.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second basket to mark college soccer's initial big trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a succeed they'll be actually commemorating for a long times to come. For the Combating Irish, it's a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a small school coming from an extremely substandard event was actually an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially given that they spent NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This shines a light on some of the lengthiest and very most expensive practices in university volleyball: guarantee games. They are actually additionally gotten in touch with "money activities," "income video games," or, as I as if to phone all of them, "acquire weeks." A costly (and unsafe) traditionFor many years, in the first handful of full weeks of the time, primary university soccer establishments have actually paid out much smaller schools to come to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, much more than $35 thousand was actually invested all over a minimum of 55 warranty activities, depending on to Front end Workplace Sports. Alabama created the largest check to its challenger, Western Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 million. WKU dropped that game 63-- 0, but they most likely attacked the trust the bus ride home and very likely won't hesitate about it.In Week 2, three institutions-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah Condition-- acquired payments larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They shed through a bundled rating of 156-- 3, but they took home a total of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's typically a deal for both crews. The small schools obtain a paycheck, the large universities get another home activity to milk gameday profits. The little college gets to use the huge phase as well as get national visibility, the major one acquires a cupcake on the schedule to begin the year in a sport without any preseason. Therefore all's effectively and also really good up until the lesser crew chooses to present out and take the distress.