The landscape of college athletics as we knew it has been altered. The House vs. NCAA settlement will bring immense financial change for every University as we advance.
On its face, the NCAA will be responsible for nearly $2.8 billion in backpay to athletes from the last decade-plus. At the same time, every athletic department will compensate its athletes with a reported 20% payout via annual media rights revenue.
While this is just the start of what’s to come, every Power Five Conference athletic director, including new Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts, must become even more creative than usual to handle revenue sharing within every department.
After leaving his AD postion at his alma mater, Nebraska, Alberts has already made several staff changes to prepare for the future. On Tuesday, Alberts took the podium in Destin, Florida, during the annual SEC spring meetings, providing what I would consider the quote of the day regarding the ongoing handling of department expenses:
“We’ve just always had enough increasing revenue to overcome dumb expenses. I’ve said it 100 times, and I’ll say it again: We don’t have a revenue problem in college athletics, we have an expense problem.”
This quote will be dissected and likely criticized by most who read it with a narrow lens. However, a great example of “smart” spending with the upcoming changes is the proposed $80 million renovation for Texas A&M baseball’s Blue Bell Park and Olsen Field. This renovation will further increase revenue for one of the University’s most popular and successful programs.
It may be tough to hear for some, but credit to Alberts for keeping things realistic.
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