In the world of major Division I athletics, being able to maintain finances and expenses is extremely important and most often schools will need a custom database software to be able to handle the imperative task. This may be especially true for the University of Texas' athletic department as it is the most funded college sports program in the country, according to USA Today.
For the past three years the newspaper has maintained its own custom database of major collegiate athletic finances and it found that no programs have earned or spent more than Texas. In the 2010-11 school year, the Longhorns raked in more than $150 million in revenue. Ohio State University came in second with a comparatively low $18.5 million. Furthermore, Texas expenses for football and 19 other varsity sports was roughly $130 million, which was nearly $11.5 million more than Ohio State spent on all 36 of its varsity teams.
"There's nothing to stop Texas or other very successful financial enterprises with these gigantic television contracts from continuing to grow, grow, grow because their revenues match their expenditures," said former University of Arizona president Peter Likins to USA Today. Likins was also the head of a high-level NCAA panel that examined college athletics finances. "But the disconnect between what's happening in athletics and what's happening elsewhere in the same universities create stress, and the stresses will create a breakdown."
Furthermore, according to information the newspaper collected from its database, Texas' athletic program is one of only 22 in Division I athletics that operate in the black. This has become a touchy subject as economic factors add stress to higher education finances. In fact, the University of Texas' athletic department spotted $6 million to the school's academic side last year.
Some experts believe that a government intervention may be needed for the amount of finances flowing through these programs, while others fear that this may proceed for years due to the economic advantages that many schools and communities gain from programs like Texas'.