One thing not being discussed is that fan interest is waning in this new professional model.
- Thread starter JoePaMajorCFBrecord409Ws
- Start date
You are 100% correct. A lot of baseless conspiracy theories are being floated to see what sticks.
Frankly, I think some posters are very jealous of the money being made by the coaches, players, and the universities. Also, many nostalgic fans can’t handle all the changes to the college football landscape. It’s eating them alive to see many old traditions disappear. Free markets and capitalism are here to stay. There is nothing wrong with making money.
In the meantime, those mega media companies continue to pay billions for the college football product and fans continue to pack Beaver stadium.
I was getting out of my vehicle in a Kroger grocery store parking lot today. I noticed a gentleman coming out of the store in a Penn State sweatshirt. That’s a rare sight in my Kentucky town. As I walked by, i hollered out, “We Are!” Immediately, he asked, “How do you like the coaching hire?”
we had about a ten minute discussion about Penn State football. It was probably my favorite interaction of the day. This is what makes college football special. There’s a connection like nothing else. Not even having a common pro sports team compares. College football and basketball will need to make some tweaks in the NIL era, but they will never die. Too many of us are die hards.
we had about a ten minute discussion about Penn State football. It was probably my favorite interaction of the day. This is what makes college football special. There’s a connection like nothing else. Not even having a common pro sports team compares. College football and basketball will need to make some tweaks in the NIL era, but they will never die. Too many of us are die hards.
This is what people like the OP don't understand. These programs have established fan bases that care about more about thee programs than most things in their lives--you're not going to lose them.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Browns still have fans--college football is alive--and thriving.
I can see where college stadiums get smaller and more comfortable like the NFL. It's becoming a made for TV sport at this point because attending in person has become so expensive.
To be fair, they should get smaller for the reasons you stated and the viewing experience is infinitely better on TV
Or I just think that now as I'm (getting) old
I hear a lot of people say that the system is broken. I don't get it. I think a lot of people don't like change. I am very excited for next year's season to start just like I am every year.
LMAO, the system isn't broken, is that why universities are being dishonest with the court system and saying that this is amateur college football and not professional football to avoid being subject to Federal Regulation (Federal Government regulates all Interstate Commerce)..... lying about the contracts they are signing with players claiming that they are simply "endorsement" contracts and not "pay for play" employment contracts..... etc... So if it isn't broken, why are Universities lying, and making intentional misrepresentations, to the Court Systems about these topics?
College football is not free markets and capitalism. Heck, I'm not sure that even the NFL is.
Water over the dam, Alfalfa. The courts have held that college sports are subject to Federal law, which forms the basis of O'Bannon and House. The courts also don't care whether college athletes earn money by playing for a team or from endorsing toothpaste.
1) Interest isn't waning
2) Nothing we can do about NIL and transfers
3) We really don't need another 10K keystrokes from you on the topic
2) Nothing we can do about NIL and transfers
3) We really don't need another 10K keystrokes from you on the topic
Before NIL, schools paid players and lied about it because there were rules against it. People have been complaining for years that the players deserved to get paid, and now they are--and people are complaining about it. None of it changes the fact that I am a Penn State fan. I will still watch and attend games. I don't understand what people are so upset about. Why do you care that universities are being dishonest? Why does that changes your interest in college football?
The model needs to change. I think they need to move toward a contract basis. That will help schools maintain some level of stability in terms of managing their roster.
Listen bozo, anti-trust and Interstate Commerce Law very much care whether they are "Pay for Play" defacto Employment Contracts or if they are "endorsement and promotion" contracts. You're full of crap and don't know squat about what you're babbling about as per usual Junior (aka, typical dumb as a box of rocks duhO$U fan).
We'll see if the younger fans have the same passion as we did. That will be the determining factor.
They will...most are brought up with it
They also don't hate NIL or guys being paid. They don't really know a league without the portal. Most importantly, they loce streaming networks and having more ways to watch.
I don't know how old you are but my boys grew up watching football with me from the very beginning. It's part of them.
C'mon, Alfalfa, you do know that since July 1, 2025 schools have been allowed to pay athletes directly for play with no NIL rights involved? Well, maybe you don't.
Such a dope - you do realize that the parties making these "revenue-sharing" payments (i.e., the schools) are claiming that they are not payment for playing football don't you duhO$U Clown-boy? You do realize that the universities are maintaining that these payments ARE NOT "pay to play football" payments (which would make them Employment Contracts and Minor-League Pro Football being absurdly called amateur collegiate football subject to Federal Regulation under Interstate Commerce Laws). I expect that you don't realize this because you sound like a typical jock-sniffing, trailer-trash duhO$U Bozo who equates their own self-worth with whether duhO$U (we ain't playing school) is winning. [Insert eyeroll].
Last edited:
Will PE investment eventually be the direction colleges & conferences will resort to for financial stability?
Private Equity Investment in Division I College Sports | 01 | 2025 | Publications | Insights & Publications | Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Private Equity Investment in Division I College Sports, 9 January 2025
Link:Private Equity Investment in Division I College Sports | 01 | 2025 | Publications | Insights & Publications | Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
- "CVC Capital has been rumored to be in discussions with the Big 12 athletic conference (which lost Texas and Oklahoma recently to the SEC), whereby CVC Capital would invest a range of $800 million to $1 billion in exchange for a 15−20% equity stake in the conference. In parallel, the Big 12 pursued a naming rights agreement to rename the conference in exchange for additional revenue that would be shared among its members. These cash infusions were said to be on the table in order to stabilize the conference’s finances before its next media rights deal in 2031."
- "Sixth Street Partners was also rumored to have been in discussions with Florida State University (“FSU”) in relation to staking a new company that would acquire FSU’s intellectual property rights. The negotiations came at a time when FSU has filed a lawsuit against its conference, the ACC, to avoid the steep exit fee that it would owe the ACC for leaving the conference."
Despite a disappointing season that began with a No. 1 ranking and finished without a playoff berth, the Longhorns lead the country with a $2.2 billion valuation, according to an annual analysis by Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus. Brewer’s study examines industry trends, cash flows, revenue and broader economic shifts to calculate what every team would be worth if it could be bought and sold on the open market—just like a professional sports franchise.
These days, that’s closer to reality than ever. Schools can pay players while athletic departments are cutting deals with private-equity firms. And while some feared that this new landscape would damage the sport, Brewer actually found the opposite. Interest in college football is soaring—and so are the valuations.
Across the FBS level, Brewer found that they were up 46% compared to last year.
“There’s more value in college football than there’s ever been,” Brewer says. “Even though they’re paying players and it’s more expensive, it’s also worth more.”
Brewer points to Indiana as proof. The Hoosiers are showing how nontraditional powers can emerge as huge attractions in this era. So while Indiana only ranks 28th on Brewer’s list at $648 million, it remains a 67.9% increase over last year. At $806 million, Miami placed 21st.
These days, that’s closer to reality than ever. Schools can pay players while athletic departments are cutting deals with private-equity firms. And while some feared that this new landscape would damage the sport, Brewer actually found the opposite. Interest in college football is soaring—and so are the valuations.
Across the FBS level, Brewer found that they were up 46% compared to last year.
“There’s more value in college football than there’s ever been,” Brewer says. “Even though they’re paying players and it’s more expensive, it’s also worth more.”
Brewer points to Indiana as proof. The Hoosiers are showing how nontraditional powers can emerge as huge attractions in this era. So while Indiana only ranks 28th on Brewer’s list at $648 million, it remains a 67.9% increase over last year. At $806 million, Miami placed 21st.
How Much Is Your Team Worth?
| Rank | Team | Adjusted Revenue | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $298,000,000 | $2,197,000,000 |
| 2 | Texas A&M | $218,000,000 | $1,593,000,000 |
| 3 | Ohio State | $185,000,000 | $1,547,000,000 |
| 4 | Lousiana State | $213,000,000 | $1,543,000,000 |
| 5 | Georgia | $195,000,000 | $1,472,000,000 |
| 6 | Michigan | $200,000,000 | $1,463,000,000 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | $170,000,000 | $1,418,000,000 |
| 8 | Penn State | $193,000,000 | $1,411,000,000 |
| 9 | Alabama | $192,000,000 | $1,407,000,000 |
I'm interested in where Brewer gets his numbers and his assumptions. For the last reporting year, Penn State had football revenue of $113 million. $82 million on that base is a helluva' an "adjustment."