On Monday, Yahoo Sports reported that The University of Alabama Athletics earned more money than every NHL team and 25 NBA teams.
“Shocking” may be the first term that comes to mind, but what is really interesting is that this isn’t all that uncommon.
According to Bleacher Report in October 2013 the University’s sports programs earned $143.1 million last year. Yahoo Sports took it a step further and compared it to the professionals.
Not only does Alabama make more money than the NHL and most NBA teams, but also Texas makes more than Alabama. And whether it’s loyal fans or just a lot of ticket sales, making more money than professional sports seems to be a trend.
I can’t say that’s good or bad. In fact, I find it interesting. As a lover of all things Alabama, it makes me proud that our school is so powerful that it doesn’t just make a ton of money, it makes more money than the professionals. However, it is crazy to see colleges earn more than a good portion of professional sports.
Of all the 30 teams in the NHL, not one has stacked up against the powerful Alabama.
According to hockeybuzz.com, the NHL has found it difficult to turn a profit for many years. It doesn’t seem fair to compare a struggling league to a thriving college athletics department, so why do we?
It’s simple. As humans we like to see statistics, data and facts. We like to see all the logistics. We like to see good things, and we like to downplay the negative things. But comparing the two – or three if we want to factor in basketball – seems a little bit odd, in my opinion.
Though some may not find it odd to compare collegiate football to the NHL, comparing a struggling program to a successful one doesn’t seem fair. They are different programs that function under different sets of rules.
So why do we care about this? Why does it mean something to those of us at the University? We like to know when we succeed and are doing great things. I’m not saying that it’s bad to brag about the athletic department’s successes, but I don’t see the point in comparing two different things. It’s like comparing apples and oranges; they’re both good in their own right but don’t really line up with each other.
Maybe it’s not “shocking.” It is, however, still fascinating that Alabama earned more money than 55 professional teams.
