08-02-2020, 02:25 PM
I'm genuinely sympathetic to some of the players frustration, but it's getting to the point where I'm thinking the players and the schools deserve each other, because it's clear the schools exploit many of the players, but it's also clear to me many of the players don't realize they generate less value than the cost of their scholarships, athletic department salaries, plant construction and maintenance.
Take C.al, for example (where we have better data as a public school.) If C.al had neither a football team nor had rebuilt its stadium, it'd be a substantially better financial position -- it pays $18m in interest per year and that doesn't even touch the principle, which will balloon to first $26m and then $37m per year starting in the 2030s. Sure, it loses football revenue, some alumni donations, and a large chunk of the (meager) TV rights money. But even now, the department as a whole bleeds over $20m per year.
This is clearly not sustainable, and schools like Brown, Dartmouth, George Washington, and yes, our alma mater, are beginning to cop to it. There are going to be so many more dominoes to fall before this is over.
Take C.al, for example (where we have better data as a public school.) If C.al had neither a football team nor had rebuilt its stadium, it'd be a substantially better financial position -- it pays $18m in interest per year and that doesn't even touch the principle, which will balloon to first $26m and then $37m per year starting in the 2030s. Sure, it loses football revenue, some alumni donations, and a large chunk of the (meager) TV rights money. But even now, the department as a whole bleeds over $20m per year.
This is clearly not sustainable, and schools like Brown, Dartmouth, George Washington, and yes, our alma mater, are beginning to cop to it. There are going to be so many more dominoes to fall before this is over.