Please use facts. Using the USA Today AD spending database, here are the facts.
In 2015, the 50 Public P5 schools increased spending by $332 million in 2015 over 2014, an average of $6.64 million per school. The 178 Public Division 1 schools outside the P5 increased spending by $218 million in 2015 over 2014, an average of $1.22 million per school. Sure looks like schools are still investing in athletics.
Getting more granular, here are how some public non P5 schools changed athletic spending in 2015 over 2014:
Increased spending: UConn, UCF, San Diego St., ECU, James Madison, Houston, ODU, Hawaii, Fresno St., Colorado St., UMass, Wyoming, Western Michigan, Texas St., Eastern Michigan, Cal-Davis, Charlotte, Miami (OH), Buffalo, Stony Brook, New Hampshire, Northern Ill., FIU, FAU, FGCU, Western Kentucky, Wichita St., George Mason, URI, Coastal Carolina, William & Mary, Maine, Vermont, UMass-Lowell, Central Connecticut, Northern Iowa, Binghamton, Stephen F. Austin,...
Flat spending: USF, Georgia St., Ohio, Texas- SA
Down spending: Cincinnati, UNLV, Boise St., Memphis, New Mexico, Central Michigan, Marshall, Albany
Some schools have decided to disinvest in no/low revenue sports and reinvest the money into revenue generating sports. Bottom line is that if you have aspirations to move up in athletics, you have to spend. If you want your athletics to stagnate or decline, don't spend. For UConn, we need to find a way to increase revenues in order to continue to invest in athletics. It won't be easy, but that is what needs to be done if UConn ever wants to move up.