Kankakee Times

Kankakee County's two colleges invested $1,833,410 on their football teams in 2023, a decrease in funding from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This represents 16.3% of all money invested on sport teams at the two colleges in the county during 2023.

The average sports expenses at Kankakee County have grown 125.9% since 2010.

Olivet Nazarene University stood out as the university in Kankakee County which received the most football funding during 2023. The institution received $1,833,410 — or 100% 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	$1,833,410	16.3%
2022	$1,858,168	17.1%
2021	$1,997,597	20.1%
2020	$1,678,121	19.9%
2019	$1,819,655	20.6%