Creative Ways College Athletic Departments Are Generating Revenue in 2025

Last Updated on November 21, 2025

College athletics has entered a new financial era. Revenue sharing, rising construction costs, and staffing shortages are forcing departments at every level to rethink how they fund their programs. But despite the pressure, many athletic departments are responding with some very creative revenue generation solutions.

Across the country, schools are turning tradition, access, facilities, and even identity into new forms of monetizable inventory. I discussed this recently with Jeff Schemmel and John Hartwell of College Sports Solutions, where I’m also a consultant. Below is a replay and a breakdown of the solutions we discussed with examples from institutions.

Gameday Experiences Fans Are Lining Up to Buy

Schools are increasingly monetizing the moments surrounding the game — not just the seat.

Oklahoma may be the leader here. Through its Sooner Magic Memories program, the school sells dozens of unique experiences directly to fans, including: premium access like photos on the 50-yard line, a high-five tunnel, game ball delivery, and a flyover from the stadium roof. Many of these offerings, all listed on their official Gameday Experiences page, routinely sell out.

Here are some examples of the pricing:

• Flyover from the roof for Missouri game: $288.74
• Game ball delivery for the Missouri game: $461.61
• Halftime on the field: $288.74
• High five tunnel: $231.11
• Photos on the 50 yard line with up to four friends: $173.49
• Red rocket ride: $144.68
• VIP access to Walk of Champions: $144.68
• Friday Night at the Farm preparing the live horses and Sooner Schooner for kickoff: $288.74

Even access to coaches is now inventory. Oklahoma generated national headlines when it began selling tickets to its postgame press conferences, an initiative first reported by ESPN. Every game offering so far has sold out.

Although premium spaces in stadiums are nothing new, Penn State pushed exclusivity to a new level with its $10,000 Tunnel Club, a behind-glass hospitality space that lets fans watch the team enter and exit the locker room. It’s featured in this promotional video and has quickly become a high-demand premium asset.

Beyond gameday experiences, there’s also increased revenue potential with other aspects of gameday, including VIP parking. A study by PwC found that 29% of high-income sports fans say they didn’t have access to valet or premium parking but expect it going forward.

Another concept being tested is adding fees that directly benefit athletes. Tennessee was the first we saw that added a built-in 10% “talent fee” to football tickets to support revenue-sharing obligations.

Tours, Events & Stadium Rentals

Don’t sleep on the revenue generation potential of the stadiums, arenas, and other facilities when it’s not gameday. Athletic facilities are becoming year-round event venues.

Ohio State has given fans unprecedented access to Ohio Stadium with stadium tours (there’s even a fun December hot-cocoa holiday tour). With pricing ranging from $31 to $76, Ohio State has turned fan curiosity into predictable revenue.

The Horseshoe has also hosted Grapes at the Gridiron, a $101 wine-tasting event inside the stadium.

Looking for something a little more lucrative? Texas A&M netted $2.6M when a crowd of 85,249 attended a soccer friendly between Brazil and Mexico at Kyle Field.

Others have gotten creative with their events. Fantasy football draft rentals have become an unexpected revenue generator on other campuses. Fresno State offered a premium $999.99 draft experience with field access and catering, promoted directly on its event booking page. UConn provided a $75 per-person fantasy football draft experience with tours and food.

Concerts as Revenue Engines

Perhaps one of the biggest trends when it comes to college athletics facilities is hosting concerts, and the returns can be massive.

Michigan hosted Zach Bryan in front of 112,408 fans, the largest ticketed concert audience in U.S. history. According to reporting from MLive, the event generated an estimated $1.7 million for the athletic department. Texas A&M reported $3.9M in net revenue when it hosted George Strait at Kyle Field.

But you don’t need a stadium that seats over 100k to see the benefits. Toledo brought in six-figure revenue from a Zac Brown concert.

The caveat for facilities, however, is that athletic departments don’t always own and control the stadiums and arenas where its teams play. We discussed this situation in our live workshop (below).

The Evolution of Apparel & MMR Deals

Apparel and MMR contracts are evolving, and they’re presenting new opportunities for co-branded campaigns featuring both school IP and athlete NIL.

For example. Tennessee’s new Adidas partnership includes integrated NIL opportunities for student-athletes. This is a model we’re likely to see more frequently as brands and schools try to remain competitive.

Where also seeing MMR partners like Learfield continuing to innovate in multimedia rights by integrating athletes into sponsor activations. One example involved Texas athletes who were born at St. David’s Medical Center filming testimonials for the hospital.

Licensing: Beer, Coffee, Jerky, Cigars & More

We might be in the golden age for licensing. Never before have we seen so many different product opportunities.

Beer and spirits have become a popular option. For example, Marquette partnered with Third Space Brewing on Marquette Golden Ale, with 15% of revenue returning to the university.

Learfield reports that 93 schools now have licensed alcohol deals — a 57% increase year-over-year — and craft-beer partnerships have more than doubled, according to Food Manufacturing’s coverage.

Other categories are expanding too:

• New Mexico State launched licensed coffee.
• Nevada partnered with Durham Ranch on branded beef jerky.
• Mississippi State introduced branded cigars through the Ron Polk Signature Series.

Alternate athletic identities are thriving as well. For example, Northern Arizona’s Astrojacks look became a merch hit.

Alcohol Sales Inside Stadiums

Alcohol remains one of the highest-margin revenue streams available.

An FOIA-based analysis by Extra Points revealed that Nebraska brought in $2 million in just August and September, Tennessee generated $1.6 million, and even mid-majors like Toledo and Western Michigan posted six-figure returns.

Jersey Patches & On-Field Branding

After the NCAA’s rules committee proposed allowing sponsor patches on uniforms, ESPN reported widespread interest. A separate analysis from Yahoo Sports suggests blueblood programs could earn up to $12 million annually.

On-field advertising is expanding, too. Auburn’s five-year, eight-figure YellaWood deal for logos on the 25-yard lines was first reported by Sports Business Journal. Memphis similarly added FedEx end zone branding as part of a larger sponsorship from the brand.

Naming Rights & Conference-Level Revenue Plays

The Big 12 explored selling 15–20% of its equity and naming rights to Allstate for up to $1 billion, while PayPal signed a deal with the Big Ten and Big 12 to be the exclusive athlete payment platform. PayPal brand Venmo will be the presenting partner of the first-ever Big Ten Rivalry Series, which will include football and men’s and women’s basketball.

Rethinking Event Ownership: Neutral Sites & Postseason Games

Conferences are also questioning the economics of third-party events. Reporting from The Athletic, summarized here in The New York Times’ coverage, highlights discussions around:

• hosting neutral-site nonconference games rather than paying six-figure MTE fees to organizers in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Cancun
• controlling media rights for these events
• potentially running their own non-CFP bowl games, avoiding traditional bowl-game expenses
• exploring non-traditional venues similar to the NHL Winter Classic or MLB at Bristol Motor Speedway (Northwestern is playing two games at Wrigley Field this season)

Looking to the Future

The financial pressures facing college athletics aren’t going away, but neither is the creativity. From premium access experiences to stadium concerts to beverage licensing to entirely new sponsorship categories, athletic departments are reinventing their revenue models in real time.

For administrators looking ahead to the next budget cycle, the message is clear: innovation isn’t optional. It’s the new competitive advantage.

Watch the Replay

Check out the replay of our workshop where we discussed these ideas and more.