SALT LAKE CITY — The difference between big and small conference football can be seen in the expense and revenue numbers of the University of Utah in the PAC-12 and Utah State in the Mountain West.
The Utes spend close to 30 million dollars on football and they bring in more than 60 million.
The Aggies spend 10 million on revenue of 10 million.
In other words, the football team at the University of Utah makes money and subsidizes other sports.
So the U is, at least temporarily, losing a big source of income.
Beyond that, a study published in 2013 by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah showed Utah’s entrance in the PAC-12 also injected dollars into the regional economy.
Nick Thiriot, Communications Director for the Gardner Institute, says they identified three ways the PAC-12 made money for Salt Lake.
“Visitor spending, which includes lodging food and transportation, new television revenue spent in the state, and the marketing and tangible benefits of increased visibility and awareness,” Thiriot said.
The report showed each PAC-12 team visiting the Utes brought at least a thousand visitors to town. Some brought in over two thousand.
