Ohio State University’s athletic program surpassed the University of Alabama as the second largest revenue producing program in the country.
OSU’s athletic revenue topped $170.9 million in fiscal year 2014. Only the University of Texas brought in more money from sports, with about $180 million, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
The Buckeyes increased sports revenue by about $27 million, or 16 percent last year. Meanwhile, the 2015 NCAA football champs increased its football revenue by 21 percent to $83.5 million – which ranks 9th in the country.
“This is a reflection of our outstanding program and our excellent coaches and student athletes,” said OSU Athletics Director Gene Smith in a prepared statement to this newspaper. “The exciting thing is that this revenue benefits the academic mission for all of the university.”
OSU officials also said winning the first ever College Football Playoff tournament had a positive impact on its revenue.
While OSU’s revenue surged, its rival went down. In 2014, the University of Michigan dropped 2.7 percent to $132.3 million – the largest drop of any school ranked in the top 10.
Of the 10 largest athletic programs in the country, OSU had the most revenue from basketball. The university’s men’s and women’s basketball teams brought in a combined $25 million, up 11.7 percent.
Combined, men’s football and basketball accounted for 63 percent of OSU’s total revenue last year.
Here’s the breakdown for other sports at Ohio State in 2014: baseball, $337,752; track, $185,833; diving, $58,200; fencing, $80,097; field hockey, $101,463; golf, $799,651; gymnastics, $272,303; ice hockey, $894,018; lacrosse, $982,038; rifle, $30,183; rowing, $88,065; soccer, $378,251; softball, $155,849; swimming, $357,093; synchronized swimming, $33,409; tennis, $83,043; volleyball, $345,787; wrestling, $910,421; other sports, $25,390.
Contact this reporter at 937-225-2352 or email Lance.Lambert@coxinc.com
Copyright 2015 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Dayton Daily News (Ohio).
Ohio State enrollment is 64.8K; Alabama is 36K
Population of Ohio is 11.5K; Alabama is 4.8
Alabama has two or more major football teams in the state at that population.
I don’t have a “favorite” team; yet I look at the leaders and program. When looking at revenue you have to consider the support numbers. How many fans do Ohio State and Alabama have across the nation is another factor.
Money matters, but so do numbers of people to choose from. That is why High Schools have divisions determined by the number of students.
What is the intent of this article? The Big Ten and their politics seems to be pushing for greater notoriety. One question we could ask, “How much money is donated or what programs are in effect to/for wounded veterans and children from the 10 largest college sports organizations/programs?” That would be a good article.