East Little Rock Times

White County spent $2,298,900 on men's collegiate football teams in 2023, an increase of 0.9% over the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This translates to roughly 26.9% of all spending for sports teams at the Harding University, the only institution in the county during the 2023 season.

The average sports expenses at White County have grown 149.8% 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	$2,298,900	26.9%
2022	$2,277,932	29.5%
2021	$1,801,781	26.9%
2020	$1,818,924	29.2%
2019	$1,706,483	27.2%