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by cudgy 477 days ago
So you don’t think that some of the money that gets sent to athletic directors to build fancy stadiums and pay for multimillion dollar coaches would’ve gone possibly to research facilities if those athletic departments didn’t exist?
3 comments
robwwilliams 477 days ago
No, I do not. Most health science centers do not have football teams ;-). I am at UTHSC in Memphis and I can assure you we do not send money to support the Vols in Knoxville. Worlds apart.
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icameron 477 days ago
Athletic programs are a net profit center at many D1 football schools.
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cudgy 477 days ago
Really? Then why do they charge students athletic fees? Why do stadiums and athletic centers receive government grants and subsidies?

Here is a huge list of donations from various groups to an athletic endowment at the University of Alabama. Much of this money could have and would have been donated to schools directly for research and academic purposes instead the athletic foundations.

Alabama is one of the most successful Division 1 football programs in the nation. If these programs are so profitable, why do they need so much money for these endowments? And why all the money from governments and grants? Doesn’t add up.

https://crimsontidefoundation.org/ways-to-support/Endowments...

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wredcoll 477 days ago
> Here is a huge list of donations from various groups to an athletic endowment at the University of Alabama. Much of this money could have and would have been donated to schools directly for research and academic purposes instead the athletic foundations.

Uh, what? Why would that happen, exactly?

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cudgy 477 days ago
Uh … basic deduction and simple set theory.

Because donations are made for tax purposes and virtue signaling … someone is going to get this money. Many of the donors are alumni and will donate money to the school. It was already targeted to the university athletic departments. It’s not a big stretch for it to be donated to another university department that has a direct academic role.

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HDThoreaun 473 days ago
> someone is going to get this money

One of the options is “the donors kids” here. Donating money never leads to more savings than it costs, people donate because they support what they’re donating too. Sports boosters care about sports, not academics.

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ls612 477 days ago
The places paying their football coaches big bucks have football programs that are net revenue generating.
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