In 2024, Davidson County allocated $15,192,740 to its women’s college basketball teams, reflecting an 8.1% jump over the previous year, U.S. Department of Education records show.
Countywide, basketball programs earned a combined $41,732,987, with women’s teams receiving $15,192,740 of that total.
Since 2010, average sports expenditures in Davidson County have increased by 188.6%.
Basketball stands alongside football as one of the most popular collegiate sports in the country, with flagship NCAA teams attracting fan attendance and television viewers comparable to NBA levels. Annual events like March Madness bring in millions of viewers.
The landscape of college athletics shifted after a federal legal settlement permitted schools to directly distribute revenue to athletes for the first time. The settlement additionally requires the NCAA to disburse $2.8 billion in back damages over 10 years to athletes active since 2016.
Back in 2022, mounting legal and legislative efforts resulted in college athletes being allowed to benefit financially from their names, images and likenesses under revised NCAA policy and new state laws.
The NCAA drew approximately $900 million in revenue from March Madness and Division I men’s basketball media rights in fiscal 2024, making college basketball its biggest financial contributor.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures | Total Sport Team Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $15,192,740 | 7% | $216,746,966 |
| 2023 | $14,048,988 | 7.2% | $194,750,916 |
| 2022 | $13,953,924 | 8% | $173,534,074 |
| 2021 | $9,666,018 | 6.6% | $147,496,284 |
| 2020 | $10,955,776 | 7.8% | $140,892,392 |
Data for this article comes from the U.S. Department of Education. The full source data is available here.
