Alabama athletics hits revenue record, outpaces SEC peers

After a year of COVID-19-related financial turmoil, the Alabama athletics financial report is back on solid ground.

The school reported a record $214.4 million in revenue for the first fiscal year after the main impact of the global pandemic rocked the collegiate athletics world. Spending also increased past pre-pandemic levels but the athletics department still finished the fiscal year with a profit of $18.5 million, according to the financial report filed to the NCAA and obtained by AL.com through a public records request.

That surplus is earmarked to finance existing debt for completed construction projects, an Alabama spokesperson said.

The $214.4 million of revenue would have ranked third-highest nationally in the last year before COVID-19 hit behind only Oregon’s $391.8 million and Ohio State’s $233.9 million, according to USA Today’s database.

Revenues at Alabama jumped more than $34 million in the 2022 fiscal year that spanned July 2021-June 2022. A return to full-capacity stadiums and arenas fueled that rebound as ticket revenue jumped from $7.4 million in 2021 to $44.2 million a year later. That $44.2 million figure is nearly $5 million more than the income from the last season before the pandemic limited capacity to 20% of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Looking strictly at football, Alabama revenues hit a record $130.9 million (up from $110 million pre-pandemic) with a profit of $52.3 million that helped fund the rest of the department.

A few other SEC schools reported their financial reports recently. Arkansas revenue sat at $152.5 million while LSU brought in $199.3 million (compared to Alabama’s $214.4 million). Profit at Arkansas was $8.2 million while LSU’s was $6.5 million (compared to Alabama’s $18.5 million).

The Alabama rebound in 2022 also came without the help from the SEC that kept 2021 profitable. Each school received $23 million from the league, keeping Alabama in the black. Without it, the Alabama athletics department would have lost $13.4 million in 2021.

Beyond ticket revenue, a few other line items saw increases in 2022. Contributions jumped by $17.5 million to a record $52.3 million while media rights saw a more modest $2.9 million bump to $53.6 million.

In terms of expenses, the biggest increases were directly related to the pandemic. Guarantees for non-conference games went from $306,433 without non-SEC football games in the 2020 season back to $4.9 million for the 2021 season (2022 fiscal year). Recruiting trips were banned at the height of the pandemic, dropping that expense to $734,399 before moving back to $3.9 million with coaches and recruits able to travel again.

Last three years of Alabama financials show recovery