Tyler Reporter

Smith County spent $1,214,438 on women’s collegiate basketball teams in 2023, representing a 15.1% increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Overall, basketball teams in the county received a total of $2,438,105, with women’s teams receiving $1,214,438.

Since 2010, the average sports expenses in Smith County have grown 175%.

Basketball is one of the most popular sports played at U.S. colleges, as well as football. NCAA basketball teams are often as popular as NBA teams, and offer a different experience for fans.

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.

The basketball fund received around 168.57 million dollars from NCAA revenue in 2020–21.

Year	Basketball team's expenditures	% from grand total sport team expenditures	Total Sport Team Expenditures
2023	$1,214,438	8.2%	$14,726,001
2022	$1,055,169	8%	$13,251,719
2021	$674,797	6.7%	$10,096,089
2020	$780,915	6.9%	$11,308,931
2019	$647,009	6.9%	$9,360,190