Fort Smith Times

Pope County spent $1,450,873 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, a decrease of 1.8% from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 21.9% of all spending for sports teams at the Arkansas Tech University, the only institution in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at Pope County have grown 62.4% 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	$1,450,873	21.9%
2022	$1,477,152	27%
2021	$1,355,963	23.1%
2020	$1,453,855	23%
2019	$1,417,996	21.2%