In 2024, Northeastern University in Boston allocated $3,786,318 to its men’s basketball programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education. This figure is $3,053,409 higher than Massachusetts’s average spending of $732,909 for men’s basketball teams.
This allocation comprised 9.7% of all athletic team spending at the university for the 2024 fiscal year.
Northeastern University’s overall sports expenditures have risen 75% since 2010.
Basketball remains among the most popular college sports nationwide alongside football, with leading NCAA programs attracting substantial crowds and broadcast audiences similar to NBA levels. The annual March Madness tournament draws millions of viewers each season.
College sports programs have entered a new phase of player compensation after a federal settlement permitted direct revenue sharing with athletes. The settlement also mandates $2.8 billion in back payments over 10 years for athletes competing from 2016 onward.
In 2022, after significant legal and legislative developments, college athletes were permitted to earn compensation from their names, images and likenesses through various state laws and NCAA policy updates.
The NCAA earned about $900 million in revenue from broadcast rights for the 2024 March Madness and associated Division I men’s basketball events, making this sport the group’s primary financial resource.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $3,268,339 | 10.8% |
| 2021 | $3,020,876 | 10.3% |
| 2022 | $3,384,972 | 9.9% |
| 2023 | $3,733,297 | 10.3% |
| 2024 | $3,786,318 | 9.7% |
Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
