https://www.espn.com/college-sports...l-financial-wreckage-due-coronavirus-pandemic:
"As bad as the past three months have been, university administrators fear the worst is yet to come because of declining enrollment, stressed state budgets, smaller endowments and increased costs in public health and safety."
"Intercollegiate sports, and particularly football and men's basketball, have often been called a university's front porch because of the public relations and marketing opportunities they offer through media exposure. Winning teams have historically led directly to increases in admission applications and financial contributions from alumni and fans.
Will sports be as important to administrators in the post-coronavirus era of higher education?
'When this over, these schools that have been propping up their athletic departments with student fees and other money might no longer believe the front porch is as important when the rest of the house is crumbling,' said one Power 5 athletic director.
Even for the most financially stable athletics programs, the days of $75 million coaching contracts, $55 million football facilities, bloated support staffs, multimillion-dollar buyouts for losing coaches and steak and lobster dinners for recruits might be over.
'I'm not saying it gives us the opportunity to hit a reset button, but I think it's definitely going to cause people to pause as they think about what they're doing with their capital projects, high-salary individuals, including athletic directors, and whether your institution has proper reserves in place,' Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra said."