Nick $aban & The Tide

     Check out a NY Times (paywall) story about the economic impact of University of Alabama Football. The paper writes about the Saturdays in football season:

(they become)..."equal parts war on the field and worship service, and it serves as the centerpiece of Alabama Football Inc., an enterprise that generates more than $95 million annually."

     Though The New York Times is obviously capable of coming up with their own story ideas, but I suspect this one was prompted at least in part by the publication of a book about college football:

(The author) "found that Alabama and football powers like it spend millions on academic centers and tutors for athletes — resources often not available for the rest of the student body. “They treat football players a heck of a lot better than they do the kids in the honors college,” he said.

                                                                                   Billion Dollar Ball, A Journey
                                                                                   Though the Big-Money Culture
                                                                                   of College Football, by Gilbert
                                                                                   M Gaul.