THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports that Final Four teams lose six-figure sums of cash every year due to onerous fees and forced purchases while losing the chance at the best seats in the house, while the NCAA gives those to a ticket reselling Web site and splits the profits with the Web site. Thanks for bringing down the non-salary labor, schools!

North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas officials were pleased to speak on the record about being forced to pay for empty hotel rooms out by Hartford International Airport in Atlanta (four-night minimum) when hotels near the Georgia Dome cost less or how tickets once available to the schools now end up with RazorGator at a premium.

Each official carefully started each complaint with assurances that the NCAA wanted the best for all the schools and that they just had a few questions about why certain rules existed. All hail Ming from Indianapolis and all that.

Also, the NCAA was quick to comment that increased admissions applications, merchandise sales, and donors desperate to be part of the winning tradition also offset any perceived losses. (Of course, the admissions departments of those schools may disagree.)

In the end, there’s just very public business negotiations about how to divvy up hundreds of millions of dollars of hard-earned money under the guise of looking out for the beloved student-athlete. Meanwhile, those scholarships don’t go as far as you’d believe, especially considering the brutal work days involved. Classy as always, gentlemen.