Badger State Games will end after 25 years
Started in 1985 to re-create the Olympic experience for citizen athletes, the Badger State Games has reached its own finish line.
The nonprofit Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation announced Tuesday it would drop the games it organized for both winter and summer sports.
"It is time to yield to market forces beyond our control and explore new ways to serve the sports marketplace for the benefit of the state of Wisconsin," the WSDC interim president and CEO Dan Doyle said.
Participation in the games has dropped in recent years, revenue also declined and the WSDC has reduced its staff and budget in response to budget issues.
Competition from other races and tournaments - particularly in youth hockey and soccer - have hurt the Badger State Games.
In a telephone conference Tuesday afternoon, Doyle reported that roughly 20,000 people participated in the games annually in the late 1990s. That number dwindled to roughly 5,000 in the 2011 versions of the winter and summer games.
Financially, the corporation that organizes and promotes the games lost nearly $50,000 in the fiscal year ending July 31, 2010, the second year in which expenses exceeded revenues. According to its federal tax filing, the corporation had debts that exceeded its assets by nearly $8,000.
The Madison-based corporation estimated that 350,000 athletes have participated in the games over the 25 years, in everything from curling, archery, Nordic skiing and ski-jumping to tennis and soccer.
(My own in the Badger State Games experiences include a sweltering hot mountain bike race at the Blackhawk Ski Area, and a frosty cross-country ski race in subzero temps at the Nine Mile Recreation area in Wausau. I have the medals as reminders. Please share your memories via email to theld@journalsentinel.com, or in the comments section.)
"We are very proud of our accomplishments over the years," Doyle said. "The games have supported dozens of sports and have fostered an environment in Wisconsin where athletes now have a wealth of opportunities to participate and compete."
Questions about the sustainability of the Badger State Games started several years ago. The Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau stopped providing roughly $100,000 in support to host the winter games in Wausau.
Contributions from sponsors also dropped off.
According to the announcement, the event hosts in Wausau and the Fox Cities will consider reviving the games in some form.
Doyle said decisions on the future mission of the WSDC would be decided in the next three to six months. One option at the top of the list includes creation of a sports authority to organize major sporting events, including NCAA Div. III championships, he said.
The financial position of the non-profit requires a quick decision.
The WSDC also said it would try to sell or transfer ownership of the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.
The physical recognition of sports luminaries is the Walk of Fame, which features plaques of Wisconsin athletes, located along N. 4th St. adjacent to the U.S. Cellular Arena.
Franklyn Gimbel, chair of the Wisconsin Center District, which owns and operates the U.S. Cellular Arena, said the Walk of Fame isn’t going anywhere.
“We think we should have the Hall of Fame,” Gimbel said Tuesday., “We’ve invested $750,000 to create the Walk of Fame. And I hope there would be some method of reviving the whole notion of the Hall of Fame. It has value.”
Gimbel said the district was not looking to spend money on the Walk of Fame and the annual dinner. “We would be looking for some managing group to take it over and run it,” he said.
Thanks to Don Walker for contributing to this story.
169 Comments for "Badger State Games will end after 25 years"
justaguy Aug 02, 2011 10:49 AM
hodagalum Aug 02, 2011 10:51 AM
since inception. You could see this coming on the Winter Games side with
total entries in XC events dropping from a high of over 1700, to around
700 or so total last year.
They always ran a quality event, it is very sad it can't continue.
linkslvr Aug 02, 2011 11:02 AM
really the place for your comment.
linkslvr Aug 02, 2011 11:22 AM
Chequamegon Aug 02, 2011 11:36 AM
2. vegaspacker should re-pack his or her backside with the cra* written above. Vegaspacker might hate Governor Walker--I dislike many current and past politicians, but I also know that some stories and some places should escape the from partisan BS.
OverTheHillSoccerDad Aug 02, 2011 11:42 AM
OTownBadger Aug 02, 2011 11:43 AM
ray ganomic1 Aug 02, 2011 11:52 AM
The Sate of Wisconsin needs better journalists.
Paragraph 4 of the article.
chucknite Aug 02, 2011 12:03 PM
but IMO they priced themselves into declining enrollment.
If you are in the medal running, it was sure worth it, but if not, why not ski
an event like the Hinderbinder instead? The every weekend racers are going
to hit them both, but the occasional racer may skip the BSG.
I happy dirt Aug 02, 2011 12:16 PM
ladywing Aug 02, 2011 12:18 PM
Competitive spirit always come with true personal responsibility. Nothing
worse than a whiny looser in sports. You two just come across way too
whiny. The logical jump that Walker caused this to close and that it is the
governments job to ensure you have a personal budget for entering sports
events is ridiculous. We all have to make choices in how we spend our
money.
In my poorest flat broke out of work days, I still made calls on how I
spent my cash and found ways to participated in races.
I am not thrilled with Walker, but you guys are so much worse. Don't
blame everything on Walker. Grow up and run your life. Expect others to
do the same. The government can't solve all problems for all people.
jimmyv65 Aug 02, 2011 12:19 PM
The Sate of Wisconsin needs better journalists.
Paragraph 4 of the article.
Flippin CLASSIC: sTate of Wisconsin you dork...Do you proofread your two sentence post?
Also, folks, the word LOSE IS SPELLED LOSE...Not loose! Drives me nuts! JimmyV, I'm talking to you!
didoubledy Aug 02, 2011 12:27 PM