Springfield City Wire

Hampden County spent $3,327,534 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 0.3% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 11.8% of all spending for sports teams at the seven universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Hampden County have grown 70.8% 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	$3,327,534	11.8%
2022	$3,316,965	11.8%
2021	$1,346,968	5.2%
2020	$3,067,970	12.5%
2019	$3,174,507	12.1%