Sports

College sports remain entertainment not what drives enrollment

Published

3 weeks ago

December 31, 2025

college football championship weekend The 2025 college football season kicks off with one of the most electrifying Week 1 slates in recent memory. With playoff contenders

I’ve been a college sports fan for more than sixty years, and I’ve spent a large part of my professional career covering football, basketball, and Olympic sports. But one myth that athletic departments from coast to coast have pushed for decades is the idea that athletics are what attract students to a university. And now, with TV deals bigger than ever, that myth has only grown louder — as if academics somehow take a back seat to king football.

Despite raking in tens of millions from TV contracts, ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations, the uncomfortable truth is that roughly 75–80% of Power Four athletic departments still operate in the red. The money may look enormous on paper, but expenses outpace revenues at most ACC and Big 12 institutions, and even several SEC and Big Ten schools outside the elite tier. Private schools don’t release full numbers, but the trend lines point the same way. The NCAA’s 2023–24 financial summary confirms it: median expenses exceed median revenues across the subdivision.

And when these deficits hit, they’re covered not by student fees or institutional subsidies — which remain minimal at the Power Four level — but by athletic department reserves, donor infusions, and internal budget maneuvers. In other words, even in the era of billion‑dollar media deals, most big‑conference athletic departments are still losing money. The NCAA’s own financial reporting backs this up, showing that a significant share of its member schools continues to operate in the red despite unprecedented revenue growth.

The Unsustainable Arms Race

The bigger issue is whether this model is even sustainable. The Power Four have spent a decade locked in an arms race of coaching salaries, facilities, support staffs, and now NIL infrastructure — all escalating faster than revenues can keep up. Media deals may be massive, but they’re already spoken for the moment they arrive, swallowed by guaranteed contracts and ever‑rising travel and operating costs.

Athletic departments can paper over the gaps with reserves and donor money for a while, but those are finite cushions, not long‑term solutions. At some point, the math stops bending. The system depends on perpetual growth, yet the expenses are growing faster than the revenue streams that supposedly justify them. That’s the real warning sign: even the richest leagues in college sports are burning cash to stay competitive.

What Happens When the Arms Race Breaks the System

The real question is what happens if the arms race keeps accelerating — and the early signs aren’t subtle. As coaching salaries climb past NFL levels, NIL collectives balloon, and facilities projects push into nine‑figure territory, even the wealthiest programs are approaching a breaking point.

At some stage, conferences will either need new revenue streams or they’ll be forced into hard choices: cutting sports, restructuring budgets, or finally confronting whether the current model is built to survive. The next wave of realignment, private‑equity flirtations, and athlete‑employment lawsuits will only intensify the pressure. If expenses keep outpacing revenues, the system won’t collapse overnight — but it will bend, and eventually something gives. The question isn’t if the model changes, but who gets reshaped by it first.

The Myth of the Front Porch: Why Academics, Not Athletics, Attract Students

For decades, athletic departments have sold the idea that football is the “front porch” of the university — the shiny entryway that draws students in. But the data tells a very different story.

Students don’t choose universities because the football team wins on Saturday. They choose them because of:

Academic reputation
Research strength
Professional programs
Career placement
Faculty excellence
Campus resources and student life

These are the engines that drive enrollment, tuition revenue, and long‑term institutional stability.

Meanwhile, the academic side of the university generates billions through:

Tuition and fees
Federal and state research grants
Philanthropy tied to academic success
Medical centers and research hospitals
Graduate and professional programs
Corporate partnerships and innovation labs

These revenue streams dwarf anything athletics can produce — even in the Big Ten and SEC.

Why Academics Outperform Athletics Every Time

Look at the numbers:

A major research university can generate hundreds of millions to billions annually in research funding alone.
Enrollment revenue — tuition, housing, fees — is the single largest financial engine of every Power Four institution.
Academic reputation drives applications, not football rankings.
Donors who give to athletics often made their wealth through the education the university provided — not through sports.

Football may be the front porch, but the porch doesn’t hold up the house. The classrooms, labs, libraries, and degree programs do.

The Real Story Universities Don’t Want to Tell

The myth that athletics “pay for themselves” or “fund the university” has always been convenient — and always false. The truth is simpler and more powerful:

Academics attract students. Academics generate revenue. Academics sustain universities.

Athletics provide entertainment, community, and tradition — all valuable. But they are not the financial foundation of modern higher education.

The sooner universities acknowledge that reality, the sooner they can build a model that is financially sustainable, academically focused, and honest about what truly drives their success.

Source link

Sports

2026 Masters Semi-finals: Comeback kings Higgins and Wilson win to set up mouth watering final

Published

18 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Austin Reed

John Higgins (PA Media)

John Higgins and Kyren Wilson will contest the final of the 2026 Masters as they both won out in final frame deciders in a semi-final day that will live long in the memory.

Higgins overcame deficits on two occasions against Judd Trump to prevail with a performance of pure granite, before Kyren Wilson looked all but out until a missed red from tournament debutant Wu Yize in the tenth frame opened the door and sparked Wilson’s charge to victory.

Wilson will now look to win the Masters on his third appearance in the final, and second in succession after last year’s defeat to Shaun Murphy, while John Higgins, at 50, will aim to become the oldest Triple Crown winner of all time.

Evergreen Higgins into final with another epic comeback

John Higgins 6 – 5 Judd Trump (best of 11 frames)

If John Higgins is to win his first major title since the 2011 World Snooker Championship, no one will doubt that he has earned it after coming from behind again to claim a last-frame victory over world number one Judd Trump.

Higgins, who came from 5–3 down against reigning world champion Zhao Xintong in the quarter-finals, repeated the feat by recovering from 3–0 and then 5–3 down to break Trump’s resolve and earn a place in the showpiece final at Alexandra Palace.

Trump, who had won his previous seven meetings with the Scot, eased into a 3–0 lead without having to work hard, as Higgins appeared off the pace, much as he had been in his quarter-final.

But lightning struck twice, and when his opponent failed to capitalise on chances to extend the lead, Higgins pounced to close the gap, heading into the mid-session interval trailing 3–1.

Higgins repeats the comeback magic

Higgins emerged from the interval with renewed purpose, firing in a stunning 104 clearance. Errors then crept into the game on both sides as the next two frames were shared, before a missed red allowed Trump to move 5–3 ahead, the final now tantalisingly close.

But just as it seemed Trump had one foot in the final, he missed a routine brown in the ninth frame, allowing Higgins to extend the match. And just as in the previous round, Higgins took full advantage, sealing victory with breaks of 70 and 57 to reach his first Masters final in five years.

Trump looked stunned but was gracious in defeat, while Higgins punched the air in triumph, soaking up the adulation of a crowd that will surely be willing the oldest Triple Crown finalist of all time to lift the Paul Hunter Trophy on finals day.

Warrior Wilson shows the spirit that could finally make him champion

Kyren Wilson 6 -5 Wu Yize (best of 11 frames)

Kyren Wilson showed every ounce of his fighting spirit against Wu Yize as he came from behind to earn a place in his second successive Masters final.

Wilson missed a pair of routine reds early in the first frame, and Wu showed no nerves in punishing the errors, clearing up with a composed break of 75 to take control.

A less-than-fluent exchange followed in the next two frames, with multiple visits and missed chances on both sides, but Wilson first squared the match before edging back in front after finally dropping the pink in another scrappy frame.

Wu then responded with a solid break of 69 to leave the match level at 2–2 at the mid-session interval.

After the interval, Wilson returned with calm, measured play, compiling breaks of 76 and 74 to open up some daylight over Wu, who looked to have lost composure.

An error-strewn seventh frame went Wu’s way as he sank a long pink to compile a nerve-settling break of 74 and pull back to 4–3.

A free-flowing Wu then levelled the match with a stunning 87 break before moving 5–4 ahead, one frame from the final, aided by a composed 58 despite some anxious safety exchanges.

Wu stood on the brink of victory, but a shocking miss on a red gave Wilson a reprieve, and he held his nerve to force the second final-frame decider of the semi-finals.

A miss by Wu allowed Wilson in, and he produced his best, screaming ‘Come on’ as he claimed the win and his place in the final with a stunning break of 117.

The Final Session Times

The 2026 Masters final, played over two sessions in a best of 19 frames finish, will start at 1pm GMT (8am Eastern) with the second session at 7pm GMT (2pm Eastern)

Source link

Sports

Is It Back To Square One in The Stadium Game For John Sherman?

Published

19 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Austin Reed

Kauffman Stadium is too old for Royals owner John Sherman

He who hesitates is lost.

Did the owner of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals franchise, John Sherman, overplay his hand in the stadium game? Sherman looked to be in an ideal position pitting Missouri against Kansas in a battle to win his heart by granting him public money and more than likely public land for his dream stadium. But a funny thing happened on the road to getting money and land from either state. Right now, Sherman has lost the Kansas offer. That expired on December 31^st, 2025. Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins said that the December 31^st deadline for the Royals to pursue state-backed STAR bonds has passed. “They had their lobbyists reach out and ask if there was any wiggle room, and I reemphasized December 31^st was the date and you didn’t make it, so we’re moving on,” Hawkins said. “The Royals and the Chiefs both had plenty of time. They had 18 months to come up with a good plan. The Chiefs did that. The Royals did not.” National Football League Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt took the Kansas money offer and is planning to build a stadium-village in the state although not all the eyes are dotted and the tees have been crossed.

Of course, no never means never in the stadium game. Kansas could crawl back into the game. Sherman also lost another option, North Kansas City. Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington said negotiations with Sherman are over. “Like Kansas, I’m done negotiating with the Kansas City Royals,” he said. “Last year, we were told the team wanted to be on the November 2025 ballot. We worked in good faith all summer to make that happen. As the August deadline approached, we were then told they wanted to move to the April 2026 ballot at the earliest.” It is back to talking to Kansas City and Missouri politicians for Sherman.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

RAYS WIN AFTRER LENGTHY RAIN DELAY — Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz (2) and Brandon Lowe (8) wait to back before a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Source link

Sports

Live Updates from Day 3 of the Sony Open

Published

22 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Austin Reed

Sahith Theegala of the United States watches his putt on the 14th green during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Round 3 of the Sony Open is underway from Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. There is currently a 5-way tie for first place at -9, after two days of play. The cut line yesterday claimed some big names, such as guys like Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, and Tony Finau, who failed to make it. However, the cut line did deliver some stories, with Vijay Singh at 62 becoming the oldest player to make a cut on Tour since Fred Couples in the 2023 Masters. William Mouw made the cut on the number with an eagle on 18 yesterday. Sahith Theegala was +6 at one point yesterday and came back to make the cut as well.

SPORTS TALK FLORIDA

SPORTS TALK GEORGIA

Here is the top-10 as of 9:15 Hawaiian time, all tee times are in Hawaiian time as well

T1: Davis Riley, -9, tees off at 1:15

T1: S.H. Kim, -9, tees off at 1:15

T1: Adrien Dumont de Chassart, -9, tees off at 1:05

T1: Nick Taylor, -9, tees off at 1:05

T1: Kevin Roy, -9, tees off at 12:55

T6: Maverick McNealy, -8, tees off at 12:55

T6: Chris Gotterup, -8, tees off at 12:45

T6: John Parry, -8, tees off at 12:45

T6: Takumi Kanaya, -8, tees off at 12:35