SE Ohio Times

Athens County spent $10,541,475 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 10.2% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 33.9% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Athens County have dropped 31.1% since 2010.

College football is one of the biggest sports in the U.S., with some college teams eclipsing NFL teams in terms of attendance and profit.

In 2022, after a decades-long fight, student athletes nationwide gained the right to profit from their names, likenesses, and images as a result of a flurry of new state laws and an NCAA policy change.

Year	Football Team's Expenditures	% from grand total sport team expenditures
2023	$10,541,475	33.9%
2022	$9,569,294	33.6%
2021	$6,414,028	28.8%
2020	$9,060,405	33.6%
2019	$9,373,104	32.4%