Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, allocated $8,307,389 to its men’s basketball teams in 2024, putting its spending $6,783,902 above the statewide average of $1,523,487, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
This figure made up 8.3% of SMU’s total athletics expenditures that year.
Since 2010, SMU’s total athletic expenses have grown by 176.1%.
Basketball ranks among the most popular collegiate sports in the United States alongside football, with top NCAA programs attracting fan bases and television viewership on par with NBA levels. March Madness, for example, consistently draws millions of viewers.
College sports have shifted into a new phase of athlete compensation after a federal settlement permitted schools to share revenue directly with players for the first time. The settlement also mandates the NCAA pay $2.8 billion in retroactive damages over a decade to athletes who participated from 2016 onward.
By 2022, following extensive legal and legislative action, student athletes were also authorized to profit from their names, images and likenesses due to state law changes and updated NCAA policies.
The NCAA reported around $900 million in revenue from March Madness and Division I men’s basketball tournament media rights in fiscal year 2024, marking basketball as its largest revenue generator.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $7,373,594 | 10.7% |
| 2021 | $6,421,688 | 9.8% |
| 2022 | $8,143,677 | 10.3% |
| 2023 | $10,618,903 | 12.3% |
| 2024 | $8,307,389 | 8.3% |
