School Spirit: Sports Execs Say College Football Is More Popular Than Ever

A majority of sports execs feel that the popularity of college football is better than ever, according to a Turnkey Sports Poll conducted in November. Sixty-four percent of execs agreed with that sentiment, while 33% said the level of popularity was good. Meanwhile, 57% of execs said the popularity of men’s college basketball was good and 27% said it was better than ever. Forty-two percent of execs said the popularity of all other college sports was fair, with 25% saying good and 23% saying poor. Execs also were asked about the prospects for college athletic departments taking sponsorship sales in-house. Forty-one percent of execs said the majority of D-I schools would bring sales in-house in 3-5 years, while 23% said never (Turnkey Sports).