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Kentucky is Near the Bottom of the SEC in Athletic Donations...

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WildcatWally-77

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Dec 6, 2022
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In 2025, Kentucky received $32,657,330 in athletic donations. That sounds like a lot, but it ranks second-to-last in the SEC, ahead of only South Carolina at $17.5 million. Nine SEC teams received at least $50 million in athletic donations in the 2025 fiscal year. Shockingly, Texas A&M is just over that $50 million threshold, while the Texas Longhorns tripled that. Texas received more than $167 million in athletic donations, with $59.5 million going directly to the football program. Texas football received more money in donations than the entire UK Athletics Department.

www.on3.com

Kentucky is Near the Bottom of the SEC in Athletic Donations

Only one SEC school received fewer athletic donations than Kentucky, but Will Stein is looking for creative ways to change that.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
 
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JakeKx

JakeKx

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Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics went to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Texas had a 167 million dollars given. Just dumb.
 
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The Nightman2

The Nightman2

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JakeKx said:
Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics we to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Click to expand...
This is the first time and probably only time I've agreed with something you said lol. Well said . I'll never be filthy rich but I couldn't see myself giving millions to play for my favorite team for 6 months.
 
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H

Haggin_Hall_1983

Senior
Jan 27, 2024
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JakeKx said:
Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics went to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Texas had a 167 million dollars given. Just dumb.
Click to expand...
"Are you not entertained?" Becoming just like the Roman colosseum, in that society crumbles while the masses are distracted by entertainment.
 
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Pygmy Sasquatch

Pygmy Sasquatch

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Mar 27, 2009
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JakeKx said:
Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics went to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Texas had a 167 million dollars given. Just dumb.
Click to expand...
alkış-clapping.gif
 
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C

catfanlou

All-Conference
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JakeKx said:
Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics went to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Texas had a 167 million dollars given. Just dumb.
Click to expand...
About ten years ago at a conference over drinks I discussed Texas sports with one of their grads who was friends of their AD . He said the Texas AD told him that they had so much money coming in he had run out of good things to spend it on . That was , of course , before NIL . Yes they have an Incredible and rich fan base . I don’t understand A&M not having more. Last I checked they were in the top ten in endowment money.
 
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K

Katscratch

Junior
Oct 9, 2022
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JakeKx said:
Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics went to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Texas had a 167 million dollars given. Just dumb.
Click to expand...
You’re half right. Yes- potential small dollar donors are being crushed in ‘Merica currently, but that isn’t relevant.

And that’s because billionaire donors and solely billionaire donors count in the funding arms race. If billionaire alums are willing to spend on these quasi-pro franchises, the schools can end up swimming in funding for academic programs if the team takes that money and wins big. Indiana football has made that university so much wealthier. Billionaires funded Cignetti. Cignetti won big. And then, licensing, merchandise, and new donors made it all worthwhile for academic programs too.

University of Florida became a well-funded destination school on the backs of Spurrier and Urban, and now it’s a top 25 academic university because students want to experience it. And those high-level students become bigger donors because they earn more.
 
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kfwa

kfwa

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mhs1964 said:
It’s not that simple. This was for 2025 when most fans were happy with year one and optimistic about the next. Not enough big donors. It’s the reason NIL would never be kind to Kentucky
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I expressed that concern on here 2 years ago , saying that I was worried schools like St. Johns would end up with a huge bank while Kentucky would eventually struggle - and I was assured that would never happen at Kentucky.

IMO, and without anything to base it on as fact, I believe that the whale donors are happy for the access to the program that comes from donating a million to the NIL, but its not a sustainable model, They aren't going to donate a million each year for the next decade. But a market like New York, while there is competition for those NIL dollars among several sports entitites, the ceiling is very, very high in terms of what you can get. Land a coach like Pitino and the money will roll in, and if he burns one millionaire out, there will be two to take his place.

Kentucky just doesn't have that kind of diversity of wealth.
 
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preacherfan

All-Conference
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MidseasonTweak said:
We need a cap in order to compete going forward. All schools get a 15 million budget to play with.
Click to expand...
Then we would go back to old fashioned cheating. If UK is paying $1 million per player to keep under the cap, what would stop UNC from paying 1.4 million with .4 being under the table? Don't get me wrong...I think a cap is a good idea but I think cheating would ramp up.

I guess the main deterrent would be the potential of the IRS investigating tax fraud? We know the NCAA is worthless. So, would a salary cap really work?
 
W

wildcatdon

Heisman
Oct 17, 2012
10,483
13,363
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JakeKx said:
Yea it might be because people can barely afford groceries much less give to a university the majority of them didn’t even go to.
We just do not have enough billionaire donors like these other schools to compensate.
Just imagine if even a little bit of this insane money being spent on athletics went to funding cancer research or autism research, etc.
Texas had a 167 million dollars given. Just dumb.
Click to expand...
Bingo.
 
BlueBloodKyFan72

BlueBloodKyFan72

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mhs1964 said:
It’s not that simple. This was for 2025 when most fans were happy with year one and optimistic about the next. Not enough big donors. It’s the reason NIL would never be kind to Kentucky
Click to expand...
Like pissing in the wind right you won’t keep doing it with the same result
 
TFCat11

TFCat11

Heisman
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6,180
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kfwa said:
sounds like UK is about to become the Cincinnati Reds of College Basketball

big fans/small cap
Click to expand...
Been saying this for months now! Sometimes the most obvious reason for something is, the most obvious reason…

Does (at least in part) Pope’s inability to sign star players, and the reason he was hired to begin with, starting to make sense now?

I was roasted on here for suggesting, what is unfortunately, UK’s financial reality.
 
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TFCat11

TFCat11

Heisman
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MidseasonTweak said:
We need a cap in order to compete going forward. All schools get a 15 million budget to play with.
Click to expand...
Eventually, to level the playing field, revenue generating sports needs to be split into 2-3 divisions of the haves, and the have nots.
 
F

FinalF

Senior
Apr 28, 2020
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Why do you people think this is a new development? UK has always been a basketball school when the real money comes from football. Thinking this has anything to do with pope is laughable.
 
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K_TIME

K_TIME

Heisman
Jan 2, 2003
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1. So why is will stein not struggling to get players thus far?
2. Why did we have a 22M roster last year
3. How are schools like St. John’s , Kansas , , Louisville able to get rosters? Nine are SEC or Big10 schools….i don’t think they have a billionaire propping them up?
4. Sec schools get a reported 72M each from tv deals which along with Big10 dwarfs the rest.

I get Ky is a poorer state….but Louisiana, Mississippi ain’t exactly wealthy. There are a lot of dots that don’t connect
 
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B

Beatle Bum

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Not a surprise to see the perpetually political attempting to act like Kentucky being a small population low income state as new phenomenon. These number are not driven by the low wage and low middle class donation. That said, pre-NIL era I did not mind making my donation for tix and would probably donate beyond that. In the COVID year, I got two games for my season tix and let UK keep my full donation. I am less inclined to care now that players are out earning most Kentuckians.

If you want to point to political leadership, we have a long history of failure in that department. Too many leaders over the history of this state did very little to push Kentucky forward. If you think we are catching Texas anytime in your lifetime, keep dreaming.
 
K

KentuckyFan1965

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Jul 6, 2025
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paulcalhoun_rivals397471 said:
False. It is never been any secret that Ky has always been among the poorest of states. Obviously they can't all be among the poorest.
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Donors are not limited to the state. I’m pretty sure you can donate to UK from just about anywhere so that’s a lame argument. Fact of the matter is that football around here is gonna overtake basketball in donors because of the results on the court. If that’s not Pope’s fault then I’ll head over to the moon for a grilled cheese. The premier program in the SEC (used to be anyways) should not be 9th. It’s Mitch’s failure with every move he’s made, including hiring this loser for a coach.
 
M

mhs1964

Junior
Feb 8, 2018
351
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kfwa said:
I expressed that concern on here 2 years ago , saying that I was worried schools like St. Johns would end up with a huge bank while Kentucky would eventually struggle - and I was assured that would never happen at Kentucky.

IMO, and without anything to base it on as fact, I believe that the whale donors are happy for the access to the program that comes from donating a million to the NIL, but its not a sustainable model, They aren't going to donate a million each year for the next decade. But a market like New York, while there is competition for those NIL dollars among several sports entitites, the ceiling is very, very high in terms of what you can get. Land a coach like Pitino and the money will roll in, and if he burns one millionaire out, there will be two to take his place.

Kentucky just doesn't have that kind of diversity of wealth.
Click to expand...
While you are correct about St. John’s all the schools in the Big East can use their media money that the Power Four provide primarily to football, they can give most of their’s to basketball.
 
M

mhs1964

Junior
Feb 8, 2018
351
375
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UKgrad22 said:
I remember when NIL was supposed to be players getting paid to host camps, sign autographs, do some product placement for brands and maybe make a couple thousand or so extra. This got way out of hand really quickly.
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Predicted by anyone with a brain. Many predicted that with our fan base we would dominate by paying players 25-50 bucks for an autograph. I called BS then.
 
BlueBloodKyFan72

BlueBloodKyFan72

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paulcalhoun_rivals397471 said:
False. It is never been any secret that Ky has always been among the poorest of states. Obviously they can't all be among the poorest.
Click to expand...
He generalized many aspects of being poor state which yes correct, aging population that’s the whole country, YOUNG SMART people (have you seen the youth today it’s a generation of complete idiots) and they are not leaving in droves from KY.
 
paulcalhoun_rivals397471

paulcalhoun_rivals397471

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Aug 23, 2024
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KentuckyFan1965 said:
Donors are not limited to the state. I’m pretty sure you can donate to UK from just about anywhere so that’s a lame argument. Fact of the matter is that football around here is gonna overtake basketball in donors because of the results on the court. If that’s not Pope’s fault then I’ll head over to the moon for a grilled cheese. The premier program in the SEC (used to be anyways) should not be 9th. It’s Mitch’s failure with every move he’s made, including hiring this loser for a coach.
Click to expand...
That wasn't even what my post was replying to.
 
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PoopooPeePee

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Mar 28, 2026
318
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Anyone who would donate their own, hard-earned money to government funded universities has to be halfway dumb.

There’s thousands of different causes out there that actually need funding to help people/veterans/children. Heck give it to family/friends.

These universities make millions of dollars every year charging outrageous tuition, meal plans and housing. And I guarantee they wouldn’t give a dime if you and your family needed help.
 
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