this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2023
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Because they like having money? Running a university is legitimately very expensive and there's always more to do. I think it's more common with people who went to business school or became pro athletes, etc. They end up with very profitable careers and a fond recollection of their time in college. It's worth it to the university to ask almost everyone just in case, because sometimes they find that one whale alum.
FTFY
Athletics is actually petty profitable, since athletes can't be paid, so the school gets all the money for sponsorships, tickets, merch, etc.
It can actually be a problem for the schools, since athletics isn't allowed to be profitable. They have to spend all the money athletics brings in on athletics, which is why the athletics department ends up with all the fancy new buildings.
What's the point of having an athletic program if you're not using it to subsidize programs that actually matter?
It kinda does do that, just indirectly. Even if the university can't profit directly off of athletics, a successful sports season increases application rates and donations. Basically it boosts the brand recognition and brand identity of the school.
It's still painful to me that the class size at my engineering school basically doubled the year after the university won some basketball championship. I don't want to believe that people, and especially engineers, are that influence-able but the numbers don't lie