Dive Brief:
- A handful of school districts around the country have pro-style stadiums that seat more than 10,000 fans and generate advertising revenue and community pride – so much so that voters are willing to back multimillion-dollar construction plans.
- District Administration reports Allen High School’s Eagle Stadium in Texas earns $1.5 million each year for the school, seating 18,000 and employing close to 100 students at concession stands while also providing space for physical education, wrestling and golf team practices.
- Some schools are earning extra revenue through naming rights, advertising and sponsorships in their stadiums and on high-tech video scoreboards, and while most schools do not earn enough off sports programs to cover the costs, some are turning a profit.
Dive Insight:
At the college level, there has long been attention on the money poured into athletics. Like at the high school level, few schools make money off their programs, but the Division I teams that make huge profits and generate a sense of alumni loyalty create outcomes to strive for. Unfortunately, it is the teams that make money for their school that attract the most student spectators, while the student bodies who are most uninterested in sports end up spending more to maintain the programs.
In the zero-sum game of educational budgets, the question inevitably becomes whether high-cost sports facilities are worth it. What other educational opportunities are being taken away to fund football teams, for example? Yet proponents argue participation in athletics teaches students important life skills like teamwork and perseverance.