Central ND News

Burleigh County's three colleges invested $1,498,777 on their football teams in 2023, a 5.5% decrease in funding from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This represents 15.6% of all money invested on sport teams at the three colleges in the county during 2023.

The average sports expenses at Burleigh County have grown 104.6% since 2010.

University of Mary stood out as the university in Burleigh County which received the most football funding during 2023. The institution received $1,498,777 — or 100% of all the money destined to football teams.

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	$1,498,777	15.6%
2022	$1,585,738	16.7%
2021	$1,446,584	18.1%
2020	$1,283,911	16.7%
2019	$1,352,106	17%