telnor. According to this article, it says that 9 out of 10 phone lines in Mexico are operated by Telmex. Telcel, Slim's mobile phone company, apparently operates 80 percent of all the cell phones used in Mexico. Slim has expanded to other areas such as in Latin America where his company, America Movil, has more than 100 million subscribers.
While Slim has been continuing his business ventures in other areas he has been accused of charging more for phone service compared to other companies and some believe that he is hurting the economy due to the lack of competition.
While everyone will continue to hear about how the economy is going through a rough period right now, it's good to hear some positive news regarding the well-being of a newspaper. Seems like the first bit of good news regarding a newspaper in a long time, at least to me.
Carlos Slim Helú, a 68-year old businessman from Mexico, recently purchased a 6.4 percent stake of the New York Times Co., which is worth close to $127 million.
When I read the story about Slim's purchasing a stake in the NY Times, I learned more about the richest people in the world. Much like in college football and college basketball where there is a top-25 listing of the best teams in the U.S., Forbes also keeps a close watch and updates who is the richest person in the world.
The top three, in terms of net worth, looks like this:
1. Warren Buffet, $62 billion
2. Carlos Slim Helú, $60 billion
3. Bill Gates, $58 billion
Slim is really no stranger to business dealings such as this as he has been involved with the Mexican Stock Exchange, Altria (formerly Philip Morris), SBC Communications (now a part of AT&T) and the now bankrupt CompUSA.
Slim is probably most known in the telecommunications industry because over 18 years ago he led a group of investors into buying two major Mexican companies in Telmex and Telnor. According to this article, it says that 9 out of 10 phone lines in Mexico are operated by Telmex. Telcel, Slim's mobile phone company, apparently operates 80 percent of all the cell phones used in Mexico. Slim has expanded to other areas such as in Latin America where his company, America Movil, has more than 100 million subscribers.
While Slim has been continuing his business ventures in other areas he has been accused of charging more for phone service compared to other companies and some believe that he is hurting the economy due to the lack of competition.
While everyone will continue to hear about how the economy is going through a rough period right now, it's good to hear some positive news regarding the well-being of a newspaper. Seems like the first bit of good news regarding a newspaper in a long time, at least to me.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Blog #2
At 10 a.m. yesterday I grabbed a pen and a note tablet and headed out the door for a drive. Before I interviewed any businesses or people affected by the U.S. economy I wanted to see with my own eyes just how things may be going right now. In total I drove a little under 100 miles covering as much ground as I could from where I live in East Tucson through Downtown through South Tucson and back home. Four and a half hours later I arrived back home with a few notes I wrote down while stopped at red lights and from what I could remember of what I observed. I'll try to decipher the scribble I have written down from some of these but I had to pay attention while driving.
-A huge warehouse near an entrance to I-10 was not in use by a business, but on the outside a sign said it was being used as a junior high and high school. Nice to see it put to use instead of being vacant.
-It seemed like there was a little food stand on every corner, some seem to be doing well, others not as well.
-It's only been an hour and I must have passed by 50 to 60 check cashing places already. I just passed by one that's open 24 hours. Nice to know I can cash a check at 3 a.m. if I want.
-Near South Tucson traffic has picked up and from the looks of it most people have just gotten out of church.
-Many of the businesses in strip malls are hair salons, dollar stores and check cashing places.
-Mechanics in and around South Tucson were open today, haven't seen too many others open around town.
-A lot of expansion seems to be going on Valencia past I-10 with car washes, a neighborhood Wal-Mart, new gas stations and fast food places going up.
-What?? Gas at some stations in South Tucson is cheaper than I usually see at $3.34/gal.
-Have seen a couple groups of people sitting together outside homes, cooking food and listening to Mexican music.
Those were just some of the notes I took down but I more focused on just observing with my eyes instead of writing everything down. Things may not seem to be so bad from the outside but maybe there just isn't too many visual signs indicating people and businesses are struggling in the economy. Observing from the outside is only one side to the story. While I would have liked to stay at home and watch football all day, I thought observing around Tucson was a lot more interesting than I originally thought it would be.
-A huge warehouse near an entrance to I-10 was not in use by a business, but on the outside a sign said it was being used as a junior high and high school. Nice to see it put to use instead of being vacant.
-It seemed like there was a little food stand on every corner, some seem to be doing well, others not as well.
-It's only been an hour and I must have passed by 50 to 60 check cashing places already. I just passed by one that's open 24 hours. Nice to know I can cash a check at 3 a.m. if I want.
-Near South Tucson traffic has picked up and from the looks of it most people have just gotten out of church.
-Many of the businesses in strip malls are hair salons, dollar stores and check cashing places.
-Mechanics in and around South Tucson were open today, haven't seen too many others open around town.
-A lot of expansion seems to be going on Valencia past I-10 with car washes, a neighborhood Wal-Mart, new gas stations and fast food places going up.
-What?? Gas at some stations in South Tucson is cheaper than I usually see at $3.34/gal.
-Have seen a couple groups of people sitting together outside homes, cooking food and listening to Mexican music.
Those were just some of the notes I took down but I more focused on just observing with my eyes instead of writing everything down. Things may not seem to be so bad from the outside but maybe there just isn't too many visual signs indicating people and businesses are struggling in the economy. Observing from the outside is only one side to the story. While I would have liked to stay at home and watch football all day, I thought observing around Tucson was a lot more interesting than I originally thought it would be.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Blog #1 (Sept. 3)
This blog is intended to cover the economic issues that people are facing not only here in the United States but also those across the border as well. After seeing news reports about the struggling economy on television, newspapers and the internet, I became interested in looking deeper into this topic and its effects on the lives of people on both sides of the border.
Over the weekend I read a story which can be found here, [www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/255569.php] that talks about Mexicans sending money back home at much lower rate. Many stories about the struggling economy deal with people living on a smaller budget due to gas prices, food prices, education costs, home payments, health care, etc. But how is it affecting people locally here in Arizona and across the border? Are businesses having to close? If so, is it happening at a pace faster than ever before? Are migrants contemplating the possibility of returning to their home country because of the current state of the economy? Is poverty rising in cities both large and small due to the economy? Are migrant workers struggling to survive with less money so more can be sent back home to their families? These are just some of the questions I have as of right now but there is no doubt that each new day, week and month more questions will continue to arise.
My hope is that this blog looks at issues other than what we are all seeing on a daily basis in the media today. I understand there are broad ranging topics associated with the economy but I am looking to see how individuals, families, businesses and neighboring countries are dealing with the struggles of the economy in the U.S.
Over the weekend I read a story which can be found here, [www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/255569.php] that talks about Mexicans sending money back home at much lower rate. Many stories about the struggling economy deal with people living on a smaller budget due to gas prices, food prices, education costs, home payments, health care, etc. But how is it affecting people locally here in Arizona and across the border? Are businesses having to close? If so, is it happening at a pace faster than ever before? Are migrants contemplating the possibility of returning to their home country because of the current state of the economy? Is poverty rising in cities both large and small due to the economy? Are migrant workers struggling to survive with less money so more can be sent back home to their families? These are just some of the questions I have as of right now but there is no doubt that each new day, week and month more questions will continue to arise.
My hope is that this blog looks at issues other than what we are all seeing on a daily basis in the media today. I understand there are broad ranging topics associated with the economy but I am looking to see how individuals, families, businesses and neighboring countries are dealing with the struggles of the economy in the U.S.
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