Wichita State AD Defends Premium Baseline Seating Despite Disruptions to Cheer, Dance Teams

Wichita State athletic director Kevin Saal on Sunday defended the athletic department's decision to continue with a plan to offer baseline seating at basketball games despite disruptions to the school's dance and cheer teams. 

According to KWCH, the new premium ticket option that went into place this season as a way to increase revenue meant relocating members of the school’s spirit squads. While they will still perform pregame, during timeouts and at halftime, some members have been moved to the student section during game action.

“After proactively gathering perspectives from critical constituents, we believe we made a thoughtful decision in the best interests of our entire athletics program, including but not limited to 16 NCAA sponsored intercollegiate athletics sports, 273 student-athletes and nearly 100 coaches and staff," Saal told KWCH. "That said, we will maintain a similar analytical and thoughtful approach moving forward, constantly evaluating, planning/preparing, and executing what we believe to be in the best interests of the entire athletics department.”

Current and former members of the cheer and spirit squads have voiced their displeasure with the plan. 

“I don’t want to keep using the word ‘disrespect,’ but just neglect for the hard work and dedication that these athletes put in, especially because many of them don’t get scholarships, the dance team doesn’t receive a scholarship," said Wichita State Cheer alum Faith Smith. "And they’re expected to adhere to the student-athlete guidelines but they don’t get treated the same as all the other student-athletes.” 

Saal's complete statement can be read below: 

Please accept our sincere thanks for your email, candid thoughts, and suggestions. After proactively gathering perspectives from critical constituents, we believe we made a thoughtful decision in the best interests of our entire athletics program, including but not limited to 16 NCAA sponsored intercollegiate athletics sports, 273 student-athletes and nearly 100 coaches and staff.

That said, we will maintain a similar analytical and thoughtful approach moving forward, constantly evaluating, planning/preparing, and executing what we believe to be in the best interests of the entire athletics department. Your feedback submitted below is important to that process and will be considered at the appropriate time to revisit this decision, upon conclusion of the 2024-25 competitive season.

This decision does not impact spirit groups’ opportunity, accessibility, and/or ability to perform on the floor pre-game, during timeouts, halftime or postgame, as they’ve always done.

The dialogue pertaining to athletics requesting cheer/dance deliver food to these premium seat holders has either been miscommunicated and/or misinterpreted. For many years, cheer/dance (along with many other campus and community non-profit groups) have been compensated by the contracted concessionaire to work concessions stands (and be compensated for it) on the main concourse at Koch Arena as additional fundraising opportunities to support national competition (i.e., travel, lodging, etc.). This year, athletics has paid for third party personnel (not cheer/dance) to serve as primary wait staff/servers/runners for season ticket holders in the premium seats on the floor.

Respectfully, my professional and/or personal considerations regarding the status of spirit groups in relation to the other intercollegiate athletics sports/programs, is irrelevant. The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) does not classify spirit groups (i.e., cheer, dance, band, majorettes) as sponsored intercollegiate athletics programs. The NCAA does not distribute “Grants in Aid” funds nor “Sports Sponsorship” funds to institutions for sponsoring spirit groups. Additionally, the NCAA does not certify eligibility/amateurism (through the NCAA Clearinghouse/Eligibility Center), legislate rules compliance and/or levy enforcement of those rules, and/or hold institutions accountable to “Academic Progress Rates” or “Graduate Success Rates” as they relate to spirit groups. Each athletics department is charged with fulfilling these (and many more) NCAA requirements, mechanisms, and expectations as they relate to the NCAA-sponsored intercollegiate athletics programs, of which Wichita State sponsors 16.

That said, and despite spirit groups operating outside the NCAA’s primary mission, Wichita State Athletics recognizes and supports the importance of spirit groups to the participants and many others…as reflected in Wichita State Athletics’ financial support. In comparison to 7 public institutions in the American Athletics Conference (ECU, FAU, Memphis, Charlotte, North Texas, South Florida, and UTSA):

1. Four out of the last five fiscal years, Wichita State ranks top 3 highest annual spirit groups expenditure among peers, despite not having the spirit group expenditures associated with football.

2. Excluding fiscal year 22, in fiscal years 19, 20, 21 & 23 Wichita State has financially supported spirit groups 64.73% higher than the peer average (50.48% higher, when FY 22 is included FY22).

3. Wichita State’s 5-year average financial support of spirit groups ($220,020) ranks highest among these peers.

4. Wichita State Athletics increased its support of spirit groups by 61.1% from FY22 to FY23

Attached is a compilation of data associated with these four points and it’s noteworthy that Wichita State Athletics does not incur additional expenses, nor realize additional revenue, associated with sponsoring a football program, as these same peers do; making even more substantial, the support that is currently afforded to Wichita State University spirit groups.

While we understand, appreciate, and empathize with the disagreement and disappointment associated with this decision, we must also balance our charge to align resources to meet championship-level expectations for our entire athletics program.

Take care and my best,

Kevin Saal