As a 29 year resident of Louisiana let me try to explain something that I don’t think y’all will ever fully comprehend. You guys are HUGE fans no doubt but you don’t need it or live it the way these people do. You guys have things to do and a life outside of sports. It could be going to your ranchettes on the weekends, floating the river, going to the coast, visiting the hill country, academia, etc etc etc.
On the flip side, most of these poor broke &$@$@ers don’t have much more than a pot to piss in. They’ve scored last on the happiness index for 4 of the last 5 years. It’s a hot , humid state and if you don’t make real money or you don’t follow your kids around for travel ball you don’t have f@ck sh!t to do here. LSU is life. They’re going to spend more money per capita than the state of Texas or face a revolt in the streets. The state government understands this as well as the high heeled donors.
In a nutshell if you’re not one of the haves over here you live a miserable life. The powers that be fund LSU to keep the populace happy. It’s sort of like a zookeeper throwing a side of beef into a tiger cage to keep them fat and sassy.
Before you ask I’ve been in the oil/gas industry for 30 years next January and as a consultant I’m fortunately one of the haves that’s able to travel, afford private schools, and live a much more vibrant life then most of I’d have left long ago.