[KartyFan]

Easier to spend OPM than your own, but ask yourself if that were your own money assuming you had made it big and had $20 million that you could direct anywhere you wanted, would you direct it to double Stanford’s pool to pay football players or direct it somewhere else?

There's also the tax consequences.  I don't see how paying the salaries (or NIL, which is commercial money) of pro athletes should be tax deductible, for the public benefit.

Good point.  In my thought experiment, even ceteris paribus, if I have $20 million laying around that I had to give away in a way that could not benefit me or a family member, I can think of a lot better uses for the money.  Even if I had to give it to Stanford, I probably would give it to non-athletic endeavors, and even if I had to give it to the department of athletics, I think there is much more bang for the buck by giving to other sports.

BC

You make great points, BC, and when you frame it this way it is hard to argue for that $20 million going to NIL. 

I am admittedly trying to get to yes here, and with that pretext my counterarguments might be:

1. Stanford Athletics and Stanford Football's success brings benefits to the university, financial and otherwise, that allow Stanford to increase its positive impact. 

2. We need to bridge the gap for a period of time in college athletics that are not sustainable in order to have an athletics program long term. A respectable football program is needed to keep us in the game while everyone figures out a more sustainable model. We can succeed in that future model but need help getting there.

[KartyFan]

Easier to spend OPM than your own, but ask yourself if that were your own money assuming you had made it big and had $20 million that you could direct anywhere you wanted, would you direct it to double Stanford’s pool to pay football players or direct it somewhere else?

There's also the tax consequences.  I don't see how paying the salaries (or NIL, which is commercial money) of pro athletes should be tax deductible, for the public benefit.

Good point.  In my thought experiment, even ceteris paribus, if I have $20 million laying around that I had to give away in a way that could not benefit me or a family member, I can think of a lot better uses for the money.  Even if I had to give it to Stanford, I probably would give it to non-athletic endeavors, and even if I had to give it to the department of athletics, I think there is much more bang for the buck by giving to other sports.

BC

You make great points, BC, and when you frame it this way it is hard to argue for that $20 million going to NIL. 

I am admittedly trying to get to yes here, and with that pretext my counterarguments might be:

1. Stanford Athletics and Stanford Football's success brings benefits to the university, financial and otherwise, that allow Stanford to increase its positive impact. 

2. We need to bridge the gap for a period of time in college athletics that are not sustainable in order to have an athletics program long term. A respectable football program is needed to keep us in the game while everyone figures out a more sustainable model. We can succeed in that future model but need help getting there.