Chicago City Wire

Cook County spent $44,354,200 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 14.1% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 17.2% of all spending for sports teams at the 27 universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Cook County have grown 106.3% 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	$44,354,200	17.2%
2022	$38,876,660	16.6%
2021	$32,821,015	17%
2020	$36,189,435	16.3%
2019	$35,148,946	16.2%