How much did Auburn athletics make and spend in Fiscal Year 2024?

Auburn Athletics in Fiscal Year 2024: Revenue and Expenditure Breakdown

Auburn University, located in Auburn, Alabama, is home to a robust athletic program that competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), one of the premier college athletic conferences in the United States. The Auburn Tigers are recognized for their highly competitive teams across a range of sports, particularly football, basketball, and baseball, but also in a variety of other programs. Like many universities with strong athletic programs, Auburn’s athletic department operates with a significant budget, which is crucial for funding its athletic operations, facilities, scholarships, and staff. As with many major NCAA athletic departments, Auburn’s financial situation can offer insights into the broader financial trends within college sports.

The fiscal year (FY) 2024 was a significant year for Auburn Athletics, as it saw both positive developments and financial challenges. From revenue generation to operational costs, this article will break down Auburn Athletics’ revenue and expenditures during FY 2024, examining key factors such as ticket sales, media rights deals, donations, coaching contracts, facility improvements, and more.

Revenue Breakdown for Auburn Athletics

Auburn University’s athletic department, like most major college programs, derives its revenue from multiple sources. These can generally be broken down into several major categories, including ticket sales, media rights, sponsorships, donations, and NCAA distributions. In FY 2024, Auburn Athletics managed to generate substantial revenue, though, like many programs, it also faced challenges such as increasing expenses and competition from other schools in the SEC.

1. Ticket Sales and Game-Day Revenue

For Auburn, football is the primary driver of revenue, followed by men’s basketball, baseball, and other sports. In FY 2024, Auburn’s football team played a full regular season with a competitive schedule, which significantly contributed to ticket sales. The Jordan-Hare Stadium, one of the largest and most iconic stadiums in the SEC, regularly fills with over 87,000 fans, generating significant revenue from both season ticket sales and individual game tickets.

Ticket sales for the 2024 season were slightly down compared to previous years, partly due to a mixed performance on the field. However, the Tigers still managed to secure a respectable revenue stream from home games. Auburn also sees revenue from premium seating options, such as suite rentals and club-level seating, which are a growing segment of college football revenue.

In addition to football, Auburn’s men’s basketball team also brought in revenue through ticket sales. Auburn Arena, with a capacity of 9,121, regularly fills up for high-profile SEC games. Auburn’s competitive basketball team, including star players, helped generate solid attendance for home games during the 2024 season, contributing significantly to the department’s revenue.

While football and basketball generate the most ticket revenue, Auburn also benefits from its other sports. Baseball and softball teams, for instance, consistently draw respectable crowds, further bolstering revenue through ticket sales.

2. Media Rights and Broadcasting

Media rights are a vital revenue stream for Auburn Athletics, particularly through SEC media deals and national broadcasting agreements. The SEC has one of the most lucrative media deals in collegiate sports, with ESPN and the SEC Network holding exclusive broadcasting rights for games involving Auburn and other SEC schools. Auburn’s football games, especially matchups with high-profile teams, attract millions of viewers, and the media rights from these broadcasts contribute heavily to the athletic department’s overall revenue.

In FY 2024, Auburn Athletics received a share of the SEC’s television contract, which is distributed to all member schools. These media rights payouts include revenue from SEC football and basketball games, as well as coverage of other sports. The total media distribution for Auburn Athletics in FY 2024 was significant, amounting to tens of millions of dollars. This revenue provides the foundation for much of the department’s operational budget, particularly for funding scholarships and maintaining facilities.

Additionally, Auburn Athletics also benefits from local and regional broadcasting agreements. Auburn’s long-standing regional following, particularly in Alabama and the surrounding Southeast, ensures strong media contracts with local networks that air games, interviews, and other content related to the athletic program.

3. Sponsorships and Corporate Partnerships

Sponsorships and corporate partnerships play a large role in the financial success of Auburn Athletics. In FY 2024, Auburn Athletics continued to benefit from a wide range of sponsors, from national brands to local businesses. These sponsorships are crucial not only for the football program but also for the broader athletic department. National brands such as Nike (which supplies Auburn’s athletic apparel), Coca-Cola, and local sponsors contribute to the overall revenue through advertising, signage, and other partnership opportunities.

Auburn Athletics, like many schools, has exclusive partnership agreements with various companies that want to leverage the university’s strong brand. This includes everything from stadium signage to branding rights for the university’s athletic venues, like Jordan-Hare Stadium and Auburn Arena.

Corporate sponsorships also extend to media rights, with companies purchasing advertising during Auburn games, either on television or through radio broadcasts. These deals help bolster the athletic department’s finances and supplement its revenue from ticket sales and broadcasting agreements.

4. Donations and Fundraising

Donations from alumni, boosters, and other supporters of Auburn Athletics are another important revenue stream for the program. In FY 2024, Auburn continued to focus on fundraising through its primary booster organization, the Auburn Athletic Fund. The Auburn Athletic Fund plays a pivotal role in generating money for the program through annual contributions, major gifts, and special fundraising initiatives.

Auburn’s success in cultivating donor support has been vital for the construction of new facilities, the funding of scholarships, and the retention of high-profile coaching staff. In FY 2024, Auburn saw an uptick in fundraising, particularly in relation to capital improvement projects, such as renovations to athletic facilities and the expansion of fan engagement experiences at stadiums and arenas.

5. NCAA Distributions

The NCAA provides revenue-sharing payments to schools, based on their athletic performance, primarily through the NCAA Basketball Tournament and, to a lesser degree, the NCAA Football Playoff. Auburn’s involvement in postseason play—such as its appearances in bowl games and March Madness tournaments—contributes to the NCAA revenue-sharing pool.

For the 2024 fiscal year, Auburn received a portion of the NCAA’s revenue distribution from basketball and football, with the amount tied directly to the school’s postseason appearances. While Auburn did not make a major bowl game in 2024, the basketball team’s participation in March Madness led to a moderate payout, contributing to the overall financial picture.

Expenditure Breakdown for Auburn Athletics

With substantial revenue comes equally substantial expenses, and Auburn Athletics, like most major college athletic programs, faces significant operational costs each year. These expenses can be broken down into several key categories, including coaching salaries, facility maintenance, scholarships, travel, and administrative costs.

1. Coaching Salaries and Staff Compensation

Coaching salaries represent one of the largest expenditures for Auburn Athletics. In FY 2024, Auburn’s head football coach and basketball coach were among the highest-paid coaches in the country, a reflection of the competitive nature of SEC athletics. Auburn’s football program has consistently paid its head coach a high salary, and the addition of assistant coaches and support staff also contributes to this expense.

Football and basketball coaching staffs include not only the head coaches but also a number of assistants, analysts, trainers, and other staff. These salaries add up quickly, particularly when you consider the rising costs of retaining top-tier coaching talent. As such, coaching staff compensation represents a substantial portion of Auburn Athletics’ budget.

2. Scholarships and Student-Athlete Support

As an NCAA institution, Auburn Athletics provides scholarships to student-athletes across a variety of sports. Scholarships are a significant expense, as Auburn provides full scholarships to athletes, which cover tuition, room, board, and other costs associated with attending the university. In FY 2024, Auburn Athletics spent tens of millions of dollars on student-athlete scholarships, ensuring that athletes could compete at the highest level without financial barriers.

Auburn also invests in academic support services for student-athletes, including tutoring, academic advising, and life skills development. These programs are essential for helping athletes succeed both in the classroom and on the field, and their costs are integrated into the overall athletics budget.

3. Travel and Game-Day Expenses

Auburn Athletics spends a considerable amount of money on travel and game-day operations. Travel expenses include transportation, lodging, meals, and other costs associated with sending teams to away games. For a school like Auburn, which competes in high-profile sports across the nation, travel costs can be substantial.

Football and basketball teams typically travel to away games via chartered flights, and the costs of these trips add up, especially for long-distance games. Additionally, travel for other sports like baseball, softball, and volleyball adds to the total expenditure, though it is usually on a smaller scale compared to football and basketball.

Game-day expenses are also significant, as Auburn must staff its venues, provide security, and ensure that all aspects of the game-day experience run smoothly. This includes paying for personnel, concessions, and other operational costs tied to hosting home games.

4. Facility Maintenance and Improvements

Maintaining and improving Auburn’s athletic facilities is another large expense for the department. Auburn has made significant investments in its sports infrastructure in recent years, with ongoing renovations to Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn Arena, and other athletic venues. These improvements are necessary to keep up with the competition in the SEC and provide the best experience for athletes and fans.

Additionally, the athletic department must invest in routine maintenance and upgrades to ensure that its facilities remain in top condition. This includes not only stadiums and arenas but also practice facilities, training rooms, and weight rooms used by student-athletes across all sports.

5. Administrative and Operational Costs

Auburn Athletics, like any large organization, has a range of administrative costs associated with running the department. This includes salaries for administrative staff, operational overhead, marketing and advertising expenses, and compliance costs. As a major department within Auburn University, the athletic department is also subject to strict NCAA regulations, requiring dedicated staff and resources to maintain compliance.