Pine Belt Times

Forrest County spent $9,148,507 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 14.7% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 26.2% of all spending for sports teams at the two universities in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Forrest County have grown 61.8% since 2010.

College football is one of the biggest sports in the U.S., with some college teams eclipsing NFL teams in terms of attendance and profit.

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.

Year	Football Team's Expenditures	% from grand total sport team expenditures
2023	$9,148,507	26.2%
2022	$7,975,323	24.9%
2021	$7,973,611	27.8%
2020	$7,761,592	27.2%
2019	$7,068,057	24.9%