The University of Texas has one of the biggest athletic budgets in the nation. The Longhorns’ finances resemble that of a small country rather than a college athletic program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that’s not surprising, especially when you read the opening paragraph on the university’s site<\/a> about their athletic department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Texas Athletics \u2013 a self-sustaining arm of the university \u2013 has a total FY 2019-20 budget of $187 million. It fully supports itself and generates revenue for the university\u2019s academic enterprises. It is among the few national athletics programs that receives no revenue from student fees, institutional or state sources. Far from competing with academics or financial aid for resources, Texas Athletics generates resources for students.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n UT athletics is a profitable cash machine. For the 2019-2020 athletic year<\/a>, they generated $200.7 million in revenue and netted a profit of $22.1 million. In all fairness, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a well-run program led by Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, one that has transferred an average of $9.9 million annually to the university over the last ten years. These funds are used by the school for student services and other initiatives, so it benefits the general campus population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s also a machine emphatically supported by a loyal and rabid fan base. This group contributed, per that Hookem.com story, $33.6 million to the football program alone. Being part of something special like the “Hook ’em horns” community is an experience that forges a bond that can’t be broken (unless your descendants go to Oklahoma), so supporting the school you love is perfectly understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when that money comes with strings attached, school passion gives way to impropriety, unfair expectations and influence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n