Hickory Sun

Catawba County spent $2,345,241 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, a decrease of 3.4% from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 15.5% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Catawba County have grown 182.2% 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	$2,345,241	15.5%
2022	$2,426,570	17.2%
2021	$2,385,359	18.6%
2020	$2,445,985	19.4%
2019	$2,369,583	19.5%