"Half of all top-flight athletic programs rely on at least $9 million in institutional and governmental subsidies to balance their budgets. Even in the most prosperous conference, its members received a median subsidy of $3.4 million."
There is some evidence that athletics fundraising may compete with overall university fundraising for gifts.
The gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” is stark when comparing TV revenues of a conference like the Big Ten with a conference like the Sun Belt.
The rise in student fees to fund athletics has stirred debate and controversy.
