Download or read book Varsity Green: Millionaire Coaches, Ruthless Sneaker Wars, and the Battle for the Soul of College Sports written by Mark Yost and published by . This book was released on 2008-09 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should college athletes be paid to play? Are coaches such as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Florida's Urban Meyer worth the millions they receive from universities? And who really benefits from the astronomical sneaker deals that schools sign? Veteran Wall Street Journal writer Mark Yost digs into these and other provocative questions in Varsity Green, a groundbreaking investigation into the multibillion-dollar business of the NCAA. From the insanity of recruiting to March Madness itself, sports have long been the financial engine for many schools, and Varsity Green provides an eye-opening education about the dollars behind the diplomas. Yost examines every aspect of college sports--the recruiting of elementary school children, the flaws in Title IX, the golden handcuffs of booster clubs--and unlocks the secrets inside the NCAA's considerable vault. The news is not all alarming, of course. In 1991, Notre Dame--arguably the nation's most lucrative college football franchise--signed its first national television contract. Since then, the university has awarded nearly $700 million in financial aid, all funded by the football program. After reading Varsity Green, you will never watch college sports the same way again.