That’s debatable. Oregon’s athletics program, which receives an annual subsidy of $2.2 million for academic support of athletes, is far more self-sufficient than most. In USA Today’s most recent analysis of spending within 230 public Division I programs, Oregon’s subsidy ranked in the bottom 20. No university generated more revenue than Oregon, which topped the list at $196 million.
Even so, spending on sports remains a powerful symbol of excess to those who see Oregon’s academic standing under threat.