Fargo Standard

Cass County spent $6,405,716 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 4.4% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 21.5% of all spending for sports teams at the North Dakota State University-Main Campus, the only institution in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Cass County have grown 109.1% 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	$6,405,716	21.5%
2022	$6,137,469	23.1%
2021	$5,104,034	24.9%
2020	$5,914,804	20.8%
2019	$6,048,728	22%