Will Wade headed to LSU | Page 3 | Syracusefan.com

Will Wade headed to LSU

Bilas also thought that NIL would be nothing more than car dealerships and HVAC companies throwing players a few thousand for commercials here and there.

Like many here did? Meanwhile, those whom had some foresight and seeing the runaway train that it would become were thrown shade at, accused of supporting slave type labor malarkey and the like.
 
Literally how does LSU have any money? The academic department must be another shack along the bayou.
I’ll try to answer and provide some perspective based on my limited experience. Others here may have deeper insight.

My understanding is that roughly half of the SEC athletic programs are very well funded and generate profits, or operating surpluses on their own. In many cases, those surpluses are returned to the universities themselves.

On the revenue side, a typical SEC program may look roughly like this (I'm probably short changing them):
  • SEC TV revenue: ~$75M annually
  • Ticket sales: $40M+
  • Contributions/donations: $50M–$100M (e.g., Tiger Athletic Foundation, Georgia Bulldog club, etc. i.e. the fundraising/ticketing arm of the athletics program (not NIL collective), generating revenue via donations, especially "seat donations", etc.)
  • Sponsorships & licensing: ~$25M
  • Other revenue (bowl games, guaranteed games, etc.): $10M–$20M+
I also think there’s a misconception around NIL funding. Unlike what we often hear about at other schools (e.g., Phil Knight, Mark Cuban, etc.), many SEC programs are supported by donors who aren’t well known publicly but have significant financial capacity. There are a lot of quiet dollars in the SEC.

Similarly, NIL funding is often misunderstood in terms of structure. While there are a few large donors, many programs rely on a layered donor base. For example, 10+ contributors at $1M per year, followed by a dozens of six-figure contributors, then many more at five figures on a reoccurring annual basis (at least as of now). The big donors matter, but the aggregate impact of smaller contributors is meaningful. LSU also has a lot of former athletes who have had great careers. Shaq is worth a couple hundred million now if i am not mistaken

That being said, there is a rumor one donor paid the entirety, or at least the bulk, of Brian Kelly's buyout ($54M), so there is some money around the Bayou

I've heard in terms of money amongst fanbases, Texas and Texas A&M are #1 and #2, with a stairstep down to #3. Probably not the schools would've thought of, but makes sense.
 
Last edited:
View attachment 261698

Different planet than Cuse
I remember a poster on here talking about a conversation he had with an LSU fan when they played us in football in the Dome. He said he bought some land with some money he had after leaving the military. Shortly after, they found oil on it. He said he hasn't worked a day or missed an LSU game since.

That's where that money comes from.
 
Last edited:
He definitely is at the point where he believes he is always right, but he's not wrong here.

Sort of. Players can leave whenever they want and the school gets nothing back. Coaches agree to a set number of years and have to buyout the remaining years if they decide to jump ship. The school gets something back if the coach leaves; there is a barrier to exit.

A school can count on their coach coming back while under contract. In the event the rug is pulled out, at least they get some cash to go buy a new guy. Schools can’t count on players coming back because there are no barriers to them leaving. Pro leagues have barriers to players switching teams, for good reason. The NCAA needs to come up with something. Being an unrestricted free agent every half-season is not good for the schools or the players.

Bilas has advocated contracts for players and this would be the time to bring that argument to the forefront. The hypocrisy/loyalty angle doesn’t work as well, imo, because players and coaches are in different situations.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
175,130
Messages
5,328,793
Members
6,227
Latest member
cuse_1997

Online statistics

Members online
239
Guests online
5,016
Total visitors
5,255


Top Bottom