Our society exposed

[rob19]

Fair points.

[Locke]

The thing with a football program -- or any sports program, really -- is that you do have to invest in it up front. Talented kids make good teams, and that talent has to be recruited in part by competent facilities and investment. If you didn't know anything about their records and just went to the weight room, you'd know immediately that USC consistently kicks UCLA's ass, for example. You need to sell a commitment to winning to any kid with choices.

Whether a school wants to make that investment up front is up to them. But if it's done well ultimately I think the record shows it makes money for the school. I don't know if it makes a ton of sense geographically for NM, though. I grew up near FAU (which is in Boca Raton) and about a decade back they hired Howard Schnellenberger (who turned UM into a powerhouse back in the day) to get their football program off the ground. Eventually they worked their way up to D1 and now the program is on an upward swing, with Rob Housler being a third round pick a few years back and Alfred Morris now a ROY candidate this year. The trick, though, is that SoFla is absolutely stocked with talent, meaning you don't have to travel or be an eagle eyed recruiter like Chris Petersen to make it work. Even 2A schools down here have multiple players in the NFL.

I can't speak to FAU's financial situation but I would be shocked if the school hasn't benefited. Certainly the campus and facilities have improved. A cousin of mine attends there and that's his report, anyway.

Agreed completely, with this entire post. The facilities here certainly got their share of the money. They renovated the stadium, and it's gorgeous, no doubt about it. Obviously I haven't seen the weight rooms, practice fields/bubble, or any of that stuff, but I hear it's very well done. They even built "Lobo Village", which is pretty much just a mini resort where the athletes live, as well as other students willing to pony up a ridiculous housing fee. These renovations happened 3-4 years ago though, and we still haven't seen much of a return.

You're right about recruiting. Brian Urlacher is the last, maybe even only, significant Lobo to get drafted. We've had a few roster-churners, such as Hank Baskett, but that's about it. There is next to no local talent here. The few that are worthwhile end up being snatched up by Texas programs. I mean, it would be a Herculean effort the likes no one has ever tried to get this program to the point where it's getting these recruits. From 2002-2005 or so, UNM went to something like 4 straight bowl games, and it still didn't help much with recruits. It's just a money sink...

[Eshlemon]

Interesting questions both in how much football costs and how much they support others.

43% of Div 1-A football teams did not turn a profit. Only 22 of these 120 athletic departments are self-sufficient with 45% of revenue being generated from football. But as Locke stated, some probably have their "most" in basketball probably carry the load. Also, would like to know if this revenue includes and gets boosted by boosters money directed only to athletics instead of education...such as that guy in Oregon who spent a $100 million on the Ducks, heck without that they might be Oregon St.

Only 22 Of 120 Division I Athletic Programs Made Money Last Year

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And finally with Title IX, how many would not be able to carry athletics at all? What to do about the education imbalance in the money sports vs all others? All other student athletes have higher GPA and graduation than other students except for football and basketball. Except pursuing this will get you labeled a rich elite trying taking opportunities from the poor.