The “Josh Allen” effect has helped the University of Wyoming, but other factors — like a landmark legal settlement expanding collegiate athletes’ capacity to make money — prompted the school Wednesday to ask state lawmakers for an extra $3 million per year to support its Division I athletics program.
That’s in addition to the $11.2 million the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Program receives annually in state money through the school’s block grant, and a $5 million yearly payout the state hinges on the department finding matching money.
The extra $3 million would bring the state’s annual contribution to the program to about $19.2 million, UW spokesman Chad Baldwin confirmed Thursday to Cowboy State Daily.
The department’s total expense budget is about $53 million, UW Athletics Director Tom Burman told the legislative Joint Appropriations Committee during its Wednesday meeting in the state Capitol.
It’s not enough money, Burman said.
He referenced both economic inflation and this year’s landmark $2.576 billion settlement in House v. NCAA.
“If we do not get the support that we are asking for, we will have to make some very difficult decisions,” Burman said. “Some may define it as draconian cuts, which may include sport eliminations, scholarship eliminations, staffing reductions.”
Those in turn would depress ticket sales and other marketing opportunities, said Burman, adding, “we are turning to all of our partners” for help, not just the state.
Significant shares of the athletics department’s revenues are not from the state.
Other sources, including media rights, royalties, ticket sales and various partnerships, generate about $36.5 million annually for the department.
Out Of The Trunk Of Your Car
The House v. NCAA case paved the way for colleges and universities to pay athletes directly, in addition to offering them licensing agreements for name, image and likeness (NIL) revenues.
As part of the settlement, UW lost $550,000 per year the NCAA had been providing, Burman said.
He said a related re-shifting in the Mountain West Conference has now deprived UW of $1 million a year in conference revenues.
The UW Athletics Department also now bears the “unfunded mandates” of providing medical care for student athletes, and scholarships two years post-eligibility, said Burman.
The added costs are “somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000 to $350,000 annually,” Burman noted.
UW men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks compared trying to preserve the pre-settlement methods as “selling CDs out of the trunk of your car” instead of using Apple Music, and said his program has lost three or four recruits to other teams that made more competitive offers.
What About Josh Allen?
Rep. Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan, asked university leaders if the stardom of UW alum Josh Allen, the NFL’s most-valuable player of 2024, has helped their plight.
“We’re asking here for $6 million (biennially) on the heels of this tremendous boost,” said Pendergraft.
If the University could quantify the Josh Allen effect, he added, “that would be helpful to me.”
Josh Allen’s fame has helped, but it’s difficult to quantify those numbers, said Burman.
Burman said that despite the football team “struggling” recently, it’s had record-breaking game attendance, record-breaking ticket sale revenues and soaring merchandise income.
UW President Ed Seidel said applications to the school “are up,” and include a burst of applications from Buffalo, New York, home of Allen’s team the Buffalo Bills.
Moving On Now
Burman’s request was part of Seidel’s larger presentation, in which UW asked the Legislature for $494 million in state money over the course of the 2027-28 biennium.
Gov. Mark Gordon backs all but $10.3 million of that, recommending a state appropriation of about $483.7.
The Joint Appropriations Committee is now finishing week two of its four-week budget-planning marathon.
The Legislature’s 2026 budget session opens Feb. 9.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
