By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
September 6, 2013
Though the future of the NCAA is in question, one thing that remains undeniable is how big of a business college football is. TV rights fees are rapidly nearing pro levels, as ESPN has paid more than $10 billion for college football broadcast rights in the last five years alone, according to the New York Times.
And it’s not just TV revenue that’s driving the sport. High-tech stadiums, such as the new HKS-designed Amon Carter Stadium at Texas Christian University and the University of Washington’s $250 million renovation of Husky Stadium have added up to $2.35 billion worth of college football construction from 2012-2014, according to numbers compiled by Sports Business Journal. Add in the number of jobs created by these renovations and new builds, as well as surrounding infrastructure, additional seating/ticketing capacity, and university endowments, and you have an economic impact conservatively nearing $5 billion just for a handful of years of nationwide stadium construction alone.
