Rockford Sun

Winnebago County spent $395,317 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 9.7% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 10.4% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Winnebago County have grown 127.3% since 2010.

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	$395,317	10.4%
2022	$360,302	10.9%
2021	$325,972	10.4%
2020	$363,027	12%
2019	$313,545	10.5%