[Bootwizard]

"Athletic departments are self-funded by donations, TV rights, ticket sales, and merchandise, and they take no money that would otherwise be allocated to academics"

That is absolutely not true. At least $300 a semester of my tuition went to our sports programs. And I went to a public university in the US. We don't even have that prestigious a football team. I can't imagine how much students pay at schools like Alabama.

[_edo]

Big football programs make big money, small programs don't.

For the 2012-2013 season University of Texas brought in over $100 million with under $30 million in expenses. Same year Alabama brought in $88 million on $47 mil in expenses.

edit: The magnitude of these numbers is why I think these teams and perhaps a 4-year league should be spun off and the players should be paid.

-https://smartycents.com/articles/college-football-revenue/