Santa Cruz County spent $281,792 on women’s collegiate basketball teams in 2023, representing a 21.8% increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Overall, basketball teams in the county received a total of $672,783, with women’s teams receiving $281,792.
Since 2010, the average sports expenses in Santa Cruz County have grown 326.7%.
Basketball is one of the most popular sports played at U.S. colleges, as well as football. NCAA basketball teams are often as popular as NBA teams, and offer a different experience for fans.
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.
The basketball fund received around 168.57 million dollars from NCAA revenue in 2020–21.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures | Total Sport Team Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $281,792 | 4.8% | $5,852,185 |
| 2022 | $231,280 | 4.5% | $5,111,378 |
| 2021 | $0 | 0% | $3,504,723 |
| 2020 | $246,544 | 5.8% | $4,215,404 |
| 2019 | $195,347 | 6.3% | $3,120,195 |
