Clemson Football Generating Nearly $50M Annually

Clemson's football program has “raised revenue to new heights each year," making it now a nearly $50M business annually, according to Manie Robinson of the GREENVILLE NEWS. The football program “generated at least” $43M each season from '12-17 and peaked at $54.2M in '16, when Clemson won its first CFP title. While the athletic department is a division of the university, financially, it “operates without assistance" from the school. The funds used for scholarships, coaches’ salaries and stadium upgrades "come from a different collection plate than the funds used for professor salaries, research and dorm upgrades.” The football program generated $53.9M during the '17-18 academic year, $22.9M “more than it produced” in '09, Dabo Swinney’s first full season as coach. Football accounted for 42% of the "total revenue the athletic department reported” in '17-18 and generated 312% more revenue than both basketball programs. Ticket sales “supply the largest chunk of football revenue.” Clemson “reported a program-record” $24.9M in ticket revenue for the '17 season. The ACC “distributes an equal amount of revenue” from media rights to its member schools. In '17, Clemson reported that figure at $26.97M “for the entire program,” of which the football program accounted for $16.3M of that total. Through its Nike sponsorship and partnership with the marketing firm JMI Sports, Clemson produced $13.6M “from royalties, sponsorships and advertisements across the entire athletic department” in '17-18 (GREENVILLE NEWS, 7/20).

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