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An Associated Press report reminded us this week that 65 percent of our most recent Olympians and 80 percent of London's American medal winners were products of college athletics.

The United States Olympic Team leans heavily on the NCAA, which leans almost entirely on football and men's basketball players, who increasingly call for a more appropriate share of the wealth.

Resulting reforms now endanger the nonrevenue teams that produce and support our Olympians.

And the USOC has a serious problem.

But it seems some are using that to resist compensating football and basketball players, and they don't have much of an argument.

At the University of Utah, according to the U.S. Department of Education, revenue less expenses were $20.7 million for football and $2.4 million for men's basketball in 2013-14.

All other teams — including a rare third revenue generator, women's gymnastics — combined to lose $9.5 million.

If you were to divide those profits by the number of scholarships on each team, a Utah football player can be said to have earned the school $245,000, and each Runnin' Ute brought in $185,000.

Admittedly, that's oversimplifying. Coaches, support staff and walk-ons also played a role in generating that $23 million.

The point is that next year, when the U. provides so-called "cost of attendance" checks to all of its scholarship student-athletes — allowed by a recent NCAA reform — senior quarterback Travis Wilson may receive the same $3,000 as a full scholarship swimmer who, if we're honest, is currently subsidized by the football team's performance.

Let's ignore for a moment that we probably don't really NEED more Olympic medals — that historically we've won more than 15 percent of them even though we account for under 4.5 percent of the world population, and that it likely brings more total joy to the world if Poland wins the 400 IM.

Even assuming that it's a noble goal for the U.S. to be better than everybody at everything all the time, should that burden really fall to Travis Wilson?

There's value to nonrevenue sports. There's an unquantifiable trickle-down benefit to imbuing more citizens of this world with leadership and work ethic and a drive for excellence.

I just think somebody else — not fellow student-athletes — needs to foot the bill.

We're almost certain to see more teams cut in sports like men's wrestling and men's gymnastics, and with that, more doe-eyed pleas from the likes of NCAA President Mark Emmert, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun to consider those athletes when we weight the merits of pending reforms.

But Emmert made $1.7 million in 2012-13, according to the AP. Scott made north of $3 million in 2011-12. Blackmun earned $1.3 million in 2013.

Those three alone made more last year than the USOC granted to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association ($4.7 million, per AP) or USA Track and Field ($3.1 million), and working under each are a trove of executives who benefit from skyrocketing TV revenues.

If they want nonrevenue athletes to receive the support they need to someday stand atop an Olympic medals podium, and also to treat football and men's basketball players fairly, then there's good news for them.

They don't have to cut anything.

Except their own paychecks.

mpiper@sltrib.com Twitter: @matthew_piper