COVID-19 and Collegiate Athletics
Exploring the Implications of the Pandemic on FBS and FCS Athletic Department Finances
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.3065-7369.2024.1.1.1-19Keywords:
COVID-19, college athletics, athletics revenues, expensesAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on American institutions of higher education. The suspension of in-person learning, closed dormitories, and canceled events led to widespread worries about the impact of the pandemic on institutional finances. Concerns subsequently spread to include apprehensions regarding how the pandemic would affect college athletics budgets. Using data from the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, this paper analyzes the financial impact of COVID-19 on the revenues and costs of Division I athletics departments. The results show that revenues fell across most athletic departments, with the greatest declines occurring in those institutions with the highest revenues prior to the pandemic. Although costs also fell during the pandemic for most institutions, these reductions did not fully cover losses in revenue for all institutions and, therefore, required some universities to increase subsidies from other institutional sources or student fees.
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