Buckeyes Take Top Spot Among Athletic Revenue In 2022

The Buckeyes earn the top spot in total revenue for the fiscal 2022 year.

Ohio State is filled with riches in terms of athletics. The program is also simply rich regarding the brass tax of terms. 

According to USA TODAY, Ohio State was named the top program in terms of athletic revenue for the 2022 fiscal year, garnering roughly $251 million in earnings. Texas, which came up the rear in second, was $12 million behind at $239 million. 

The Buckeyes also topped USA TODAY's list in total expenses at $225.7 million, surpassing programs like Texas, Alabama, Michigan and LSU for the No. 1 ranking. When looking at the total numbers, Ohio State's athletic department made an estimated profit of $25 million in 2022, ranking just behind two-time defending national champion Georgia at over $34 million.

Ohio State released its annual financial report following in January, which showed the school's athletic revenue between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Per the University's report, the athletic department generated its total revenue from $59.6 million in ticket sales, roughly $63 million in contributions, $48.9 million in media rights and $30.1 million in royalties, licensing, advertisements and sponsorships.

Buckeyes football, one of the biggest revenue boosters for the school, took the top spot in both revenue ($109.2 million) and expenses ($69.1 million) for a net profit of roughly $40.1 million. Men's basketball and wrestling were the only two other sports that brought in over $1 million in revenue. 

The competition between the Big Ten and SEC goes beyond the status of a football field or basketball court. The combined revenue reported by the 13 public schools in each league topped $2 billion, with the SEC nudging out the Big Ten, $2.17 billion to $2.04 billion.

Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State represented the Big Ten among the top 10 programs in annual revenue, each earning more than $181.2 in total revenue. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M and Florida were listed in the top 10 among SEC programs, each bringing in over $190.4 million in revenue. 

The list compiled was only among public universities, excluding programs like Notre Dame, USC, and other private schools. The SEC could take a significant jump over the Big Ten by 2025 with the arrival of public programs in Texas and Oklahoma for the 2024 season. The Big Ten will also expand to 16 programs with the arrivals of USC and UCLA, though only 14 schools will be listed in the combined total revenue. 

---

Be sure to stay locked into BuckeyesNow all the time!

Join the BuckeyesNow community!

Subscribe to the BuckeyesNow YouTube channel

Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: @BuckeyesNow_FN

Follow BuckeyesNow on Instagram: @BuckeyesNow_FN

Like and follow BuckeyesNow on Facebook