Ohio State's $251 million in athletic department revenue ranked first nationally
The Ohio State athletic department's operating revenue of more than $251 million in the 2022 fiscal year was the highest in the country, according to a report by USA Today.
The revenue is the most ever recorded other than Oregon’s $391 million in 2020. The Oregon figure included more than $200 million for a renovation to its track and field stadium.
Texas was second in operating revenue last fiscal year with $239,290,648, followed by Alabama with $214,365,357 and Michigan with $210,652,287.
Ohio State’s operating revenue of $251,615,345 was about $18 million more than in 2020, though that is not adjusted for inflation. The biggest increase came in contributions, which jumped more than $15 million to $63,582,228 in 2022. The primary reason for that was newly required seat licenses for football tickets.
Revenue for Ohio State and all other schools plummeted in the 2021 fiscal year because of the coronavirus pandemic. OSU's revenue that year was less than $107 million, with an operating loss of more than $63 million.
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Ohio State also led the country in operating expenses in 2022 at $225,733,418, about $600,000 more than Texas.
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Other Big Ten schools in the top 20 in operating revenue were Penn State (ninth, $181,222,448), Michigan State (12th, $172,799,513) and Indiana (13th, $166,761,471). Maryland had the lowest operating revenue among Big Ten schools with $107,526,374, which ranked 43rd nationally.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State athletic department led nation with $251 million in revenue
