Fisher College in Boston, Massachusetts, allocated $187,789 to its men’s basketball teams in 2024, which is $545,120 below the Massachusetts state average of $732,909, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
This represented 12.5% of the institution’s total athletic spending for the year.
Fisher College’s sports-related expenses have risen 120.1% since 2010.
Basketball remains among the most popular college sports in the United States alongside football, with leading NCAA programs attracting large fan bases and TV viewership comparable to the NBA. Tournaments like March Madness continue to draw millions of viewers annually.
A recent federal settlement marked a shift in college athletics, allowing schools to directly share revenue with players for the first time. The agreement also stipulates the NCAA must pay $2.8 billion in back damages over 10 years to athletes who competed from 2016 onward.
In 2022, after extended legislative and legal efforts, athletes gained rights to earn money from their names, images and likenesses through new state laws and updated NCAA policy.
The NCAA took in about $900 million in revenue from March Madness and related Division I men’s tournament media rights in fiscal year 2024, making basketball its top revenue source.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $170,224 | 13.2% |
| 2021 | $54,152 | 6.5% |
| 2022 | $122,235 | 9.8% |
| 2023 | $228,074 | 14.4% |
| 2024 | $187,789 | 12.5% |
Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
