Holland Reporter

Ottawa County's two colleges invested $3,923,645 on their football teams in 2023, a 10.2% increase in funding from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This represents 17.1% of all money invested on sport teams at the two colleges in the county during 2023.

The average sports expenses at Ottawa County have grown 89.3% since 2010.

Grand Valley State University stood out as the university in Ottawa County which received the most football funding during 2023. The institution received $3,301,694 — or 84.1% of all the money destined to football teams.

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	$3,923,645	17.1%
2022	$3,560,270	17%
2021	$0	0%
2020	$3,326,585	17.9%
2019	$3,642,880	19.1%