.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second field goal to notch university soccer's very first huge distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a gain they'll be commemorating for several years ahead. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a small institution coming from an extremely inferior conference was actually an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they paid out NIU $1.4 thousand to do it.This beams a lighting on one of the longest and very most costly heritages in university soccer: assurance activities. They're additionally gotten in touch with "funds games," "paycheck video games," or, as I like to contact them, "buy weeks." A costly (as well as unsafe) traditionFor decades, in the initial few full weeks of the season, primary university soccer institutions have paid smaller sized institutions to find to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, much more than $35 thousand was actually spent throughout at the very least 55 promise video games, depending on to Face Workplace Athletics. Alabama composed the largest examination to its opponent, Western Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that game 63-- 0, however they perhaps attacked the trust the bus trip home and probably will not reconsider it.In Week 2, three schools-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah State-- obtained payouts larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a bundled credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home an overall of $4.85 million in the process.It's generally a deal for each crews. The little schools get an income, the huge schools get another home video game to dairy gameday profits. The small institution gets to play on the major stage and also receive national exposure, the huge one gets a cupcake on the timetable to begin the year in a sport with no preseason. Therefore all's properly and great up until the lesser group makes a decision to present out and draw the upset.