Lawrence Reporter

Douglas County spent $31,129,335 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 29.3% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 20% of all spending for sports teams at the three universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Douglas County have grown 139.9% since 2010.

College football is one of the biggest sports in the U.S., with some college teams eclipsing NFL teams in terms of attendance and profit.

In 2022, after a decades-long fight, student athletes nationwide gained the right to profit from their names, likenesses, and images as a result of a flurry of new state laws and an NCAA policy change.

Year	Football Team's Expenditures	% from grand total sport team expenditures
2023	$31,129,335	20%
2022	$24,080,624	17.9%
2021	$22,436,985	19.7%
2020	$24,386,320	20%
2019	$27,801,968	21.6%