On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams speak with Chris Del Conte, athletic director at the University of Texas at Austin, about all the changes underway in college sports, and what it looks like from the helm of one of the richest athletic departments in the country.
The Texas Longhorns spent $232.3 million on athletics in fiscal 2023, the second highest budget of any public school in the country, according to Sportico‘s college finance database. The school reported $271.1 million in generated athletics revenue, which ranked third.
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Del Conte discusses many of the major sea changes underway in college sports. They include new NIL rules, looser transfer restrictions, NCAA legal challenges and unionization efforts. Del Conte talks about the “chaos” underway in the business, and how he navigates it.
He also talks about the financial benefits of this recent football season. The Longhorns made the four-team College Football Playoff for the first time, losing to Washington in the semifinals. The run didn’t manifest a lot more money for the Longhorns in the short term, but it will have long-term benefits. For example, the all-important football ticket renewals are up for Texas this week. Asked how that’s going, Del Conte smiled and said, “Mucho Bueno.”
Asked about private equity moving into college sports, he made it clear that Texas is not interested in bringing on institutional funds for athletics. “I do know that when private equity gets in, they’re not giving you money for the heck of it,” he said. “They’re going to get something out of it, and it’s usually 10, 15, or 20%. And that 10, 15, 20% is critical to me to support our entire athletic program.”
He also answers questions about a recent union vote from men’s basketball players…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/sporticast-328-bevo-big-bertha-204109298.html
Author : Sportico
Publish date : 2024-03-11 20:41:09
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