Although not as profitable as some professional sports, sponsors pay a lot of money for television advertising during the tournament and especially during the Final Four. The price for advertising on television during the championship bowl game for college football is second only to the mother of all advertising platforms, the Super Bowl. The TV stations are also making huge dollars for broadcasting these games. Even apparel and other merchandising companies make money off the athletes team, likeness, number, and sometimes name. Champion, the official apparel company for college basketball, is a clothing company that specializes in sport apparel and actual jerseys that are worn during games sell jerseys associated with certain players. Many fans buy jerseys that have the player's number and sometimes their name, so they can emulate their favorite college stars. Although companies like Champion make millions off of these giant, walking advertisers, none of the profit or revenue is shared with the athletes who generate it. Being such a profitable part of the entertainment industry, colleges should look at the standard of living for a student athlete.
Scholarship student athletes" lives are different from non-scholarship students. A lot of time is dedicated to their sport, like practice, traveling, games, team functions, and public appearances. With schoolwork and athletic obligations to worry about, time for leisure activity, or even eating right is few and far between. Athletes can get take out, fast food, or delivery for meals, but it's not very healthy and cost too much for a lot of student athletes on scholarship. For the 1996-1997 academic year, athletes on full scholarship at University of Arizona received free tuition, payment on other fees, and $6,649, almost $4,000 less than that of a regular student loan. Student athletes are left with $2,497 for rent and $3,752 for food, which is not enough to live on unless you get help from home.