High Country Times

Watauga County's institution invested $10,434,931 on their football teams in 2023, an increase in funding from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This represents 26.9% of all money invested on sport teams at Appalachian State University during 2023.

The average sports expenses at Watauga County have grown 165.4% 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	$10,434,931	26.9%
2022	$10,417,143	32.3%
2021	$8,506,239	30.3%
2020	$9,188,013	32%
2019	$9,365,952	32.9%