[82lsju]

Moreover, the impact of having only 30% of Tier 1 media rights is not all that significant.  That's like a $15M-$20M reduction for 2026, right? And it improves as time goes on.  Plus, I believe Stanford still receives a full share of ACC Network, College Football Playoff (CFP), and NCAA tournament revenues. Unlike Cal, UCLA and many other Power Conference teams, we fully own our own football stadiums and, most importantly, Stanford has a sports-specific endowment of over $1 billion (they stopped publishing the exact amount some time ago, but by my estimate it has to be at least that big now).  The draw on a billion dollar endowment would be $50 million a year.  Other schools don't have that.  We are way ahead before you cut back that Tier 1 media rights revenue.  If Stanford starts cutting sports it won't be because of the tiny amount that the Tier 1 media revenue is reduced.

The Board of Trustees has agreed to subsidize Athletics to make up for the 70% of Tier 1 media rights that Stanford is returning to the ACC. I don't know if the current financial stress has changed that commitment. But the BoT has made a strong statement that it wants Stanford to have resources to be competitive in this new environment.

Has anyone heard any word from AD Donahoe since he started? I hope he is not as opaque as Bernard Muir was in communicating with the extended Stanford Athletics community.

one of the two incoming BoT members (Jeff Bird '82) would appear to have some interest and knowledge about the finances of the AD

Bird currently serves as vice chair of the board of Stanford Health Care, and sits on the boards of the Hoover Institution and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) Investment Fund.

https://stanforddaily.com/2026/03/04/two...-trustees/

[82lsju]

Moreover, the impact of having only 30% of Tier 1 media rights is not all that significant.  That's like a $15M-$20M reduction for 2026, right? And it improves as time goes on.  Plus, I believe Stanford still receives a full share of ACC Network, College Football Playoff (CFP), and NCAA tournament revenues. Unlike Cal, UCLA and many other Power Conference teams, we fully own our own football stadiums and, most importantly, Stanford has a sports-specific endowment of over $1 billion (they stopped publishing the exact amount some time ago, but by my estimate it has to be at least that big now).  The draw on a billion dollar endowment would be $50 million a year.  Other schools don't have that.  We are way ahead before you cut back that Tier 1 media rights revenue.  If Stanford starts cutting sports it won't be because of the tiny amount that the Tier 1 media revenue is reduced.

The Board of Trustees has agreed to subsidize Athletics to make up for the 70% of Tier 1 media rights that Stanford is returning to the ACC. I don't know if the current financial stress has changed that commitment. But the BoT has made a strong statement that it wants Stanford to have resources to be competitive in this new environment.

Has anyone heard any word from AD Donahoe since he started? I hope he is not as opaque as Bernard Muir was in communicating with the extended Stanford Athletics community.

one of the two incoming BoT members (Jeff Bird '82) would appear to have some interest and knowledge about the finances of the AD

Bird currently serves as vice chair of the board of Stanford Health Care, and sits on the boards of the Hoover Institution and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) Investment Fund.

https://stanforddaily.com/2026/03/04/two...-trustees/