Tonight, millions of Americans are expected to tune in to watch one of the biggest sports events of the year, college football’s national championship game. On the field, the game will be determined by the skill of the players and coaches, but behind the scenes, secretive groups of donors are wielding enormous influence over what fans will see.

David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The Times, discusses the shadowy industry upending college football, and how it has brought amateur athletics even closer to the world of professional sports.

Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The best teams that money could buy.
• A shift that allows booster groups to employ student athletes has upended the economics of college football and other sports while giving many donors a tax break.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.