States are pouring taxpayer dollars into college sports as athlete pay squeezes budgets

NewsWorldAmericasStates are pouring taxpayer dollars into college sports as athlete pay squeezes budgetsA legal settlement last year allowed higher education institutions to directly pay athletes a total of about $20.5 million annually, on top of any scholarships and other NIL deals they receiveDavid A. Lieb Thursday 20 August 2026 21:28 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b3036670","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/college-sports-athlete-pay-unc-uw-b3036670.html","title":"States are pouring taxpayer dollars into college sports as athlete pay strains budget"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-108765","index":0}Fans line up prior to the start of the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Maryland Terrapins at Carmichael Arena on March 22, 2026 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Getty Images)The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"pianoFieldName":"receiveEveningHeadlinesUSNews","regTitle":"Evening Headlines","subscriptionGroup":"us_evening_headlines","subscriptionGroupId":"4326e634-422a-4447-8e1e-604a937cd3b5","type":"daily_news","pathPrefix":["/us","/news/world/americas","/news/world/americas/crime"],"title":"The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday","mobileTitle":"Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newslette...