But a look at the tangible benefits of having the most successful football programs in the land is proof these athletic ventures are about much more than trophies and grooming NFL prospects and winning. Take UF, for example. In addition to paying the expenses of the program, the financial windfall of the football team also trickles down to other athletic programs that do not have the fan base or the draw that football does. In addition to the 85 football scholarships UF gives out each year, another 282 student-athletes have their college educations paid for as a result of the financial rewards of a successful football program. While many of these student-athletes could probably go to college without scholarships, there are as many or more who could not afford to attend our finest schools, save the scholarships their talents have earned them.
Success breeds success.
While we have taken a close look at UF, it is much the same at FSU and Miami. The riches produced by championship football leads to scholarships and outstanding athletic training opportunities for hundreds of other student-athletes. Nole fan does the Chop, don't roll your eyes. Just stop and think how proud we all should be that our universities have parlayed homegrown athletic talent into wildly successful football programs and, along the way, help hundreds of young people each year get an education at some of America's finest universities. And that, folks, is a winning game plan for all of us.