• Loading stock data...
Monday, June 30, 2025

College Football Economic Impacts Vary, True Figures Hard to Determine

  • Football Saturdays bring thousands of people into often small communities to spend money, but the estimates vary widely on how much.
  • According to some reports, businesses in small college towns rely on game days for 50% of their annual revenue.
A Cornhuskers Fan watches a Nebraska football game while wearing a hat shaped like corn on the cob.
Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

College football can be an economic driver for the communities that surround Power 5 universities, so towns across the Big Ten and Pac-12 could face dire outlooks this fall.

The conferences announced on Aug. 11 they won’t be playing football or other sports this fall, meaning some communities might miss out on more than an estimated $100 million in economic impact from the football seasons. There are, however, multiple ways to reach those figures and, depending on how they’re looked at, the news of no football might not be as catastrophic as expected.

Before diving too far into the numbers from across the country, Victor Matheson, an economics and accounting professor at the College of the Holy Cross, adds some context. He used the University of Nebraska as an example. The Cornhuskers’ Memorial Stadium would be the second-largest city in Nebraska eight weekends a fall, making up a significant chunk of the athletic department’s approximately $135 million in revenue. 

The university’s budget as a whole? $2.7 billion.

“College sports are simultaneously huge and tiny,” Matheson said.

Additionally, looking at numbers from across the country, economists, research groups and chambers of commerce have come to impact figures ranging from $2 million per home game to nearly $20 million. Those figures, of course, were in times from before a pandemic when fans could freely congregate in large numbers. 

Those figures were already likely to come down based on fans and how they feel about their health and safety, alongside government mandates that will likely restrict stadium capacities. While it remains to be seen, the hope a college football season could help buoy the communities economically after a devastating pandemic — it seems unlikely.

Economic impact numbers vary so widely depending on the goals of who’s doing the measuring, Matheson said. 

“The non-cynical answer is: This is hard and it’s hard to measure all of these things because economies are complex and adding up all the stuff that happens is hard to do even with the best economists,” he said. “A more cynical answer: It depends on what people are doing with the data. If it’s to get an honest idea of what happens in the economy, they come up with low numbers, if they are trying to come up with numbers that justify an expenditure, there is incentive to inflate.”

Vrushank Nayak

The Cornhuskers are reportedly trying to defect from the Big Ten to still play a season this fall. According to the UNL Bureau of Business Research, each Nebraska home game in 2013-14 resulted in an economic boost of $5 million for Lincoln, Neb.

According to the Detroit News, estimated home game impacts to their respective communities include $12 million for University of Michigan, $15 million for Ohio State University, $16 million for University of Wisconsin and $16 million for University of Iowa. That same story suggests Lincoln receives a boost of $12 million.

Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium is approximately the size of Iowa City and contributes a reported $100.1 million to the local economy during a seven-game home schedule.

Penn State’s impact on State College, Pa., is also significant, as reported in a more anecdotal account in the Altoona Mirror. A seven-home game autumn accounts for 16% of area hotel revenue. 

“Football season makes up about 75% of our fall income. Without football season many businesses here may not make it,” Lion’s Pride managing partner Steve Moyer told the Mirror.

Now that the Big Ten and Pac-12 have postponed their seasons, those communities can wrap their heads around a fall without football Saturdays. Communities across the Big 12, SEC and ACC are still holding out hope for their economic boons.

Super Bowl LIV

Cities on Lockdown Waiting and Hoping for Major Sports Events Windfall

Major sports events have a way of helping cushion the blow for…
April 7, 2020

Community desperation emanates from Clemson, S.C., where Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce President Susan Cohen puts a $2 million figure to the local economy on game days. Some Clemson area businesses reportedly bring in 50% of their revenue during the Tigers’ home games.

In Waco, Texas, Baylor athletics reportedly contributes $373.3 million to the local economy, according to the Waco Tribune. But city officials seemed to have a different take.

“If we weren’t gonna have football this year or had significantly lower attendance, certainly, you’ll see some of that ripple through the local economy and tourism and restaurants and things of that nature,” City Manager Bradley Ford told the Tribune. “But it won’t be what I would deem a ‘substantial hit’ to the local economy.”

Matheson and a colleague have looked at Power 5 football programs in the past, attempting to find the difference of years when there were extra home games versus fewer. 

“When we did that, we were looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said. “The haystacks are smaller; you’re not looking at the impact of the Yankees on New York, you’re looking at Madison, Boulder, Champaign-Urbana. SEC is even better for that with all those tiny towns.”

But the results of that research had essentially no difference. The two economists did get a more detailed report from looking at Tallahassee and Gainesville, home of Florida State and Florida.

“Much more detailed, haystack even smaller and we took away the economic impact of $2 million per home game,” he said. “That was 10 years ago, so it’ll be a little higher, but it’s within the ballpark of some of those studies that say it’s $2 million. That’s a reasonable estimate.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

College Sports Revenue-Sharing Underway As More Changes Loom

July 1 marks the first day schools can directly pay players.
Nov 23, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium.

Rape Suit Against QB Retzlaff Dismissed, but He’s Still Leaving BYU

Retzlaff admitted to “consensual” sex, violating BYU’s strict honor code.
Jun 10, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) drops back to pass during minicamp at their South Side facility.
opinion

Steelers Win-Now Mode Is Good News for NFL Media Partners

The conservative “Steeler Way” has finally adapted—and media partners are happy.

Pac-12 Hits Football Membership Threshold With Texas State Entry

The school is paying $5 million to leave the Sun Belt Conference.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.
Mar 23, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Baylor Bears guard Jeremy Roach (3) reacts after a play during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center.

Power Four Put Finishing Touches on How Revenue Sharing Era Will Work

The agreement stipulates that schools can’t sue to challenge any terms of the settlement.
Sep 16, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Sacramento State Hornets running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver (25) celebrates after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium.
June 25, 2025

Sacramento State ‘Full Steam Ahead’ for FBS Despite Not Receiving NCAA Waiver

The Hornets launched a public campaign to join the FBS last fall.
June 26, 2025

Pac-12 Rebuild Nears Completion With 2026 Texas State Addition

The Sun Belt school is likely joining the Pac-12 in 2026.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
Jun 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina infielder Jackson Van De Brake (6) and outfielder Carter French (18) celebrate an out during the first inning of the Super Regionals game against Arizona in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
June 25, 2025

Most Power Conference Sports Won’t See Revenue-Sharing Dollars

But there is a silver lining for Olympic sports: more scholarships.
June 23, 2025

Colleges Are Raising Student Fees to Pay for Athlete Revenue-Sharing

Schools are preparing to pay student athletes up to $20.5 million annually.
Dec 27, 2024; San Diego, CA, USA; The Washington State Cougars ban perform during the second half at the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
June 23, 2025

Pac-12 Announces CBS As ‘Anchor’ in New Media-Rights Deal

The league may announce expansion before finalizing the rest of the package.
Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) dribbles the ball upcourt against the North Texas Mean Green during the first half at Dickies Arena
June 22, 2025

NIL Is Shrinking the Pool of NBA Draft Entrants

Agents are now advising many players to stay in school.