The Business of College Sports

For an amateur endeavor, collegiate sports sure do seem like a big business, from multimillion-dollar TV contracts to eye-popping coaches' salaries to the billions wagered annually on March Madness. At Top Business Degrees, we decided to take a look at the numbers behind the business of college sports.

The total sports related revenue for NCAA Division 1-A Schools in 2010 was $6.2 billion. More than the GDP's of countries like Monaco, Belize, Bermuda, Fiji and Greenland.

$2.5 billion was wagered illegally on March Madness, the men's NCAA basketball tournament.

$433 million was the NCAA revenue distributed to Division 1 members in 2010, 60% of the organizations total revenue.

$10.8 billion is the NCAA's broadcast deal for the men's basketball tournament

$3.5 million is the average sports related profit for NCAA Division 1-A schools.

Highest Paid College Football Head Coaches

1. Mack Brown, Texas - $5,193,500
2. Nick Saban, Alabama - $4,833,333
3. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma - $4,075,000
4. Les Miles, LSU - $3,856,417
5. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa - $3,785,000

Highest Paid College Basketball Head Coaches

1. John Calipari, Kentucky - $5,387,978
2. Rick Pitino, Louisville - $4,812,769
3. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke - $4,699,570
4. Billy Donovan, Florida - $3,639,800
5. Bill Self, Kansas - $3,633,657

Top Money Making Men's Football Programs

1. Texas, $95.7 million
2. Alabama, $76.8 million
3. Auburn, $76.2 million
4. Georgia, $74.9 million
5. Florida, $72.8 million

Top Money Making Men's Basketball Programs

1. Louisville, $40.9 million
2. Duke, $29 million
3. Arizona, $21.2 million
4. North Carolina, $19.6 million
5. Syracuse, $19 million

Average Revenue Per Sport

1. Football, $22.8 million
2. Men's Basketball, $6.8 million
3. Hockey, $2.7 million
4. Women's Basketball, $1.1 million
5. Men's Baseball, $1 million
6. Track, $951,000
7. Soccer, $722,000
8. Volleyball, $545,000
9. Softball, $487,000
10. Tennis, $480,000