Economics and Sports from USAToday:

In recent years, Division I athletics departments generally have been increasing their spending at a higher annual rate than their universities. In addition, guaranteed earnings for numerous football and men's basketball coaches have soared beyond $1 million a year.

But even at Arizona State — whose athletics program is financially self-supporting except for "very nominal" assistance from the university, says athletics director Lisa Love — football coach Dennis Erickson and men's basketball coach Herb Sendek are being forced to lose 12 days' pay between Feb. 2 and the close of the school's fiscal year, June 30. (Depending on job classification, Arizona State's furloughs, announced Jan. 28, are for 10, 12 or 15 days — double to triple the days being lost by employees of the other three schools.)