Tom O’Connor took time to visit students in Steve Klein’s sports journalism class on Thursday at George Mason University to discuss the business of basketball.
O’Connor discussed several topics, including why men’s and women’s basketball seems to get favored compared to other NCAA sports that the school participates in.
“Basketball makes more money than other sports,” said O’Connor. “They get more money in the end because they earned it.”
The basketball program doesn’t only make money for itself, however. The Colonial Athletic Association‘s (CAA) three NCAA tournament bids earned the conference a cool $13 million this year.
O’Connor stressed that the basketball players are a great way to represent the Mason student body and create a sense of community.
“The basketball team is an extension of every student on campus,” said O’Connor, who is currently in his fourth decade in NCAA Division 1 athletics. “Filling the Patriot Center with 10,000 people really brings the community together.”
O’Connor is currently in his third year of a five year contract as the university’s athletic director with no plans of stepping down, as he has helped to put Mason on the map in recent years.
“Success creates visibility for the university,” said O’Connor. “The more inquiries we now receive allow us to tell our story.”
