Columbia Standard

Richland County spent $45,244,798 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 15.1% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 25.9% of all spending for sports teams at the five universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Richland County have grown 67.6% 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	$45,244,798	25.9%
2022	$39,303,025	25%
2021	$44,912,519	32.1%
2020	$35,643,270	24.2%
2019	$37,805,158	25.3%