During 2024, Harris County committed $8,707,150 to women’s collegiate basketball programs, reflecting a 12.5% gain compared to the previous year, statistics from the U.S. Department of Education show.
Total funding for all basketball teams in the county stood at $29,180,277, with women’s teams accounting for $8,707,150 of that amount.
Sports program expenditures in Harris County have increased 151.2% since 2010.
Basketball remains one of the most followed college sports in the United States alongside football, as large NCAA programs draw substantial fan bases and television ratings comparable to those of the NBA. Prestigious tournaments such as March Madness attract millions of viewers yearly.
College sports are undergoing changes in athlete compensation after a federal settlement authorized schools to share revenue directly with players for the first time. Under this agreement, the NCAA must also distribute $2.8 billion in back payments across 10 years to athletes who competed dating back to 2016.
In 2022, following years of legal action and legislative attention, a policy shift enabled athletes to profit from their own names, images and likenesses due to both state law and new NCAA regulations.
The NCAA reported earning about $900 million in revenue from March Madness and related Division I men’s basketball media rights in fiscal 2024, making basketball the organization’s leading revenue stream.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures | Total Sport Team Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $8,707,150 | 4.3% | $200,246,137 |
| 2023 | $7,739,533 | 4.4% | $174,467,933 |
| 2022 | $7,542,317 | 4.8% | $157,716,406 |
| 2021 | $6,975,039 | 5.1% | $136,200,300 |
| 2020 | $8,010,993 | 5.6% | $143,324,999 |
