I know the athletic departments of big universities bring in a lot of cash. I did not know they brought this much into their Universities.  The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the University of Michigan (U of M) reported that their athletic department recorded a deficit of more than $47.6 million dollars in 2021.

The reported deficit by U of M did not surprise me after another year of Covid-19 shutdowns and the banning of their fans from attending some of their sporting events.  What surprised me was how much money U of M actually brought into the University.

It is being reported that the U of M’s athletic department actually made $101,236,069 but it cost them $148,862,376 to create that revenue.  U of M reported that the main reason for their deficit came from a lack of ticket sales and contributions to their athletic department.

Where did the revenue come from?

  • ticket sales brought in approximately $54,168,000
  • media rights brought in $34,893,568
  • royalties, licensing, advertising and sponsorships brought in $28,533,853
  • contributions brought in $13,042,888
  • athletics restricted endowment and investments income brought in $6,238,944
  • conference distributions of football bowl brought in $6,092,887

Which teams brought in the most money?

  • the football program brought in $37,049,086
  • the men’s basketball program brought in $11,386,430
  • the women’s basketball program brought in only $262,160

As many people know big-time university athletic programs do bring in quite a bit of cash to the schools but did you know they brought in this much?  Many people wonder why the football coaches at these universities get paid so much money.  Now you know, because they generate that much money for their colleges and universities.

The football and basketball programs at these universities carry the rest of the athletic programs that generate losses each year.

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