For most countries outside the United States, college sports generate little interest other than for those involved in the activity. However, in the US, college sports are huge and college football is a massive, million dollar industry. Continue below as we look more closely at how college football became an industry juggernaut over the past two decades.
American Football Born in College
The American football of today was born in colleges in the United States. As the number of people attending further education increased in the early to mid-1900s, the game soon started to spread across the country. The National Football League was formed in the 1920s but college football remained more popular up until the 1950s. College football also has ties to historical events and these events mean a lot to people, even today. So, it is fair to say nostalgia has played a role in the development of college football into the behemoth it has become in last two decades. People either attended a college that has an American football team, and they like to return to see the team play or they know someone who is in the team, attends the college, or did one or both of those things in the past. The Fans identify with the university, the city or town, and therefore the team. Fans can even back their team at the sportsbooks thanks to college betting odds and a good sportsbook review will always mention the availability of American football betting.
College Football Finance
If we look back at recent college football season in the United States, it quickly becomes apparent how big the sport has become financially. If we look at the 2022 American football programmes alone from the 65 universities in the top five athletic conferences, they generated over $3 billion. In 2023, the 18 universities in the Big Ten Conference shared over $1 billion from television broadcast money. The Big Ten Conference is regarded by many as being the most prestigious college American football competition in the country and it is delivering huge sums of money for the universities involved.
The coaches of colleges teams in other countries around the world are generally paid a standard salary in line with their fellow tutors at the college. In the US, college football coaches are paid incredible sums of money. In 2022, Nick Saban, coach at the University of Alabama, was paid $11.7 million and Kirby Smart, the head coach at the University of Georgia, was paid $11.25 million.
Unpredictable Nature of College Football
In addition to the tribalistic nature of college football, there is an unpredictability that comes with the games that adds to the excitement for fans. The NFL is high quality because the players are professionals whereas college football is lower in quality because the players are essentially amateurs. However, that leads to more unpredictable games and features players who still have something to prove. The fact players are striving to become something adds to the drama for fans inside the stadium and watching on television. The drama and unpredictability are further reasons why college football has become an industry juggernaut over the past two decades.
