Where Wisconsin ranks among the most valuable athletic programs in the Big Ten Conference

Interesting data on the valuations of college athletic programs

Wisconsin’s athletic program is the classic model of consistency — both the football and men’s basketball teams have had just one losing season since the turn of the century.

Parenthetically, the football’s one losing season just occurred. But that should not eliminate its larger body of work dating back to the late 1990s.

Some of Wisconsin’s top programs are even a model of excellence. Wisconsin women’s hockey is the winner of three of the last five national titles, while Wisconsin volleyball took home a title trophy in 2021.

Success impacts Wisconsin’s brand value, as does its place in the Big Ten Conference among some of the most influential brands in the space. Those converging factors make it one of the most valuable athletic departments in the country.

CNBC recently published a full study on the valuation of every major athletic department in the Football Bowl Subdivision. It partnered with AthleticDirectorU, which consults with those in the sport looking into private equity investment, to compile a comprehensive list of both valuation and annual revenue.

Wisconsin’s valuation of $838 million is No. 15 overall in the published study. More significantly, it is just No. 5 in the expanded Big Ten Conference — ranked behind only Ohio State (No. 1 overall at $1.32 billion), Michigan (No. 4 overall at $1.06 billion), Nebraska (No. 8 overall at $943 million) and Penn State (No. 11 overall at $924 million).

College sports programs aren't just about wins and losses—they're billion-dollar brands driving revenue through media rights, sponsorships, and community impact. But how do we measure their true value? @AD_University and @CNBC present the first ever athletic department… pic.twitter.com/5BuYlSpwev

— Jason Belzer (@JasonBelzer) December 19, 2024

By no surprise, 20 of the top 22 schools are currently affiliated with the Big Ten or SEC. Notre Dame (No. 6 at $969 million) and Clemson (No. 16 at $800 million) are the only outliers.

Television deals and major-conference branding are significant factors in each school’s annual revenue, which then plays into its overall valuation. Consider this study further proof of the Big Ten and SEC’s respective dominance over the larger college athletics landscape.

For more specifics on how the Badgers compare to the rest of the Big Ten, here is the full study.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

How much is the University of Florida’s athletic program worth?

Here is where Florida stands financially among its collegiate athletics peers.

College sports have become a big business in the modern era, with TV contracts and other revenue streams pouring beaucoup bucks into major universities around the nation.

While football and men’s basketball lead the way as far as athletic income is concerned, many of the other sports are also robust revenue generators. This includes the emergence of women’s hoops as a legitimate spectator event as well as baseball, softball and tennis.

So where do the Florida Gators stand fiscally in comparison to their national peers? According to a report by CNBC’s Michael Ozanian, the Orange and Blue rank 14th overall with a valuation of $865 million and a 2023 revenue of $189 million, sitting between the LSU Tigers ($916M, $200M) and Wisconsin Badgers ($838M, $198M).

Florida ranks 13th among public schools while ranking eighth in the Southeastern Conference, per the data.

Top 10 schools per valuation

The Ohio State Buckeyes own the most valuable athletics program in the country at $1.32 billion overall and a 2023 revenue stream of $280 million — also the highest in the nation. The Texas Longhorns ($1.28B, $271M) and Texas A&M Aggies ($1.26B, $279M) join them in the top three, respectively, while the Michigan Wolverines ($1.06B, $230M) and Alabama Crimson Tide ($978M, $200M) round out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 consists of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ($969M, $224M), Georgia Bulldogs ($950M, $210M), Nebraska Cornhuskers ($943M, $205M), Tennessee Volunteers ($940M, $202M) and Oklahoma Sooners ($928M, $199M), respectively.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Ravens are 21st in CNBC’s NFL team valuations

CNBC released their rankings about an hour before the NYSE opened on Thursday, and the Baltimore Ravens, unfortunately, did not place well

Just in time for the 2024 NFL season kickoff, CNBC released its first-ever “official” National Football League franchise valuations.

The business-centric network released its rankings about an hour before the New York Stock Exchange opened on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, for the Baltimore Ravens, they did not place well.

CNBC’s Official 2024 NFL Team Valuations: Here’s how the 32 franchises stack up https://t.co/l4pf1W2OAK

— Mike Ozanian (@MikeOzanian) September 5, 2024

The good news is that they’re worth $6.03 billion and have annual revenue of $584 million. The bad news is that their EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of $46 million is second lowest in the league.

Only the division rival Cincinnati Bengals were worse, and they happen to be the franchise that came in dead last in the rankings, with a valuation of $5.25 billion.

The Ravens came in 21st, as the average valuation for a franchise in the world’s most profitable sports league is currently $6.49B.

While it has been a generation since the Dallas Cowboys won anything significant, these rankings explain why their “America’s Team” moniker has persisted for over a half-century.

They don’t just top the list, with a valuation of $11B, they’re also $3B ahead of their next closest competitor, the L.A. Rams.

The author of the article that revealed the study, Mike Ozarian, went on CNBC early this morning to discuss the rankings. He said that stadium revenue is one of the biggest drivers, with corporate suites being one of the most important money makers on this dimension.

As he pointed out, these rankings do not perfectly sync with winning and losing. Merchandising, concessions, and attendance are three revenue streams that move up and down in conjunction with the rise and fall of winning percentage.

He also discussed the NFL’s changing business priorities during his appearance on “Squawk Box.”

“What they’re trying to figure out right now is, they’ve got some great programming, NFL Red Zone, NFL+, which is the league’s streaming service,” Ozarian said.

“You’ve got a lot of historical films, old games and stuff like that, they’ve been toying with the idea- do we put that in a separate company?

“Do we sell equity in that?

“How do we monetize that? That will probably be the next big revenue game the league has.”

While Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is doing VERY well in life financially, he probably won’t be too happy with how his club showed out here.

Ohio high school homecoming game gets special attention for smart helmet tech

Centerville (Ohio) was featured on CNBC for their homecoming game due to their innovation with player safety helmets.

Football remains the most popular sport in the country—but, as ubiquitous and untouchable as it seems, there is one long-term threat to football that isn’t going away anytime soon: Head injuries.

That’s why reducing head injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has become such a point of emphasis at every level of the game, especially for younger athletes whose brains are still developing and more vulnerable.

And one Ohio high school received some special attention at their homecoming game this past weekend for such a mission: the team’s embrace of a special kind of helmet with sensors intended to collect data to help prevent concussions.

Centerville was the subject of a CNBC broadcast by alumna Courtney Regan, a 2001 graduate. She was on hand to report on the school’s use of the Riddell InSite helmets they’ve been wearing for the last five years.

David Jablonski at the Dayton Daily News has the details:

“Centerville purchased the helmets five years ago with help from Bill’s Donuts in Centerville. It cost $12,000 to purchase 120 helmets, which collect and analyze data from on-field head impacts. The coaches and trainers can then monitor the data and help the players improve their technique to help avoid impacts.”

Here’s a look at how the smart helmet technology works

Centerville defeated Northmont (Ohio) 37-6, moving to 5-0 on the season.

More:

USA TODAY Sports Super 25 high school football rankings: Week 4

Social Buzz of the Week: Arch Manning leads an impressive round of must-see moments

Vols to play Florida on CNBC

Tennessee to play Florida on CNBC.

The USA Rugby 7s Collegiate National Championships will take place May 14-15 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Tennessee will play three matches Saturday.

The USA Rugby 7s Collegiate National Championships will follow the Olympic format of seven players per side and seven minutes per half.

Tennessee’s USA Rugby 7s Collegiate National Championships schedule and opponents

Oregon State (Saturday, 10:45 a.m. EDT, field No. 3)
Stanford (Saturday, 12:40 p.m. EDT, field No. 3)
Florida (Saturday, 2:51 p.m. EDT, field No. 1)*

*CNBC

USA Rugby 7s Collegiate National Championships broadcast schedule

Saturday 2-4 p.m. EDT (CNBC)
Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. EDT (Peacock)
Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. EDT (Peacock)
Sunday 2-4 p.m. EDT (CNBC)
Sunday 4-6 p.m. EDT (NBC)

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Tag: CNBC