GET ME REWRITE: UW-Madison athletic director Chris McIntosh goes to State Capitol, cup in hand

 

Photo credits:  Wisconsin State Legislature

Headline:  Wisconsin State Journal, 2/19/2026

AB1034 screengrab:  Wisconsin State Legislature

Wisconsin State Journal editorial opines:

Taxpayers shouldn’t have to bail out the University of Wisconsin athletic department, following its second losing football season with a coach whose sweetheart contract requires more than $20 million just to get rid of him. 

Nor should the athletic department expect secrecy surrounding how it spends its money, including tens of millions in public dollars. 

A last-minute bill to pour $14.6 million a year into UW athletics was introduced Feb. 10 and — the very next day — received a hearing and unanimous vote by a key Assembly committee.  [emphasis added]

The lightning-fast process is intended to dodge public scrutiny as the Legislature wraps up its regular business for the year. But pouring more taxpayer money into big-time college sports — already awash in private money from TV contracts — is a poor use of public funds.

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