Thread by @NBCLX

Name, image and likeness (NIL) payments, labor laws and the football arms race are throwing college athletic budgets into chaos. And it could spell trouble for the NCAA, the minor leagues for America’s Olympians. trib.al/QTNi704

NCAA universities cut 289 teams last year – most of those in Olympic sports – and many in the NCAA and Olympic communities told @NBCLX’s @NoahPransky they worry who will be next. trib.al/QTNi704

"It’s a really big mess," two-time Olympian @Shojinator told NBCLX. "We're seeing [the NCAA] is more of a business these days, and the money in football and basketball are just more important than the experience [other] athletes are getting." trib.al/QTNi704

Many schools don’t have the kind of cash to keep up with the football and basketball arms race, so they face difficult decisions on where to trim. The easy target is often the teams that don’t produce profits: all of the Olympic sports. trib.al/QTNi704

"In the Power Five, the pie really has grown," @SportsBizMiss said, referencing the huge profits NCAA powerhouses have enjoyed as they invest millions more into football and basketball.

But budgets are much tighter in the dozens of other NCAA conferences. trib.al/QTNi704

But the NCAA and @USOPC_News have been working to stay ahead of the chaos, discussing new partnerships, relaxed rules for non-revenue sports and possibly combining championships to ensure the sustainability of America’s Olympic pipeline. trib.al/QTNi704

"There’s no question it's a challenge," @FloridaGators' @ScottStricklin said of the long-term funding model for NCAA Olympic sports. "Football and men's basketball are always going to generate more revenue … and the money follows where the interest is." trib.al/QTNi704