The impact of team performance and fan interest on NCAA football revenues

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision total revenues from the 2007 to 2012 seasons. Design/methodology/approach The author uses both ordinary least squares and quantile regression to estimate the impact that winning and lagged attendance have on real total revenue. Findings The author finds that the marginal revenue of winning changes substantially from one end of the conditional distribution to the other end of the conditional distribution but the marginal revenue of lagged attendance is more consistent as compared to winning. Originality/value This will have implications for researchers investigating NCAA football coaches’ salaries and NCAA football player valuation.