Across all five University of Minnesota campuses, world-class education includes world-class opportunities—on performance stages and in the classroom, research labs, and athletics.

On the Twin Cities campus, the number one question asked by incoming first-year students and their parents at campus orientation is “how do we get football tickets?”

Like all of higher education, college athletics is undergoing profound change. It’s especially acute for Gopher Athletics.

Student-body attendance for Gopher Athletics sporting events last year was more than 125,000, so it is not news that our athletic programs and buildings are woven into the social fabric and daily lives of students.

They are a significant draw for many who choose the Twin Cities campus. From a football game at Huntington Bank Stadium on a perfect fall day to a career fair at 3M Arena at Mariucci, students experience these events and spaces over and over throughout their time on campus. For student athletes, the connection is even closer, as they practice and play in places that will define their college athletics experience.

Our student athletes’ accomplishments are remarkable both on and off the field. Our first and foremost commitment is to support our athletes’ academic experience and success. At the conference levels, 394 student athletes received Academic All-Big Ten honors or were named to the WCHA All-Academic Team, while 140 of them were also recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.

In addition to our record graduation rates and GPAs, our student athletes and staff know that doing it the right way matters at Minnesota. They are committed to making a difference through their daily actions. That means that Gopher Athletics maintains a commitment to compete to win in all aspects of the department’s work: winning in the classroom, in the community, and in competition.

The benefits of a strong athletics program are not limited to students, however, and do not end at the boundaries of campus.

Gopher Athletics generates $473.7 million in economic impact to Minnesota each year and supports 3,570 jobs, which includes more than 300 University of Minnesota student workers. The Twin Cities campus sees 1.3 million visitors each year to an athletic facility. The benefits of Big Ten conference membership, including the Big Ten Academic Alliance, include significant prestige and value for the University of Minnesota.

We are at the dawn of a new era of college athletics, and we are committed to sustaining our mission and our competitiveness to meet the moment. We are also committed to financial sustainability and to providing a world-class education, as well as competitive and fulfilling athletic opportunities, for all student-athletes across our 22 varsity sports. University support and proactive financial management puts Gopher Athletics in a strong position to successfully transition to a new model.

Beginning in July 2025—after landmark federal antitrust lawsuits were settled—Gopher Athletics, like its peers in the Big Ten and premier college athletics, started to share revenue directly with student athletes. Minnesota is sharing revenue with members of the football, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and men’s hockey teams. Minnesota strives for excellence in all sports, but must be relevant on the national stage in these five, because relevance in these sports generates substantial funding increases across all student-athlete programs.

We are also leveraging the changing financial structure to add scholarships for the gymnastics, softball, soccer, women’s hockey, volleyball and football programs, to ensure more student athletes receive financial support.

One new fee that has received some attention is the student athletics fee, which goes toward athletic facility usage and general infrastructure. It reflects similar fees already assessed on the University’s Crookston, Morris, and Duluth campuses and at many Big Ten and national peers, and does not contribute to student-athlete revenue sharing.

Our vision is that Gopher Athletics remains a shining example of excellence in the Big Ten. This requires ongoing investment, by the University and all of us, which we are proud to make. Gopher Athletics is strongly committed to financial sustainability and has taken proactive steps to operate as responsibly as possible. The University will continue to prioritize overall academic and athletic excellence, which benefits our community, fans, and student-athletes now and into the future.

—President Rebecca Cunningham and Athletic Director Mark Coyle