A recent Villanovan column reinforced the popular idea that Villanova’s men’s basketball program produces enough revenue to pay for all other intercollegiate sports. While this idea may be popular, it is not true. In fact, there are only about 25 schools in the entire country where intercollegiate sports “pays for itself.” Villanova is not among them. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. But it is a thing.
The U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education regularly collects data from universities in accordance with the 1994 Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA). According to data from last year, Villanova spent about $39.