Weber Inc. branding on display at Ohio State University, one of the strategies that universities are using to raise revenue.
Photographer: Jay LaPrete/AP Photo
$10,000 Tickets, Bourbon Deals: Colleges Hunt Revenue to Pay Athletes
After a landmark federal settlement, athletics directors are cutting checks for their players at a time when many schools are looking to lower expenses.
A Zach Bryan concert at the home of the University of Michigan Wolverines broke US attendance records. Penn State is offering $10,000 memberships that include access to former concession stands where fans can watch the Nittany Lions take the field. Supporters of Ohio State’s Buckeyes can buy a Weber Inc. grill decorated with the football team’s distinctive leaf helmet stickers.
Across the college sports ecosystem, universities are under pressure to find new ways to raise revenue, after a landmark federal settlement over student athletes’ name, image and likeness (NIL) rights opened the door for them to be paid by schools. Now, athletics directors are cutting checks for their players at a time when schools are looking to lower expenses, federal funding is constrained and colleges have been laying off staff and even cutting teams.