June 25, 2015
Regardless of which side you agree with, O’Bannon v. NCAA points out one simple truth: there is a lot of money to be made in college athletics. Advertising opportunities are seemingly endless. Merchandise, ticket sales, and marketable digital content scratch just the surface of total opportunities that these sporting events produce. Advertising revenue from the NCAA Tournament has now surpassed advertising revenue from the playoffs of each of the four major American sports, as the chart below illustrates.
Over the past few years, money generating college sports have been undergoing substantial change and these changes will likely lead to increased advertising revenue long-term. College Football has adopted a playoff, which made its debut this past year. The NCAA Tournament expanded its field by adding in an additional play-in round. This increase in the number of playoff games means even more advertising opportunities and even more money making opportunities.