Spike in Ticket Sales, Spike in Red: Volleyball’s Profit Paradox
Nebraska volleyball posted its highest-ever ticket revenue—$3.2 million in FY25—yet still racked up a $1.38 million operating loss. After a 33-3 season that delivered a Big Ten title and Final Four berth, revenues dipped $1.6 million due to the absence of blockbuster “Volleyball Day” at Memorial Stadium. While media rights, concessions and NCAA distributions helped, expenses ballooned to over $7 million: a $1.3 million payout to head coach John Cook (in his farewell season), hefty support-staff salaries, 12.8 scholarships, chartered flights, overhead costs and even a nascent beach program. Volleyball remains Nebraska’s third-highest revenue sport behind football ($124 million) and men’s basketball ($18.6 million), but it’s the only one ending in the red.
Who knew digging for gold in Devaney Center seats would strike an economic gusher…right into a bottomless pit? Apparently, volleyball fans are too busy high-fiving to notice the receipt from the finance office: “Here’s your $1.38 million hole—please enjoy.” Meanwhile, John Cook’s final year paid like he was coaching the Avengers, and the team’s beach program delivered almost as many dollars as a lemonade stand in July. It’s comforting to know that if ticket sales ever hit zero, volleyball might actually turn a profit. A bold new strategy: cancel all matches and watch the ledger glow green.
How Pizza Slices Lit a 17-0 Blaze for Nebrasketball
Nebraska men’s basketball has surged to a 17-0 start under Fred Hoiberg, but the real turning point came with a simple act: buying pizza for 250 students ahead of a December 2022 matchup with No. 4 Purdue. Though Nebraska fell 65-62 in overtime, the pizza-fueled atmosphere catalyzed back-to-back-to-back 20-win seasons after two subpar campaigns. Key roster contributions—from veteran bigs to sharpshooters Keisei Tominaga and Pryce Sandfort, plus returnees like Sam Griesel—built on that momentum, driving a national win streak of 21 games and an eighth-ranked AP poll standing.
Forget X’s and O’s, the Huskers discovered the true secret weapon: pepperoni. It turns out conference rivalries can be won one slice at a time. Suddenly, “eat my dust” was replaced with “eat my pizza,” and the student section transformed into a caffeinated mob powered by marinara. If this works, Hoiberg should throw down whole pizzas on the recruiting trail—hey, free carbs beat free t-shirts any day. Opponents beware: you’re not just facing a basketball team, you’re facing a Mafia Pizza chain extension with three-point range.
Huskers’ Unbeaten Streak Sends Bracketologists into Overdrive
Nebraska’s 17-0 record has vaulted the Huskers to eighth in the AP Top 25 and a projected No. 3 seed in ESPN’s Bracketology. With 14 regular-season games and at least one Big Ten tournament matchup remaining—road tests at Michigan, USC and UCLA, plus home dates with Purdue and Maryland—the Huskers still face a minefield before the NCAAs. Quality wins over Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana bolster their case, and metrics suggest even a 12-8 conference finish secures an at-large bid. Historically, every Big Ten team with 20 wins has made the field, and Nebraska looks poised to break its NCAA drought after eight straight opening-round losses.
March Madness? More like March Gladness—as long as the Huskers don’t accidentally RSVP “yes” to 14 straight road games. Bracketologists everywhere are popping champagne already, but let’s be honest: projecting seeds in January is like betting your retirement on a squirrel race. Will Nebraska burn out, or will they keep racking up wins while we Google-panic “what’s an at-large bid?” Either way, the Selection Committee is glued to their metrics like kids on TikTok, praying for another Cinderella upset but secretly hoping for more of this red-hot steamroller.
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