Boosters generally are paying money -- the only thing they're making money-wise is from whatever benefit they get attracting more customers because they're a booster. And networks also are paying money to schools. That's the revenue. So the question is what schools do with all that.
Sometimes boosters will utilize universities to put their cash through in order to take advantage of tax breaks.
We can remove them if you'd like, the remainder of the argument is still intact.
here's been a ton of studies on this, but very few athletic departments overall make money for their school. Here's one that actually agrees with you that athletes are getting screwed, and it says about only a dozen or so schools actually have athletic departments that generate net revenue:
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They've been peddling this line for years. Do you really believe that the NCAA would spend decades expanding sports and the business of collegiate athletics if it were not wholly profitable for universities to do so?
They manipulate revenues and expenses at will to continue the false narrative that they aren't making money. To boot, there is nothing that says athletic departments need to be profitable in order for athletes to earn a share of wages, especially considering what they pay coaches and administrators in a true FREE market.
Other problems with the revenue/expense reports include:
1. Over-reporting of the value of scholarships, which certainly don't cost the universities the full amount that a non-athletic department student would pay in tuition and expenses. While this undoubtedly costs something, they include this to make it appear less profitable.
2. Lottery funds, Title IX & OOS tuition waivers
3. Merchandise splitting between university departments.
4. League media rights deals.
5. Under-reported "gifts" to the university because of sports
6. Subsidies
Nowhere were some of these issues more present then UAB, where they cancelled their football program due to perceived budget shortfalls,
only to have a sports economist call out their shady practices which debunked the narrative.
So sure, lots of coaches, administrators, facilities maintenance, etc. people make money off sports because they're employees, and that's their job. They're not going to do it unless they get paid. So, you could argue that all those coaches, administrators, facilities maintenance people, trainers, etc., in all those other sports essentially are making their livings off the backs of the football and men's basketball players, and that should end.
I suspect they're willing to role the dice and bet that won't happen.
The next best alternative is to pool these revenues at an NCAA level and distribute accordingly as a fund. There are plenty of ways in which such a system could work to include athletes earning part of this enormous pie, but the only hurdle standing in the way of trying is the brick wall of suits and lobbying that keeps the currently unfair system in place.
Like I said at the outset, they'll gladly put the health and safety of kids at risk to continue having these profits keep coming every year.
If only 27 college athletics departments were profitable, do you think we'd be making this much effort to overcome a deadly pandemic to play through it?
I'd be skeptical of that...In fact, I think we all know better.
