NCAA Play in March Proving Madness Without College Profit
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The University of Kentucky’s eighth men’s basketball championship last April drew 42.9 million broadcast viewers for an annual event that raised $705 million in television rights fees for college sports’ national organization.
There was no financial bonanza for the school. Nor was there for other recent winners of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, which began this week. While supporters of big-time college athletics say championships increase sports revenue, stimulate university fundraising and encourage student applications, data compiled by Bloomberg News show that not all of that is true, and there’s no lasting effect.