I know similar topics have been discussed on these threads, but I recently encountered a debate with someone about FCS football.
A guy told me that no FCS schools made a profit in 2006 (he cited some study, I'll post the link if need be) and that basically, if a lot of these schools (TTU, for example) dropped football, it would significantly impact the men's basketball program (which he is a bigger fan of, than football). He thinks basketball makes far more $$ than football and would continue to do so, no matter what football has success-wise. He states that some states, like FLA and ALA have better football facilities/budgets/profits/season tickets for their high school programs and that operating FCS football is futile. I tried to state that TTU playing the likes of K-state/Georgia, etc., directly impacts ALL of the school's programs, not just football. I think that football does contribute significantly to the school's budget, even if I concede that a lot of programs never make money (like the FBS schools in an earlier thread this month showed). Plus, the point of intercollegiate athletics isn't to make a profit, either. My question is: is there any data available out there showing economic impact of FCS football on their respective schools? Or any other data, showing that Men's basketball at the mid-major level, isn't such a cash cow either?
Thanks !