In the limited times we have met, work has been delegated, and I was chosen to investigate financial reports for Ohio State University. Student athletes at OSU spend roughly 40 hours per week working on their respective sports, time equivalent to that of a full-time job. A question that also arose was whether or not those athletes should receive compensation for their efforts aside from a scholarship.
In 2014, according to USA Today, Ohio State University's athletics raked in a revenue of roughly $145 million and only spent $113 million on their programs, leaving a $32 million profit margin. We are still researching further on where this profit goes, so I cannot give any valid information at this point.
Men's athletic programs bring in significantly more revenue than women's, so should that affect how money is distributed?
In the grand scheme of things, OSU is beginning $1.7 billion worth of projects on campus, so athletics brings a very small portion of that money to the table.
This is a very complex topic, and if money doesn't play a key role in how successful athletics foster campus growth, then what does?
We look forward to presenting our results. Go Zags!
-John Hatton