No matter what happens when the College Football National Championship kicks off tonight, there’s one title the Ohio State Buckeyes can already claim: the richest program in the country.
According to Wall St. Journal, Ohio State’s football program boasts a collective worth of more than $1.1 billion, which is now the largest figure of any school in the United States, knocking off the University of Texas ($972.1 million). The Longhorns were previously the top-earning school over the last three years.
The annual finance study is conducted by Ryan Brewer, an assistant professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus. His methods can be found below:
“To compile the numbers, Brewer analyzed each program’s revenues and expenses and made cash-flow adjustments, risk assessments and growth projections for each school. The resulting figures represent what the teams might fetch if they could be bought and sold on the open market like professional teams.”
A cash flow similar to the NFL, without having to pay a dime for (what should be) the most expensive assets? Man, the NCAA really has this whole “pimpin’ pimpin” thing down pat don’t they?
All this money in circulation and the players can be suspended for selling $100-$200 autographs. Something about that seems CRIMINAL, but I guess as long as the money is rolling in, and the “scholarship is more valuable than cash” excuse continues to fly; the shenanigans can continue. Good luck telling the next 3rd string LB that snaps his leg and can’t walk normally again that he can use his “blessing” of an athletic scholarship to pay his medical bills. Oh yeah, the schools are getting away with that too.
[WSJ]