Albany Standard

Dougherty County spent $1,322,022 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 5.5% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 36% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Dougherty County have grown 70.5% since 2010.

College football is one of the biggest sports in the U.S., with some college teams eclipsing NFL teams in terms of attendance and profit.

In 2022, after a decades-long fight, student athletes nationwide gained the right to profit from their names, likenesses, and images as a result of a flurry of new state laws and an NCAA policy change.

Year	Football Team's Expenditures	% from grand total sport team expenditures
2023	$1,322,022	36%
2022	$1,253,302	31.4%
2021	$826,051	30%
2020	$942,893	25.8%
2019	$1,160,234	30.5%