The county’s men’s collegiate basketball programs had expenditures totaling $57,178,103 in 2024, reflecting a 13.7% jump from the prior year, data from the U.S. Department of Education show.
Across Los Angeles County, basketball teams overall collected $91,034,409 in funding, with men’s teams accounting for $57,178,103 of the total.
A review of county data since 2010 indicates sports expenses have increased by 159.4%.
Basketball remains a major collegiate sport in the United States along with football, as top NCAA programs draw enthusiastic fan bases and television audiences rivaling those for the NBA. Annual events such as March Madness attract millions of viewers nationwide.
College sports have entered a new era in athlete compensation after a federal settlement authorized schools to share revenue directly with student-athletes. The settlement also compels the NCAA to pay $2.8 billion in retroactive damages over 10 years to athletes who played from 2016 onward.
Starting in 2022, after substantial legal and legislative developments, athletes began earning money from the use of their names, images, and likenesses through adjustments in state law and NCAA rules.
The NCAA reported approximately $900 million in revenue from media rights to March Madness and related events in the Division I men’s basketball tournament during fiscal year 2024, underscoring basketball’s position as its top revenue generator.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures | Total Sport Team Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $57,178,103 | 8.7% | $660,109,507 |
| 2023 | $50,272,703 | 8.6% | $582,869,428 |
| 2022 | $45,338,287 | 8.6% | $527,242,273 |
| 2021 | $29,666,548 | 8.6% | $345,713,985 |
| 2020 | $40,510,956 | 9.2% | $442,419,959 |
Figures in this report come from the U.S. Department of Education. The original dataset is available here.
