Spending on men’s collegiate basketball teams in Baltimore city totaled $5,768,269 in 2024—an 11.4% increase compared with the prior year, data from the U.S. Department of Education show.
The combined total for all county basketball teams reached $10,046,657, with men’s teams accounting for $5,768,269.
Sports expenditures in Baltimore city have risen 122.7% on average since 2010.
Basketball is one of the most popular college sports in the United States alongside football, drawing major fan engagement and television audiences comparable to the NBA. Annual tournaments such as March Madness attract millions of viewers.
College athletics has shifted with new athlete compensation models after a federal settlement permitted schools to share revenue directly with players for the first time. Under the agreement, the NCAA must also pay $2.8 billion over 10 years for back damages owed to athletes from 2016 onward.
By 2022, following continued legal and legislative focus, athletes secured rights to benefit from their names, images and likenesses through updated NCAA policies and state law.
The NCAA earned about $900 million in revenue from media rights for March Madness and affiliated Division I men’s basketball tournaments in fiscal year 2024, keeping basketball as its top revenue generator.
| Year | Basketball team’s expenditures | % from grand total sport team expenditures | Total Sport Team Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,768,269 | 8.3% | $69,471,145 |
| 2023 | $5,176,203 | 8.6% | $59,942,183 |
| 2022 | $4,821,197 | 9.3% | $51,881,384 |
| 2021 | $3,714,449 | 9.2% | $40,568,109 |
| 2020 | $5,230,626 | 10.7% | $48,694,644 |
