Is investing in sports worth it for universities?
Is investing in sports worth it for universities?  
Podcast: The Indicator from Planet Money
Published On: Wed Sep 30 2026
Description: Universities spend millions of dollars every year on their athletics programs. But does that investment pay off? Today, we interrogate the “Doug Flutie Effect.” Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim.Your Next Listen — How college sports juiced Olympic developmentConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy