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In case you haven’t noticed, Calipari hasn’t exactly been offering anyone four years anywhere. He rents his top players for a year or two on their way to the NBA, and the NBA’s recent rule change shutting down drafting kids right out of high school was a godsend to Calipari (in the form of Tyreke Evans). Other coaches do it, too, but he has really been the champ.
A few weeks ago, I found the University of Florida Athletics Department budget for 2008-2009 online, and posted a link. That document had historical data for the year in which Florida won national titles in both football and men’s basketball. So how many millions did Florida football and basketball bring in to the non-athletic side of the University of Florida in one of the best years any program has ever had? Less than one. What they do is fund the other athletic programs. Of course, I’m sure the publicity for the University was very valuable, and that alumni contributions etc. went up, so the actual cash contribution of the sports programs significantly understates their value. But the actual cash contribution is shockingly, shockingly small.</p>