Rochester Hills, Michigan — Oakland University head coach Greg Kampe’s Golden Grizzlies shocked the basketball world last year when, as a No. 14 seed, the underdog defeated a perennial powerhouse by 13 points in the NCAA tournament. University of Kentucky.
It was Kemp's biggest win in his 41 years with Oakland in Rochester Hills, Michigan. But now, he says, his biggest challenge comes off the court.
"I've been trying all summer to raise money so I can buy players," Campe said. "Can you imagine? College coaches are saying that now because it's the truth."
Forget the old definition of amateur athlete. college athlete You can make millions now Before turning pro, thanks to a set of NCAA rules that loosened previous restrictions on players profiting from NIL, which stands for name, image and likeness.
As of 2021Any athlete — especially big stars like Colorado football player Shaddell Sanders and former Indiana basketball star Caitlin Clark — can make money from commercial endorsements, jersey sales and even autograph signings.
What has really changed the sport, however, is another part of the program that has become a monster—athletes getting paid just to compete.
Campe said when he recruits a player, discussions about financial compensation are "initial, right from the beginning."
Schools are leveraging deep-pocketed alumni and donors to pay millions of dollars to high-level athletes. Schools are launching bidding wars for recruiting recruits and competing for roster spots. Shortly after last year's game, three of Campe's best players transferred to higher-paying programs.
"Some of the Big Five came in and offered $500,000," Kemp said. "Well, I can't give him that. So how do I tell a kid, 'Don't take $500,000?'"
Student-athlete spending is estimated at $1.67 billion in 2024, according to a report from NIL technology company Opendorse. Nearly all of that went to men's sports, including $1.1 billion for college football and an estimated $390 million for college basketball.
So much money is pouring into the two big men's sports that the unprofitable ones are in danger of shrinking.
"I'm not signing for millions of dollars, and I'm not in track and field for the money," Notre Dame's two-time pentathlon national champion Jardine O'Brien told CBS News.
O'Brien is grateful for the endorsement money, but it's about a third of what the average college football player makes.
“I love the game and I’m good at it,” O’Brien said. “If I could make a little money, that would be great.”
Campe said he's not opposed to the new system, he just wants to see it improved.
"I'm not that old man yelling at the clouds," Campe said. “I want to be part of the solution.”
Kemp, who now plays for a team that costs millions more than Oakland, worries college sports may be heading toward an era of haves and have-nots.
"I think the panic right now is you're going to see the same 68 teams every year in the NCAA tournament and you're going to see the same 12 teams every year in the College Football Playoff," Kemp said. "I think real fans would be panicking."
