In Tennessee, they are adding a ‘talent fee’ at the price of sports tickets. In Arkansas they will charge 3% more at concession stands. At Michigan and Michigan State, athletic directors sent letters alerting boosters that winning will start to cost more. And for the first time, Clemson will begin adding a athletic surcharge to tuition bills.

Winning in big-time college sports has never been free, but in a rapidly changing era where players are allowed to make money and be paid by their own schools, it’s never been clearer that fans will take a bigger cut. of the profits. eyelash.

“College athletics hasn’t professionalized as much as I think it’s been able to,” said Nels Popp, a sports business professor at the University of North Carolina, who believes most schools still rely more on emotional school bonds. and lasting from the fans than from the last. -Line marketing strategies. “And now I think this is forcing them to go in that direction.”

When the NCAA reluctantly approved payments to players for the use of their names, images and likenesses (NIL) In 2021, boosters who used to donate to schools and their athletic departments began funneling money to collectives, independent organizations that raised money and paid athletes. These groups are increasingly linked to universities.

Under terms of a $2.8 billion lawsuit settlement which is on track to come into force next year, the NIL agreements will remain in full force and schools themselves will have to deal with other multi-million pound changes to their results, including:

— Each school that has the money to do so will be able to share up to $22 million in annual revenue with athletes, money they make from ticket sales, television contracts and other sources. They may share less, but the best recruits will be at the forefront of the arms race for talent.

—The amount the NCAA pays more than 350 Division I schools each year is going to decrease. The organization is committed to covering about $1.2 billion in damages under the agreement, with the rest to be covered by conferences that will see less money shared each year from the NCAA and its lucrative men’s basketball tournament.

— Schools will be allowed to offer more scholarships in all sports and that costs money. For example, a school could offer up to 20 additional scholarships for a total of 105 in football. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said adding scholarships in all sports could add $29 million in education costs to the department’s bottom line. And that adds to the revenue sharing.

“Maintaining a high level of support for our 29 NCAA sports programs will require greater commitment from everyone,” Manuel wrote to Wolverines fans last month.

One possibility for Michigan could be to place advertising inside Michigan Stadium, a practice the Wolverines have steadfastly avoided for decades. The school also sent out a recent survey asking, among other questions, whether fans were willing to pay $3,000 to $4,000 for a new stretch of seats with backrests, something rare outside of the club sections at The Big House.

In 2023, it cost two fans a average about $180 to attend a college football game and about $340 to go to an NFL game. After all, college sports didn’t have to worry about the biggest expense in a professional team’s budget: player salaries.

NIL began to undermine that, and once the terms of the lawsuit settlement go into effect, that dynamic will change even more. Michigan State AD Alan Haller told Spartans fans that his department’s budget for 25-26 will include between $25 and $30 million in additional spending.

“As a department, we will continue to explore new opportunities for both revenue generation and cost containment,” Haller said. “However, without a doubt, your continued generosity and participation will be critical to our pursuit of excellence.”

No doubt some fans will continue to write checks to keep the players (and hopefully the wins) coming, as well as retain their “rights” to purchase a certain number of tickets to football games.

A tour of the parking lot before this season’s Michigan-Michigan State game found others who seemed more reluctant.

“The price of education is out of control,” said Michigan State fan Mike Bouchard, citing a price tag of more than $55,000 for an out-of-state college student to attend his alma mater. “There is absolutely no way I am going to put anything in my pocket beyond that amount. Tell them to use their hundreds of millions in endowments.”

“Of course not,” Ann Arbor resident Michael Ketslakh said when asked if he would give more to support Michigan athletics. “I think it is excessive. “It’s bad for sports.”