East Michigan News

Isabella County spent $10,996,154 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 4.5% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 30.8% of all spending for sports teams at the Central Michigan University, the only institution in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Isabella County have grown 46.2% 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	$10,996,154	30.8%
2022	$10,523,074	31.5%
2021	$5,908,811	21.1%
2020	$8,261,430	24.6%
2019	$8,175,068	24.3%