I'm not saying every school gets that kind of money, but the schools making money off of sports are doing it off men's football and basketball.
You're right. I also said in my post "I'm not saying every school gets that kind of money [referring to the oodles of cash March Madness generates]" but it's a vague and admittedly lazy way to avoid the complexities of Title 9. I know not every school has a $65 million budget for football like Penn State, and there are a few non-football, non-men's basketball sports that make money, but I just simplified things to make it easier to discuss. In practice, it's pretty much 1 male:1 female ratio of scholarships given out, yeah it's not always like that, but it's close enough for discussion purposes on this board. And schools giving full rides are generally spending money from the men's football and basketball gravy train, schools not on that gravy train usually offer partial scholarships and financial aid. Again, I know there are exceptions but it's close enough for discussion purposes.I think E was pointing out not all men's football and basketball teams are profitable based on your rebutal below.
Now you posted this below, which includes an if and big time. Much different than your post above.
How is basketball a cheap sport? Do they not pay thier college coaches? The team doesn't get athletic trainers? The school doesn't allow the basketball players to use the gym and sports facilities? They travel in yellow school buses? Please explain how basketball is cheaper than other sports at a college university.
First, basketball is one of the few sports that generates money, even for schools that don't have a big time program. Second, the team is small, you can only roster 12 per game so you save money on travel and hotels, and you don't have to offer a lot of scholarships compared to football. Third, every school has a basketball gym that can be used for both men and women, the equipment can be used for men and women, all of the facilities can be used for men and women, so Title 9 compliance is cheap with basketball. Fourth, there are not that many coaches for basketball, especially compared to football. If you are an AD on a tight budget, you can get away with one coach for men's team, one coach for women's team. And fifth, if you need another women's team to get in compliance with title 9, you can throw in a girls volleyball team into that gym for relatively cheap.
A lot of schools that can't make money off football have cut their football program for budgetary reasons. The sport has expensive equipment that can't be shared with other sports, expensive insurance, you need to offer a lot of scholarships to compete, you have to pay a lot of coaches, the stadium is not ideal for other sports, and then you have to fund a bunch of different women's teams to comply with title 9.