Wealthiest Universities and NIL - What If?

#1

AurantiacoFan

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#1
I guess it cannot happen today based on how NIL rules are supposed to apply, but what if things changed that allowed the below to occur? Could it change the landscape of who are the "haves" and "have not" in college sports?
  • the wealthiest universities decided to go independent or create a super conference of the wealthy/elite universities based on surplus and endowments
  • they then used their large surpluses and endowments to fund NILs to attract the best talent and field the strongest programs in sports
  • they then rely on the television contracts that they negotiate to help sustain funding
  • per the WSJ link below, outside of the Ivy League, these schools would include Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Rice, Texas, California, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington, Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Colorado, North Carolina, etc
Not many SEC schools on that list.

Wealthiest Universities
 
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#2
#2
Universities are not going to pay for athletic departments to that degree.

That is why the biggest schools have self-sustaining athletic departments. Many even give back to the university.

I don't think any school should have to pay for its sports on the dime of academic donors. And most of that is public, academic, and endowments based on research and academics. No one would agree to this, nor is there any benefit.
 
#6
#6
Agree with others who say those schools use the money for scholastic and/or research purposes.

But also regarding:

"they then used their large surpluses and endowments to fund NILs to attract the best talent and field the strongest programs in sports"

The schools can't fund NIL deals anyway can they?
 
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#7
#7
Universities are not going to pay for athletic departments to that degree.

That is why the biggest schools have self-sustaining athletic departments. Many even give back to the university.

I don't think any school should have to pay for its sports on the dime of academic donors. And most of that is public, academic, and endowments based on research and academics. No one would agree to this, nor is there any benefit.
Universities can not pay for the NILs. Businesses can pay a player to use his/her name image and likeness to pay a player money, not the Universities.
 
#8
#8
I guess it cannot happen today based on how NIL rules are supposed to apply, but what if things changed that allowed the below to occur? Could it change the landscape of who are the "haves" and "have not" in college sports?
  • the wealthiest universities decided to go independent or create a super conference of the wealthy/elite universities based on surplus and endowments
  • they then used their large surpluses and endowments to fund NILs to attract the best talent and field the strongest programs in sports
  • they then rely on the television contracts that they negotiate to help sustain funding
  • per the WSJ link below, outside of the Ivy League, these schools would include Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Rice, Texas, California, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington, Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Colorado, North Carolina, etc
Not many SEC schools on that list.

Wealthiest Universities

If that scenario truly happened, then it truly WOULD be the death of college football.
 
#9
#9
I guess it cannot happen today based on how NIL rules are supposed to apply, but what if things changed that allowed the below to occur? Could it change the landscape of who are the "haves" and "have not" in college sports?
  • the wealthiest universities decided to go independent or create a super conference of the wealthy/elite universities based on surplus and endowments
  • they then used their large surpluses and endowments to fund NILs to attract the best talent and field the strongest programs in sports
  • they then rely on the television contracts that they negotiate to help sustain funding
  • per the WSJ link below, outside of the Ivy League, these schools would include Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Rice, Texas, California, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington, Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Colorado, North Carolina, etc
Not many SEC schools on that list.

Wealthiest Universities
🧐
 
#10
#10
I guess it cannot happen today based on how NIL rules are supposed to apply, but what if things changed that allowed the below to occur? Could it change the landscape of who are the "haves" and "have not" in college sports?
  • the wealthiest universities decided to go independent or create a super conference of the wealthy/elite universities based on surplus and endowments
  • they then used their large surpluses and endowments to fund NILs to attract the best talent and field the strongest programs in sports
  • they then rely on the television contracts that they negotiate to help sustain funding
  • per the WSJ link below, outside of the Ivy League, these schools would include Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Rice, Texas, California, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington, Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Colorado, North Carolina, etc
Not many SEC schools on that list.

Wealthiest Universities

it would be a new set of rules and current NIL would not be an issue. It would be a specific set of schools creating their own entity.

That is likely what is going to happen and probably sooner rather than later. it will mirror the NFL structure and playoffs.

Won't necessarily be the richest universities but those that can bring in the TV revenue.

The caveat is, how does college basketball adjust with March Madness and the billions it generates? Be hard to give that up.
 
#13
#13
Wealthy university =/= wealthy athletic department. Does not equal.

And it's not normally about choice. "The University chooses to emphasize academics rather than athletics," for instance. That's not it.

Far more common, these huge endowments have all kinds of strings attached. The money donated must be used in certain ways for certain benefits. It's sort of as if you personally have 1,000 gold coins in 35 different little bags. Each bag comes from someone you know, and is given to you with rules: "you have to use this for little Sally's education"..."use this only to repaint your house"..."this can only be spent upon your retirement"...and on and on. Now apply that concept to universities and multi-million dollar gifts. "For the business school." "Must be spent promoting academic excellence." "To provide scholarships for needy but deserving students from Roosevelt County."

It's usually very complicated, all that money. And true, very few of those rules say, "spend it on more competitive athletics." I mean, some of it does, but not the lion's share. And sometimes, when it is about athletics, it's about the women's volleyball team, because that's what the donor played when she was a student.

Want to see which universities might band together athletically to flex their $$$ muscle on the playing fields? Look not at university wealth, but athletic department budget size. You'll find a significantly different list (okay, Texas is on both, heh).

A list I just found by googling the question gave this top 10:

1. A&M
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Bama
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Oklahoma
9. Tennessee
10. Penn State

Doesn't look to me like that would much change the "haves" and "have nots" in college sports.



The 25 schools that make the most money in college sports
 
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#14
#14
Wealthy university =/= wealthy athletic department. Does not equal.

And it's not normally about choice. "The University chooses to emphasize academics rather than athletics," for instance. That's not it.

Far more common, these huge endowments have all kinds of strings attached. The money donated must be used in certain ways for certain benefits. It's sort of as if you personally have 1,000 gold coins in 35 different little bags. Each bag comes from someone you know, and is given to you with rules: "you have to use this for little Sally's education"..."use this only to repaint your house"..."this can only be spent upon your retirement"...and on and on. Now apply that concept to universities and multi-million dollar gifts. "For the business school." "Must be spent promoting academic excellence." "To provide scholarships for needy but deserving students from Roosevelt County."

It's usually very complicated, all that money. And true, very few of those rules say, "spend it on more competitive athletics." I mean, some of it does, but not the lion's share. And sometimes, when it is about athletics, it's about the women's volleyball team, because that's what the donor played when she was a student.

Want to see which universities might band together athletically to flex their $$$ muscle on the playing fields? Look not at university wealth, but athletic department budget size. You'll find a significantly different list (okay, Texas is on both, heh).

A list I just found by googling the question gave this top 10:

1. A&M
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Bama
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Oklahoma
9. Tennessee
10. Penn State

Doesn't look to me like that would much change the "haves" and "have nots" in college sports.



The 25 schools that make the most money in college sports

Probably the most significant indicator would be wealthiest alumni who donate to athletics.

Texas and A&M would be at the top. We better hope the Waltons never decide to make Arky #1 :). Nike of course is in there, dont know how much money Boone Pickens Estate has for OSU. We're in pretty good shape with the Haslams.
 
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#15
#15
Probably the most significant indicator would be wealthiest alumni who donate to athletics.

Texas and A&M would be at the top. We better hope the Waltons never decide to make Arky #1 :). Nike of course is in there, dont know how much money Boone Pickens Estate has for OSU. We're in pretty good shape with the Haslams.
WE have the Haslams 4 Billion, Charlie Ergen Dish Network owner 9.6 Billion, Peyton Manning $300 Million, DollyParton, Bill Dance, & many more million and billionaires! We are good.
 
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#16
#16
I have seen lists that put Texas as the richest university so I do not trust any of these "rankings". Lets just keep winning the natty (in all sports) every year and the TV dollars will keep coming.
 
#17
#17
We have gone from being paid a fee for their likeness to million dollar contracts before they step foot on campus in 1 year. There will be no end to it, you will see middle school kids being paid to secure their recruitment within 10 years.
 
#20
#20
WE have the Haslams 4 Billion, Charlie Ergen Dish Network owner 9.6 Billion, Peyton Manning $300 Million, DollyParton, Bill Dance, & many more million and billionaires! We are good.
All of those combined don't come close to Phil Knight ($ 51 billion) who is a huge Oregon booster.
 
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#21
#21
You make a list based on wealthiest athletic depts and you might be on the right track to a new super conference. Using academic $$ to lead to your new kind of college football is a dead end.

No one is going to kill their cancer research for football.
 
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#22
#22
Your point that the university’s may Pay as per the Kavanaugh comments are fair. My point is that the university will not get into this bidding for players because they will not be able to spend unevenly on men’s vs women’s sports so if they paid $20 m to football players who bring the money in, due to Title IX they would have to spend $20 m on women’s sports. Even though men bring the money in they will be forced as a public university to spend evenly. I do see the university giving all student athletes a stipend in the future just not uneven stipends/payments that NIL allows. Just see US Soccer Federation lawsuit.
 
#23
#23
Your point that the university’s may Pay as per the Kavanaugh comments are fair. My point is that the university will not get into this bidding for players because they will not be able to spend unevenly on men’s vs women’s sports so if they paid $20 m to football players who bring the money in, due to Title IX they would have to spend $20 m on women’s sports. Even though men bring the money in they will be forced as a public university to spend evenly. I do see the university giving all student athletes a stipend in the future just not uneven stipends/payments that NIL allows. Just see US Soccer Federation lawsuit.
I agree w that
 

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