Hey folks,
You may have noticed it's been quiet around here for the past month. No data drops, no FOIA breakdowns, no takes on the latest chaos in college athletics.
When I launched NILnomics in April 2025, I made a commitment to show up every week — and for nearly a year, I did exactly that. Every single week from launch through early March 2026, there was a new issue in your inbox. I'm proud of that streak. But a few weeks ago, I had to make a call and step away temporarily to focus on something I'd been building toward for years. 10 years, to be exact.
I was finishing my PhD.
The excuse, in full.
I defended my dissertation, worked through my committee's feedback, revised the manuscript, and submitted the final version. It's done. Signed, sealed, delivered. After years of research into the economics of college athletics, I can finally say that chapter is officially closed — and it feels equal parts surreal and relieving.
For those who don't know, my dissertation examined the financial impact of NCAA Cost-of-Attendance stipends on student-athletes — the kind of data-intensive, econometrics-heavy work that pairs naturally with running a newsletter about athletic department finances. NILnomics has always been the public-facing side of a much longer research project.
If you want to see what a dissertation defense actually looks like, I recorded mine and posted it to YouTube. Fair warning: it's academic, it's nerdy, and I talk about difference-in-differences regression for a while. But if you're curious about the research underpinning a lot of what gets published here, it's worth a watch.
And if you want to go even deeper, I’ll share the link once it’s posted online.
Now that it's submitted, I'm back at the newsletter full time — no dissertation hanging over my head.
Now, the good stuff.
I'm not just returning to the normal publishing cadence — I'm coming back with more than I've had before, and the next few months are going to be some of the most ambitious things I've published under the NILnomics banner.
Here's a taste of what's coming:
Men's vs. Women's College Basketball — With the dust settling on another NCAA Tournament, I'm doing a deep dive into the financial story behind both sides of the bracket. Revenue, expenses, the growing investment in the women's game, and what the data actually says about where things are headed.
Baseball & Softball — Two sports that rarely get the financial spotlight they deserve. We're going to change that.
Football Attendance — The Real Numbers — Everyone talks about sold-out stadiums and passionate fanbases. But what does actual attendance data say? Some of what I've found might surprise you.
A New Partnership — I'm not ready to share details just yet, but something is in the works that I think is going to meaningfully expand what NILnomics can do and who it can reach. Follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter/X to be the first to know when the announcement drops.
A Full Newsletter & Site Redesign — NILnomics is getting a fresh coat of paint. New look, cleaner experience, same data-obsessed coverage you've come to expect.
And the biggest one: the first-ever free, public college sports finance dashboard.
I've spent years digging through athletic department financial reports, FOIA documents, and NCAA data — and I've always believed that information should be accessible to everyone, not just researchers and insiders willing to wade through PDFs. I'm building a dashboard that changes that. Free. Public. No paywall.
I'm currently looking for beta testers to kick the tires before launch. If you're interested, reply to this email or reach out directly — I'd love to have people who actually care about this data help shape it before it goes live. Many signed up a month ago when I put out the call - I messaged you all just yesterday. But I’m looking for more. The bigger the group I can put together to help me test and design the dashboard, the better the final product will be.
One more thing — I want to hear from you.
Putting this newsletter together each week is something I genuinely love doing, but I've been heads-down in dissertation mode long enough that I want to make sure I'm building the right things for the right audience.
So: what do you want to see more of? Less of? Is there a sport, a program, a financial trend, or a question about college athletics you've been wanting someone to dig into? What's your honest take on NILnomics so far?
Hit reply and tell me. I read every response, and your feedback directly shapes what gets published here. This newsletter exists because of readers who care about getting past the surface-level narratives in college sports — if that's you, I'd love to know what's on your mind.
A lot has changed since the last issue. A lot more is about to.
Thanks for sticking around during the quiet stretch. It was worth it.
— Greg