From the Omaha World-Herald's Big Red Today subsite, covering Nebraska football, a comment from a Cornell Human Development prof:
Next coach likely to cost 'pretty big dollars' for Huskers in market with escalating salaries (http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/next-coach-likely-to-cost-pretty-big-dollars-for-huskers/article_11d3a6b2-d238-11e7-abe1-afa5692c7ac1.html)
Quote from: Rick Ruggles, World-TribuneRobert Sternberg, professor of human development at Cornell University, said sports can generate enthusiasm for a campus in a way that the biology department can't.
College sports help athletes develop leadership skills, a mentality of teamwork and sportsmanship, and an appreciation for physical conditioning, Sternberg said.
"And if done well, you find that athletes tend to be more successful when they get out of college," he said.
This in the context that outgoing Nebraska coach Mike Riley made $2.9 million a year, which seems like a lot to regular people (probably also to the Nebraska president or chancellor), but it's only 46th among college football coaches.