I’m not a huge fan of the NCAA system myself. A lot of universities don’t have major sports programs, and that’s a respectable choice on their part. But NCAA sports are tremendously profitable for the universities that invest in them. No Division I school would actually save money, in the long run, by defunding their football and basketball teams.

And when it comes to side businesses, sports pale in comparison to endowments.

Yea same I’m a big hoop nerd but the mainstream collegiate sports especially basketball make my eyes bleed. Literally infuriating to watch idk how people do.

But something like Duke Basketball has been tremendously beneficial to Duke–in terms of brand awareness. Same with UT Austin and their football brand ($7mm on new locker room is insanity tho).

>No Division I school would actually save money, in the long run, by defunding their football and basketball teams.

Tulane might be a counterexample to this especially since the 80s (although not lately)

Who cares about making money or not, plenty of ways to make money, but that's not the purpose of a non-profit organization dedicated to education.

Less revenue for the school means higher tuition costs for everyone and less scholarships.

No, more revenue means that revenue goes to paying for non educational stuff, admin bloat, etc.