Loyola University New Orleans allocated $954,272 to its women’s basketball teams in 2024, which is $291,670 less than the Louisiana state average of $1,245,942, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.
This figure represented 8.5% of the university’s total athletic spending in 2024.
Since 2010, Loyola University New Orleans sports-related expenses overall have climbed by 594.7%.
Basketball remains among the most popular collegiate sports in the U.S., alongside football, as top NCAA programs generate strong fan engagement and television ratings that rival NBA audiences. Annual events like March Madness draw millions of viewers coast to coast.
The structure of college athletics is shifting after a federal settlement permitted schools to share revenue with athletes for the first time. Under this agreement, the NCAA must also provide $2.8 billion in back damages over a 10-year span for athletes who participated from 2016 onward.
In 2022, college athletes became eligible to benefit financially from their names, images and likenesses following changes to state regulations and NCAA policy.
The NCAA reported revenue of around $900 million from media rights related to March Madness and the Division I men’s basketball tournament in fiscal 2024, making basketball its biggest income source.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $773,801 | 13.1% |
| 2021 | $833,620 | 10.9% |
| 2022 | $850,698 | 10.3% |
| 2023 | $914,018 | 9.3% |
| 2024 | $954,272 | 8.5% |
Details used in this story were sourced from the U.S. Department of Education. View the original data here.
