More than half of American taxpayers in a recent polling sample are against using tax money to fund public college athletic departments in the NIL era, according to a new Overton Insights poll exclusively provided to The Center Square before the poll’s full release Thursday.
As reported by Jon Styf of The Center Square, just 19% of 1,377 registered voters polled May 16 through May 20 support using taxpayer funds for college athletics while 56% oppose it and 25% were not sure or didn’t have an opinion.
“There is a real debate in this country about NIL and what its adoption has done to college sports,” said Overton Insights poll director Mark Cunningham. “But on the question of whether tax dollars should flow to public university athletic departments, voters have reached a clear consensus against it. This is one of the few issues in our poll where Republicans, Democrats and independents all land in the same place. A whopping 56% of voters oppose it, while just 19% support it, a level of agreement you rarely see on anything in American politics today."
Per Styf's reporting, taxpayer funds have been funneled to public college athletics departments in the following ways:
- Wisconsin governor Tony Evers signed a bill into law this spring that will send nearly $15 million each year to the University of Wisconsin athletics department from the state’s general tax fund.
- North Carolina currently sends $300,000 worth of sports wagering taxes to the athletics departments of 13 public universities in the state, but a legislative proposal would have increased that funding for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State.
- A Louisiana law signed in 2025 increased the states sports wagering tax rate and sends 25% of the state’s sports wagering tax money to college athletic programs.
According to Styf, the Overton Insights poll showed that just 13% or Republicans support sending taxpayer funds to public college athletics departments while 20% of Democrats support the idea along with 23% of independents.
Just 10% of those ages 30 to 44 support the idea, and 10% of those with bachelor’s degrees support it.
The highest percentage age category supporting the idea is those ages 18 to 29, with 38% in support and 35% against it, Styf reported.
