OT: UConn venting/sympathy thread

upstater1 said:

They should go fully pro with it and create a pro league.

License the college name for $1 annually.

Right now, the dirty secret is that the colleges have to subsidize these payouts with tuition money. It's true.

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The NCAAs make at least $1.5 billion a year but depending on the school/conference, yes smaller state schools that had a fighting chance to make the tourney in the past no longer have close to that same chance yet seem to have no choice but to try to compete - likely dipping into tuition etc.

I know they do pool earnings and have revenue sharing among schools, but again, there's the haves and have nots

Lots of people seem to be getting a lot of money from this - and it's typically NOT the players and NOT the small schools

What people want when it comes to sports is an even playing field - and unless they make some massive revamps to funding the NCAAs they're going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg because it won't be fair or competitive and thus, no reason to watch in the future

Unless you're from Connecticut or went to UConn, I see no reason why you would be a fan.

**** them. Glad they lost. F Connecticut.

festy1986 said:

Unless you're from Connecticut or went to UConn, I see no reason why you would be a fan.

**** them. Glad they lost. F Connecticut.

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JoeSixPat said:

The NCAAs make at least $1.5 billion a year but depending on the school/conference, yes smaller state schools that had a fighting chance to make the tourney in the past no longer have close to that same chance yet seem to have no choice but to try to compete - likely dipping into tuition etc.

I know they do pool earnings and have revenue sharing among schools, but again, there's the haves and have nots

Lots of people seem to be getting a lot of money from this - and it's typically NOT the players and NOT the small schools

What people want when it comes to sports is an even playing field - and unless they make some massive revamps to funding the NCAAs they're going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg because it won't be fair or competitive and thus, no reason to watch in the future

NCAA Revenue Sharing & NIL Estimates 2025

nil-ncaa.com

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What if I told you the big P4 schools also subsidize these payouts with tuition money? And not just the small schools.

upstater1 said:

What if I told you the big P4 schools also subsidize these payouts with tuition money? And not just the small schools.

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Well, I guess I wouldn't be shocked given what they charge for tuition has FAR exceeded inflation everywhere... though I think that goes well beyond sports as the higher tuition is, the more loans get taken out, the more loans go into default, increasing penalties and profits for those same companies which know that all of it is federally guaranteed - so why NOT charge as much as possible?

upstater1 said:

What if I told you the big P4 schools also subsidize these payouts with tuition money? And not just the small schools.

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Public power 4 schools have open records laws in most states. The ones I know about get NIL funds from donors, including fans, and businesses / corporate boosters. Athletic endowment. Not a dollar comes from tuition money. If little Johnny buys a $50 T-shirt at the bookstore, though, I guess some of those dollars might find their way to an athlete.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

Public power 4 schools have open records laws in most states. The ones I know about get NIL funds from donors, including fans, and businesses / corporate boosters. Athletic endowment. Not a dollar comes from tuition money. If little Johnny buys a $50 T-shirt at the bookstore, though, I guess some of those dollars might find their way to an athlete.

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My job about 5 years ago was to comb through these budgets, and it was startling what I found.

For instance, have a look at this: Clemson athletics balanced its budget … with a kickback from Clemson. Here’s how that worked.

Students fund a chunk of it.

I also analyzed U Michigan's budget. I found a line item that was a direct subsidy for financing the buildout of athletic facilities including the stadium. The school owed almost half a billion for it and shelled out over $30m per year for a bond.

I also looked at income/revenues. Here's a kicker. There was a revenue item for a donation from a huge donor for athletics. They gave that money for the stadium. Then they included it as revenue and bonded out the full cost of the stadium anyway.

You're right about royalties too, 100% of all royalties on branding are included as athletic revenue. But even NYU (D3) has kids walking around with NYU sweaters.

More here: Colleges Raising Student Fees to Pay for Athlete Revenue-Sharing

Check out Rutgers: https://www.nj.com/rutgers/2026/03/...ining-the-big-ten-where-did-the-money-go.html

JoeSixPat said:

Well, I guess I wouldn't be shocked given what they charge for tuition has FAR exceeded inflation everywhere... though I think that goes well beyond sports as the higher tuition is, the more loans get taken out, the more loans go into default, increasing penalties and profits for those same companies which know that all of it is federally guaranteed - so why NOT charge as much as possible?

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It doesn't work that way.

There's a cap on loans. Gov't direct loans are capped at about $5k a year. They were capped at $2.5k when I went to school in the 80s.

The # of student taking PLUS loans is minimal at best. Average debt after 4 years for undergrads is $20k.

Tuitions are rising for 2 reasons. #1. The drop in state funding for state schools is inversely proportional to the rise in tuitions. This more than anything has caused it. In 2 decades, U. Cal went from $1k tuition to $16k, and astounding 1,600% increase. But the expenditures have kept track with inflation. Why? Because they spend $25k per student now, so a portion was always subsidized.

As for private school tuitions skyrocketing, look at expenditures. Many are still at $35k per student. So why are tuitions at $70k? Because they discount the cost for need. If you're paying $70k tuition, you are very well off. Likely earn over $400k per year +

upstater1 said:

It doesn't work that way.

There's a cap on loans. Gov't direct loans are capped at about $5k a year. They were capped at $2.5k when I went to school in the 80s.

Tuitions are rising for 2 reasons. #1. The drop in state funding for state schools is inversely proportional to the rise in tuitions. This more than anything has caused it. In 2 decades, U. Cal went from $1k tuition to $16k, and astounding 1,600% increase. But the expenditures have kept track with inflation. Why? Because they spend $25k per student now, so a portion was always subsidized.

As for private school tuitions skyrocketing, look at expenditures. Many are still at $35k per student. So why are tuitions at $70k? Because they discount the cost for need. If you're paying $70k tuition, you are very well off. Likely earn over $400k per year +

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One other point worth noting: most grants, federal funding, and large donations come with strings attached on how the money can be used. For many schools, tuition dollars are the largest block of unrestricted funds the school receives.

ctpatsfan77 said:

One other point worth noting: most grants, federal funding, and large donations come with strings attached on how the money can be used. For many schools, tuition dollars are the largest block of unrestricted funds the school receives.

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Yes, 100% true. This is why even with a billion dollar annual budget, you will see some administrators running around with their hair on fire if there's a $5m shortfall in the college.

203Pat said:

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Cute, but should be a Husky

And I wonder if there's anyone old enough, or that cares about CT enough, besides me and you, to recognize that 203 used to be the area code for all of Connecticut.