Despite increasing ticket sales by almost $1 million and decreasing operating expenses by about three quarters of a million dollars, the Washington State athletic department closed its 2015 fiscal year with a deficit of more than $13 million.
This marks the second year in a row that the Cougars have incurred a $13 million deficit, but the deficit actually fell from $13,714,442 in 2014 to $13,274,324 in 2015 – a difference of $440,118.
Athletic Director Bill Moos addressed this deficit in a letter sent out to WSU athletics donors on Tuesday in which he highlighted that WSU has the second-lowest expense budget in the Pac-12, and spends about $12 million less than the Pac-12 average.