Southeast Montana News

Yellowstone County spent $2,395,858 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 18.3% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 16.2% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Yellowstone County have grown 94.2% 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	$2,395,858	16.2%
2022	$2,025,140	15.8%
2021	$1,850,568	16.9%
2020	$1,616,552	14.5%
2019	$1,451,495	13%