Money talks, especially when it comes to sports.
With that said, where do teams find funding, aside from contributions given by schools themselves?
The extra cash flow comes from people or organizations called boosters.
What is a sports booster? They are defined as a supporter of an associated club or sports team that coordinate events and donate money for the benefit of the team.
At a high school level, parents of the students are generally the team’s boosters, while at a collegiate level boosters are generally long-time fans and alumni.
Greg Allred, alumnus and booster from Texas A&M, has contributed a lot of time and money to the university’s football team.
“When I graduated from college back in 1987, I knew I wanted to give back to the school because the school gave so much to me,” Allred said. “I found after I was financially stable, I could contribute by donating money to the school to support my favorite colors.”
When it comes to college athletics, football in particular, it is essential that boosters play a role on a team.
“I receive a lot of gratitude from the various players and coaches on the team,” Allred said. “I know they appreciate the support they get and someday I know they will follow in the same steps and do the same things.”
ESPN reports that millions of dollars have been contributed to various teams around the nation from different boosters. Forbes magazine published an article titled “The 400 Richest Americans” which listed about six billionaires who are all boosters to different universities across America.
Generally, a booster contributes money for the well-being of a team. However, there have been cases where powerful boosters have demanded the power to fire coaches, athletic directors and others.
At the collegiate level, the NCAA closely regulates the activities of booster clubs. They have guidelines that strictly define what actions an official booster of an athletic program can take.
Many scandals have come from prohibited activities by boosters. These scandals include providing monetary or in-kind incentives for prospective athletes to sign with a particular university.
Although some boosters can cause trouble, so many are important in the promotion of athletics at different schools.
“I can’t imagine not supporting my team, even after being out of school for over 20 years now,” Allred said. “No matter what, I’ll always attend games and give the most I can to assure the team they have the highest amount of support from their fellow fans.”
