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Your source says "athletic departments", not football or basketball programs, which is an important distinction. Football and basketball are the only money-make
by czinck 6y ago
Your source says "athletic departments", not football or basketball programs, which is an important distinction. Football and basketball are the only money-makers (I think hockey or baseball make money at a few schools), and all of the other sports drag down the athletic departments budget.
That's also ignoring that FBS is basically advertising. There's been a steady increase in applications (and subsequently an increase in average GPA and similar numbers) at University of Alabama under Nick Saban, and I know I would have been less likely to go to Virginia Tech if it wasn't for their football program drawing me in when I was in middle/high school.
- JackFr 6y agoA couple of other examples: Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma did more to take the University of Connecticut to national prominence than 100 deans. And Auriemma did it by excellence in a non-revenue sport. While Mark Few at Gonzaga made the NCAA tournament 20 years in a row, this small Jesuit school in Spokane doubled the number of applicants, increased the proportion of students from outside Washington, increased incoming student test scores and dramatically grew the endowment.
- rwmurrayVT 6y agoSlightly off-topic, but the recent performance of VT's football program has been depressing. I'd hate to see things sway over to UVlame. :(
- snapetom 6y agoBoston College received triple their number of average applications the year after Doug Flutie threw his Hail Mary.