Analytic Essay and Privatization

It is now week 4 of the class, and I'm still not exactly sure about what I want my research paper to be about. I'm taking another class that recently touched on issues with the football program, and how athletics seems to have taken a priority over academics in terms of funding. This is an interesting topic because it can incorporate privatization and how it could effect college sports. I saw another student in the class is doing their research paper on something similar, so maybe I could focus on the football program specifically; dive into how college sports are essentially clouding the true value of higher education. Students view athletic programs as part of the college experience; there is an overwhelming focus on things that should not be taking priority over academics. The football program currently loses a lot more money than it brings in, and funding that should be going towards the salary of professors and other factors that benefit academics is being cut to make up for the immense deficit that is created by the football program. There needs to be a balance between college athletic programs and academics. If anything is to get cut it should be athletics. If privatization were to prevail it would be the students that ultimate suffer, because tuition rates would rise in an effort to make up for the funding lost from the government. 

If schools are on an inevitable path to become privatized where would the money come from to fund athletics? Would there be any room for athletics in higher education? Is there room for both athletics and academics in a privatized institution?