Tate Money has flooded world of college athletics

May 12—We all love money. Every one of us. That's one thing we can agree on. And it's no more obvious than in once-amateur college sports where the flood of TV and donor dollars has thoroughly consumed it.

For decades, college athletes competed for scholarships. Overnight — just since the COVID-19 pandemic — we've seen more erratic and court-altered changes than in the previous 100 years. Football and basketball have become undeniably professional, requiring head coaches of those sports to oversee the apportionment of multi-millions in "appropriate" amounts to their athletes. It's more important for coaches to be CEOs than play callers.

The teams with the most ultra-rich contributors have jumped to the front, if they weren't there already. Back in November 2024, the second-richest man in the world, Oracle's Larry Ellison, and his wife, Jolin, helped flip quarterback Bryce Underwood to Michigan with a four-year deal worth over $10 million. We are left to wonder how dozens and dozens of other more secretive salaries are negotiated.

From perennial doormat to champion

As fans, we accept awkward 18-team conferences, expanded playoffs and all the legal maneuvering with: "When the ball is tossed up or kicked off, it feels the same. We're lost in support of our favorites."

That's where we are. And in a few years, when the Atlantic Coast Conference inevitably breaks up, the makeup of conferences will become more irrational than ever.

There is no greater example of the "new world" than Indiana University. With Kansas State finally getting its act together under now-retired Bill Snyder, IU had the title as, historically speaking, the nation's worst football program.

In two shocking seasons, IU coupled a brilliant coach, Curt Cignetti, with an infusion of cash and voila! Sudden success! Nothing in the history of American sports compares to it.

Cost of doing business

Here's one example of how it works.

When the Hoosiers needed a blockbuster donation to bring in Fernando Mendoza — the quarterback to "put them over the top" — they turned to Mark Cuban, former owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Interviewed on the subject, Cuban said he had never contributed to the IU sports program, but was convinced to fund Mendoza's name-image-likeness deal.

That gift led to IU's 16-0 season and Mendoza landing the top spot in the NFL draft. Cuban wouldn't reveal how many millions he gifted, but whatever the amount, it stretches belief that — like so many other major gifts — it fits NIL regulations put forward by the College Football Commission. That's the way of college sports today. Money causes most rules to be stretched beyond their limits.

Ohio State won the football playoff Jan. 20, 2025, and earned a conference-high $91.55 million in Big Ten 2024-25 distributions, approximately $15 million more than Illinois and most Big Ten programs. When Bret Bielema's Illini travel to OSU on Sept. 26, they'll face a squad of pros sharing player compensation estimated at $40 million.