In 2024, Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston allocated $149,512 to its women’s basketball programs, $383,414 short of the Massachusetts average expenditure of $532,926, data from the U.S. Department of Education show.
This figure equaled 4.4% of total athletic team spending by the institution in 2024.
The school’s overall sports-related costs have climbed 164.6% since 2010.
Basketball ranks among the most-watched collegiate sports in the U.S., alongside football, with top NCAA teams attracting major fan followings and TV audiences occasionally on par with the NBA. Tournaments like March Madness routinely draw millions of viewers, according to NCAA data.
College sports are in a new phase of athlete compensation after a federal settlement permitted direct revenue sharing between schools and players for the first time. The agreement also makes the NCAA pay $2.8 billion over 10 years to athletes who participated from 2016 onward.
In 2022, following extended legal and legislative efforts, college athletes were also given the right to profit from their names, images and likenesses stemming from an NCAA policy revision and state law changes.
The NCAA made about $900 million from media rights agreements tied to March Madness and Division I men’s basketball tournaments during fiscal 2024, marking basketball as its leading revenue stream.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $97,641 | 3.3% |
| 2021 | $54,703 | 2.1% |
| 2022 | $97,269 | 3% |
| 2023 | $140,747 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $149,512 | 4.4% |
This report is based on data from the U.S. Department of Education. Access the source material here.
