Santa Cruz Standard

Santa Cruz County spent $262,069 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase over over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 4.5% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Santa Cruz County have grown 326.7% 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	$262,069	4.5%
2022	$0	0%
2021	$0	0%
2020	$166,678	4%
2019	$102,410	3.3%