Spending on men’s basketball teams at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana reached $1,525,642 in 2024, exceeding the state average of $1,482,488 by $43,154, data from the U.S. Department of Education shows.
This figure represented 19.4% of the university’s total athletic expenditures in 2024.
Overall sports-related expenses at the University of New Orleans have grown by 117.5% since 2010.
Basketball ranks among the most popular college sports in the United States, alongside football, with top NCAA programs generating strong fan support and TV audiences that can be comparable to those for the NBA. Competitions such as March Madness attract millions of viewers each year.
The landscape of college athletics changed when a federal settlement authorized schools to share revenue directly with athletes for the first time. The settlement also directs the NCAA to pay $2.8 billion over a 10-year period in back damages to athletes who participated from 2016 onward.
In 2022, following years of mounting legal and legislative efforts, athletes also secured the right to earn money from their names, images and likenesses through a change in NCAA policy and new state laws.
The NCAA brought in about $900 million from March Madness and other Division I men’s basketball tournament media rights during its fiscal 2024, making basketball its top revenue source.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $1,009,631 | 16.5% |
| 2021 | $952,898 | 14% |
| 2022 | $1,685,729 | 20.8% |
| 2023 | $1,549,938 | 18.2% |
| 2024 | $1,525,642 | 19.4% |
Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
