.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second basket to mark university regulation football's first large trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a gain they'll be celebrating for several years to come. For the Battling Irish, it's a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny school from a vastly poor conference was a discomfort for Notre Dame.Especially since they paid NIU $1.4 million to accomplish it.This shines a lighting on one of the longest and also very most pricey traditions in college volleyball: promise games. They're likewise gotten in touch with "money activities," "payday activities," or, as I just like to contact all of them, "purchase full weeks." An expensive (and also high-risk) traditionFor years, in the very first couple of full weeks of the time, primary college soccer companies have actually paid out smaller schools to come to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, much more than $35 thousand was spent throughout at the very least 55 promise games, depending on to Front end Workplace Sports. Alabama composed the most significant check to its own enemy, Western Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that activity 63-- 0, yet they probably attacked the trust the bus flight home and also very likely won't hesitate about it.In Full week 2, 3 colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and Utah State-- got payouts larger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped through a bundled credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's normally a deal for both crews. The tiny universities acquire a salary, the huge schools acquire an additional home game to milk gameday income. The tiny institution comes to use the big stage and acquire nationwide visibility, the major one receives a dish on the timetable to start the year in a sport without any preseason. Therefore all's well and also really good till the minimal staff decides to reveal out and draw the distress.