Battle lines drawn over state tournament ticket prices

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association executive director Steve Timko says he wakes up at 3 a.m. some nights, wondering: "Why is this guy after us?"

This "guy" is New Jersey assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester). He says he is not trying to destroy the NJSIAA. He just wants the organization that oversees high school sports to obey the law and stop raising ticket prices for playoff games.

If that means layoffs for executives, reduced compensation for those who remain on the payroll and other cost-cutting measures, Burzichelli is OK with that, too.

"These guys could be heroes," Burzichelli said. "I mean, how much money do they need?"

Burzichelli, who also is the mayor of Paulsboro, and NJSIAA officials have been at odds for five years. Their long-simmering dispute flared up again over playoff ticket prices during the recently completed winter season.

Tellingly, both sides agree that the situation has escalated to a breaking point.

Timko said the NJSIAA might have to eliminate tournaments in non-revenue sports if the organization has to operate with reduced ticket revenue from sports such as football, basketball and wrestling.

Burzichelli told Timko in a Feb. 26 letter that "provisions can be developed for the continuity of oversight of scholastic sports in New Jersey" if the NJSIAA can't find a way to function with reduced revenue.

"They need to get their house in order," Burzichelli said. "I see no demonstration that they've been willing to make the necessary changes."

In an interview before Tuesday night's Tournament of Champions final, Timko said the NJSIAA collected about $100,000 less from the state wrestling tournament in 2010 compared to 2009 as a result of reduced ticket prices.

The NJSIAA made $166,624 ($761,558 in revenue minus $594,934 in expenses) from the 2009 wrestling tournament, according to the association's 2009 financial report.

Timko said that although figures are still being compiled, he expects a "big-time hit" in basketball, too.

The NJSIAA made $280,034 ($219,513 from boys and $60,521 from girls) from the 2009 basketball tournament.

Timko said the NJSIAA needs to make a profit from sports such as football, basketball and wrestling to fund tournaments in sports such as cross country, bowling, swimming, golf and tennis, which typically operate at a loss.

In a recent letter to Commissioner of Education Bret Schundler, Timko said reduced playoff ticket prices would be a "financial disaster for the NJSIAA."

The heart of the dispute is a law that took effect Jan. 29. The law, which was written by Burzichelli, prohibits public schools from joining voluntary athletic associations that charge increased ticket prices for playoff games compared to regular-season games.

The law does allow for Schundler to increase ticket prices for events at independent venues such as Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, site of the wrestling championship, or Rutgers University, host of basketball tournament games.

Ticket prices for district and region wrestling this year were reduced to $3 for adults and $2 for seniors, students and children. They had been $6 and $3 in recent years.

Ticket prices at Boardwalk Hall were $9 for adults and $2 for others. They had been $10 and $8 in past years.

"You had someone spending $2 for a ticket and walking inside and paying $4 for a bottle of water," Timko said.

Burzichelli believes the NJSIAA should cut costs. In a sharply-worded Feb. 26 letter to Timko, Burzichelli said the NJSIAA was "neither immune nor privileged," and needed to follow the lead of governments and school districts by reducing expenses, starting with payroll.

Burzichelli's letter called on the NJSIAA to reduce its "top-heavy roster of paid directors" from six to two and to eliminate deferred compensation to directors who are collecting a state pension from previous school district employment.

The NJSIAA has six paid directors and nine other employees. In a June 2008 financial statement, the NJSIAA said that Timko received $126,184 in salary, plus $12,618 in deferred compensation.

The organization's five other directors received less compensation, with the lowest-paid director receiving $89,117, plus around $9,000 in deferred compensation. Burzichelli said those figures were for 2007 and that the directors have received raises of about 4 percent to 5 percent in each of the last two years.

In his Feb. 26 letter, Burzichelli also called on the NJSIAA to reduce the remaining directors' salaries by the amount they are receiving from "taxpayer-funded pensions." Timko, a retired educator, receives an annual pension of $47,000.

"I never backed into a salary in my life," Timko said. "I'm not ashamed of anything I've done."

Timko said it would be "virtually impossible" for the NJSIAA to operate with fewer directors.

"We have 32 state championships, the most in the country," Timko said. "We supervise 260,000 student athletes, the eighth-highest in the country . . .

"He (Burzichelli) has no idea how many hours these directors put in."

In an interview Tuesday morning at his business in an old movie theater in downtown Paulsboro, Burzichelli noted that the NJSIAA has increased membership fees for its 434 schools from $850 to $2,150 since 2007. He said that increase, along with entry fees and corporate sponsorship, should "more than offset" reduced revenue from lower ticket prices.

"These guys had three years to get their house in order," Burzichelli said, noting that the law was passed in 2007 but that the NJSIAA was granted a three-year waiting period. "I don't understand the crying. They've made no other changes, no other sacrifices."

Burzichelli said he plans to meet with Timko in the near future. The assemblyman said he's looking for a "comfort level" that the NJSIAA can continue to oversee scholastic sports under the terms of the new law.

Timko said the NJSIAA has run efficiently for years, with few complaints from school officials, athletes or spectators.

"I wish he (Burzichelli) would pull back and let us run this organization the way our membership is happy with the way we've been running it," Timko said.