Pensacola Times

Escambia County spent $2,248,658 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 9.8% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 16% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Escambia County have grown 149.6% 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	$2,248,658	16%
2022	$2,048,195	15.5%
2021	$0	0%
2020	$2,185,066	17%
2019	$1,988,428	15.9%