College Sports Subsidies Soar, Again

Just 14 Division I athletics programs were able to cover their overall expenses in 2008-9 only with money they generated -- excluding direct and indirect payments from general university funds, government support, and student fees, according to an analysis Friday by USA Today. That's down from 25 sports programs in 2007-8, and reflects the growing dependence of big-time sports programs on financial subsidies from their institutions. USA Today's new analysis also reveals that coaches' salaries are eating up ever-growing chunks of athletics budgets at colleges and universities in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I.