
In college stadiums around the country, football games this fall have looked a little different than they used to, thanks to the influx of cash in college sports and the priorities of the affluent sports fan.
There has been an explosion of money in college sports in recent years. Athletic department revenue reached nearly $12 billion in 2024, according to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database. Around $931 million of that came, in part, from concession sales.