During 2024, Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans allocated $614,622 for its women’s basketball programs, which is $631,320 below the state’s average spend of $1,245,942, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
This figure represented 8.6% of the university’s total sports team expenses for 2024.
Xavier University of Louisiana has seen its overall sports spending grow by 214.4% since 2010.
Basketball remains one of the most popular collegiate sports nationwide, rivaling football in fan support and TV viewership, with major NCAA programs attracting audiences comparable to the NBA. March Madness tournaments draw millions of viewers annually.
College sports have entered a new phase of athlete compensation following a federal settlement that for the first time lets universities directly share revenue with athletes. The settlement also obligates the NCAA to provide $2.8 billion in back damages over 10 years to those who played from 2016 onward.
In 2022, after extended legal and legislative challenges, athletes were also granted the ability to earn compensation from their names, images and likenesses due to state statutes and a revised NCAA policy.
The NCAA collected approximately $900 million in revenue from March Madness and related Division I men’s basketball tournament media rights during fiscal 2024, marking basketball as its primary revenue generator.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $755,014 | 20.6% |
| 2021 | $778,012 | 16.6% |
| 2022 | $686,759 | 12% |
| 2023 | $599,201 | 8.3% |
| 2024 | $614,622 | 8.6% |
Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
