The price of the front porch: Exploring the relationship between student fees and intercollegiate athletic team performance

ABSTRACT College sports are a multi-billion dollar industry that influence the financial decisions of colleges and universities throughout the United States. One such decision is the implementation of mandatory athletics fees charged to the student body. University administrators introduce these fees under the impression that increased spending on athletics will lead to more successful sports programs, garnering prestige for and interest in the university from prospective students and the public. Using institution-level data from a variety of sources, the following study conducted regression analysis to investigate the relationship between student fees and winning percentages for football and men’s basketball teams at a sample of National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I institutions. Results indicate little to no relationship between student fees and sports performance for football, but some relationship for men’s basketball. The results of this study have the potential to improve administrators’ understandings that a relationship between the investments and benefits is unlikely, potentially preventing cost escalation for students.