28 Nov 2018 Should Each College Sport Pay Its Own Way?

Should Each College Sport Pay Its Own Way?

In most Division 1 schools, football pays the bills for many other sports.  It is not the attendance at football games that provides the most revenue (though that is substantial); it is the money that TV brings in.  Many basketball programs make money but just about every other sport does not generate enough revenue to cover costs.  

Should all sports be required to be self funding?  That would eliminate most of them. Title IX laws require equal number of scholarships between men and women.  Since football has 80-100 men on scholarship this required a large increase in those to women.  There was a trade-off required for this.  Many men’s programs had to be eliminated or reduced to club status in order to fund the women’s programs.  

I support the equal scholarships but only if those programs are able to generate revenue equal to costs.  Make each sport its own “business.” If football runs a surplus, then use the extra funds to enhance the facilities for all students.  If a sport (men or women) can’t support itself, then have it go to club status.  

I look at scholarships as “salary” to “work” for the school.  You should produce value (revenue) for it.  If you don’t produce enough revenue, then eliminate the position. The truth is it is not a sport but a business from the view of the athletic department.  If it is about fairness in scholarships then make it revenue based. Make money, get scholarships.  Do not rely on some other “business” within the school to fund your sport.