Tucson Standard

Pima County spent $37,573,337 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 43.2% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 26.9% of all spending for sports teams at the three universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Pima County have grown 62.6% 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	$37,573,337	26.9%
2022	$26,235,948	22%
2021	$25,539,131	27.7%
2020	$21,694,477	25%
2019	$23,047,448	25.9%