Sports
Wisconsin athletics ranks 15th among nation’s top 75 most valuable sports programs | CNBC
Wisconsin football’s Luke’s Fickell shares his message for team, fans
The Badgers football coach spoke to reporters following the team’s 24-7 loss to Minnesota Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Wisconsin athletics came in at a high rank in valuation, according to a CNBC study that was released on Thursday.
Per the study, the Badgers’ athletic department was valued at $838 million, with $198 million in revenue in 2023 — ranking as the 15th-most valuable athletics department in the country on a list that listed the top 75. Wisconsin’s valuation is based on a number of revenue figures gathered by CNBC.
Wisconsin was the sixth-highest-valued team in the Big Ten, behind No. 1 Ohio State (No. 1 in the country), No. 2 Michigan (No. 4), No. 3 Nebraska (No. 8), No. 4 Penn State (No. 11) and No. 5 USC (No. 12), the last of which is in its first season in the conference.
The study showed the SEC is worth $13.3 billion, and the Big Ten is $13.2 billion. However, the Big Ten has more teams in its conference, with SEC teams valued at $832 million per school, compared to Big Ten teams’ $734 million on average. Wisconsin’s valuation is higher than both conferences’ league-wide averages.
The SEC and Big Ten conference occupied 14 of the top 15 schools in valuation. Notre Dame, which operates independently in football, out of the Big Ten in men’s hockey and all other sports out of the ACC, was ranked No. 6 in the country.
The study included figures from the Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for 2023.
The valuations were compiled by Jason Belzer, the publisher of AthleticDirectorU who has “advised universities on name, image and likeness deals and now does the same for athletic departments seeking private equity,” according to CNBC.