MEMBER LOGIN >

Become part of our online community.

Register Now

Forgot Password?        

Home > Briefing Paper Five: Frequently asked questions about NCAA statistics

Briefing Paper Five: Frequently asked questions about NCAA statistics

This is one of five briefing papers addressing the importance of maintaining the current state of Title IX, the bias and flaws in the Title IX Commission's public hearing process, the radical changes to Title IX athletic policies which are being proposed and the economic analysis of current collegiate spending.

Published: December 19, 2002

Overall participation

Q. How many men and how many women participate in NCAA athletics?

A. The most recent participation study from the NCAA reports 219,744 men (57 percent) participating in NCAA championship sports and 164,998 women (43 percent) participating in NCAA championship sports in 2004-05. That number is up slightly for both men and women from 2003-2004. That year, 214,854 men (57 percent) participated and 160,997 women (43 percent) participated. In 1981-82, the first year the NCAA offered championships for women, there were 167,055 men (72 percent) participating and 64,390 women (28 percent) participating in NCAA athletics.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2005 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. What are the GAO numbers I've heard about?

A. Because of concerns that the NCAA numbers included institutions reclassifying from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the NCAA (perhaps hiding a decrease in men's opportunities), members of Congress asked the U.S. General Accounting Office to study participation in athletics. The 2001 GAO report calculated participants at all four-year colleges and universities that were members of either the NCAA or the NAIA.
(Source: United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters, March 2001, Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges' Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams)


Q. So, how many participants does the GAO report show?

A. The GAO report showed that 231,866 men participated in intercollegiate athletics at all four-year institutions in 1998-99, an increase of 5 percent from the 220,178 that participated in 1981-82. The GAO report also showed that 162,783 women participated in intercollegiate athletics at all four-year institutions in 1998-99, an increase of 81 percent.
(Source: United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters, March 2001, Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges' Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams)


Q. Has the number of men participating in intercollegiate athletics declined or increased since 1981-82?

A. According to the GAO report, which accounts for all intercollegiate athletics opportunities, the number of male participants has increased by 5 percent since 1981-82.
(Source: United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters, March 2001, Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges' Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams)


Q. Has the average number of men participating at each NCAA institution declined?

A. Yes. The number of male student-athletes per campus — in all NCAA divisions — was 213.2 in 2004-05, down from 225.8 in 1981-82. The average number of female athletes per campus was 159.5 in 2004-05, up from 98.7 in 1981-82. The average number of student-athletes per campus has increased, from 324.5 in 1981-82 to 372.8 in 2004-05.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2005 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. Are there more men's teams or more women's teams at NCAA member schools?

A. There are more total women's teams yet more male participants because there are more males per team. In 2004-05, there were 8,135 men's teams with a total of 219,744 participants and 9,074 women's teams with a total of 164,998 participants.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2005 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. How many teams does the average NCAA institution field for men and women?

A. In 2004-05 in all divisions, the average number of teams per institutions was 7.8 for men and 8.7 for women. In 1981-82, there were an average of 9.1 teams for men and 6.4 for women.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2005 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. What does the GAO report show for the numbers of men's and women's teams?

A. The GAO report, which counts all four-year institutions, shows 9,479 women's teams in 1999-98, up 66 percent from 1981-82, and 9,149 men's teams in 1999-98, up 0.4 percent from 1981-82.
(Source: United States General Accounting Office Report to Congressional Requesters, March 2001, Intercollegiate Athletics: Four-Year Colleges' Experiences Adding and Discontinuing Teams)


Sport-specific participation


Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring wrestling?

A. Yes. Wrestling sponsorship peaked in Division I in 1974-75 when 64.7 percent of Division I institutions (154) sponsored the sport. It peaked in all divisions in 1971-72 with a 59.8 percent sponsorship. By 1981-82, 46.1 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored wrestling. In 2004-05, 21.4 percent of the NCAA membership in all three divisions sponsored the sport. There were 86 wrestling teams in Division I in 2004-05, down from 146 in 1981-82. In all three divisions, the number of institutions sponsoring wrestling has declined from 363 in 1981-82 to 224 in 2004-05. (Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report; NCAA Annual Reports, 1971-1977)


Q. When did the decline of wrestling sponsorship occur?

A. When wrestling peaked in Division I in 1974-75, seven Division I schools had added it from the previous year, bringing its sponsorship up to 64.7 percent of that classification (with 154), and 12 Division II schools had dropped it, bringing that classification's sponsorship down to 45.9 percent (with 183). By 1976-77, 52.5 percent of NCAA institutions sponsored the sport. By 1981-82, 46.1 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored wrestling. By 1989-90, only 33.6 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored it. In 2004-05, only 21.4 percent of the NCAA membership sponsored it. In Division I, wrestling was at 64.7 percent sponsorship in 1974-75, 63.9 percent in 1975-76 and 61.3 percent in 1976-77. By 1981-82, 52.7 percent of NCAA Division I institutions sponsored wrestling, and by 1989-90, only 37.8 percent sponsored it. By 2005, 26.3 percent of Division I institutions sponsored wrestling.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report; NCAA Annual Reports, 1971-1977)


Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring men's gymnastics?

A. Yes. Sponsorship of men's gymnastics peaked in all divisions in 1971-72 when 18.70 percent of the membership sponsored it. Division I membership peaked in 1981-82 when 21.3 percent of the division sponsored the sport, with 59 teams total in Division I. In 2004-05, 5.2 percent of Division I members (17 institutions) sponsored the sport. In all three divisions, there were 79 institutions sponsoring men's gymnastics in 1981-82 and 19 institutions sponsoring the sport in 2004-05.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring women's gymnastics?

A. Yes. Sponsorship of women's gymnastics peaked in 1981-82, the first year the NCAA sponsored women's championships. That year, 22.7 percent of all institutions — with 35.7 percent of institutions in Division I — sponsored the sport.
In 1981-82, there were 99 institutions in Division I sponsoring women's gymnastics. In 2004-05, there were 63 institutions sponsoring the sport, representing 19.3 percent of the membership in the division. In all three divisions, there were 179 institutions sponsoring women's gymnastics in 1981-82 and 85 institutions sponsoring the sport in 2004-05 (8.1 percent of institutions in all three divisions).
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. When did the decline of men's gymnastic sponsorship occur?

A. Men's gymnastics sponsorship peaked in all divisions in 1971-72 and then declined to 13.4 percent by 1976-77. It further declined to 10 percent by 1981-82, and 5.9 percent by 1988-89. In Division I, where most men's gymnastics programs are sponsored, 21.3 percent sponsored men's gymnastics in 1981-82. By 1988-89, only 13.7 percent of the Division I membership sponsored it. And by 2004-05, only 5.2 percent of the Division I membership sponsored it.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. When did the decline of women's gymnastic sponsorship occur?

A. In 1981-82, 35.7 percent of Division I institutions sponsored women's gymnastics. By 1989-90, only 13.8 percent sponsored it. And by 2004-05, only 19.3 percent of the Division I membership sponsored it.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring men's swimming and diving?

A. Yes. Men's swimming and diving peaked in 1971-72 when 57.6 percent of the membership (382 institutions) sponsored the sport. By number of programs, the sport peaked in 1976-77, when there were 394 programs (then 54.5 percent of the membership). There were 181 Division I institutions sponsoring men's swimming and diving in 1981-82 representing 65.3 percent of the Division I membership. By 1988-89, there were 54.6 percent of Division I institutions sponsoring the sport. In 2004-05, 381 institutions sponsored men's swimming and diving, representing 36.5 percent of the membership.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. Has the number of men participating in swimming and diving decreased?

A. Yes, but only slightly because of increases in squad sizes. In 1981-82, 7,746 student-athletes in all three divisions participated in men's swimming and diving. In 2004-05, 7,650 student-athletes in all three divisions participated in men's swimming and diving.


Q. Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring women's swimming and diving?

A. Yes, but only slightly. In 1981-82, 46.3 percent of the membership overall sponsored women's swimming and diving, and 58.3 percent of the Division I membership sponsored the sport. In 2004-05, 46.8 percent of the membership overall sponsored women's swimming and diving, and 57.5 percent of the Division I membership sponsored the sport. The numbers of participants in all three divisions combined have increased, again because of increases in squad size.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. Has sponsorship of football at NCAA institutions increased or declined?

A. Since 1981-82, sponsorship of football has increased slightly in Division I, where 71.6 percent of institutions in the division sponsored the sport in 2004-05, up from 67.8 percent in 1981-82. Sponsorship in Division II has decreased slightly, with 52.5 percent of institutions in the division sponsoring the sport in 2004-05, down from 63 percent in 1981-82. Sponsorship of football in Division III has decreased, with 53.2 percent of institutions in the division sponsoring the sport, down from 66.5 percent in 1981-82.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2005 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)


Q. Has there been a decline in the average squad size for football?

A. No. The average squad size in Division I-A football has gone up to 117.7 in 2004-05 from 103.1 in 1981-82. The average squad size in all three divisions has gone up to 97.9 in 2004-05 from 82.0 in 1981-82.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)

Q. Has participation in football increased or decreased?

A. Participation in football has increased in all three divisions since 1981-82. In 2004-05, 60,117 student-athletes participated in football in all three divisions, up from 40,733 in 1981-82. Division I has the highest number of participants in the sport with 24,383. Division III is next highest with 21,161 student-athletes participating in football. Division II has 13,774 participants.
(Source: NCAA 1982-2001 Sports Sponsorship Participation Report)

Scholarship dollars

Q. How much does an average Division I-A institution spend each year on scholarships, by gender?

A. At the average Division I-A institution in 2000-01, men received $2,229,000 in grants-in-aid. Women received $1,528,000 in grants-in-aid. (Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)

Recruiting

Q. How much does an average Division I-A institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?

A. The average Division I-A institution spends $373,000 each year recruiting male student-athletes and $153,000 recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does an average Division I-AA institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?

A. The average Division I-AA institution spends $108,000 each year recruiting male student-athletes and $56,000 each year recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does an average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?

A. The average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spends $70,000 each year recruiting male student-athletes and $53,000 each year recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does an average Division II institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?

A. The average Division II institution with football spends $26,000 per year recruiting male student-athletes and $12,000 per year recruiting female student-athletes. The average Division II institution without football spends $9,000 per year recruiting male student-athletes and $7,000 per year recruiting female student-athletes.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does an average Division III institution spend each year on recruiting its student-athletes?

A. The average Division III institution with football spends 20,000 each year recruiting its male student-athletes and 8,000 each year recruiting its female student-athletes. The average Division III institutions without football spends $8,000 per year recruiting its male student-athletes and $6,000 per year recruiting its female student-athletes.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Coaches' salaries

Q. How much does the average Division I-A institution spend each year on coaches' salaries for its teams?

A. The average Division I-A institution spends $2,791,000 on coaches' salaries for men's teams and $1,258,000 on coaches' salaries for women's teams.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does the average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spend each year on coaches' salaries for its teams?

A. The average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spends $610,000 on coaches' salaries for its men's teams and $505,000 on coaches' salaries for its women's teams.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Overall expenditures

Q. What is the average expenditure per athlete in Division I-A?

A. The average expenditure per athlete in Division I-A is $34,000 per male student-athlete and $20,000 per female student-athlete.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does the average Division I-A institution spend on its athletics programs for each gender?

A. The average Division I-A institution spends $10,900,000 on all its men's teams, $4,600,000 on all its women's teams and $7,700,000 on expenses that benefit both genders.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Q. How much does the average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spend on its athletics programs for each gender?

A. The average Division I-AAA (no football) institution spends $2,130,000 on all its men's teams, $1,940,000 on all its women's teams and $$1,420,000 on expenses that benefit both genders.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)


Revenue

Q. How many NCAA institutions show a profit in their athletics program in Division I-A?

A. The number of institutions where revenue exceeds expenses in Division I-A is 40, or 35 percent of institutions in that classification. This calculation does not include institutional support and does include fund-raising done by the athletics department, ticket sales, funds from student fees to support athletics, bowl games, royalties and the NCAA revenue distribution.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)

Q. Do other NCAA institutions in other divisions show a profit?

A. Yes. Nine institutions in Division I-AA showed revenue exceeding expenses (8 percent); six institutions in Division I-AAA (no football) showed revenue exceeding expenses (7 percent); seven institutions in Division II that do sponsor football showed revenue exceeding expenses (5 percent); and seven institutions in Division II that do not sponsor football showed revenue exceeding expenses (6 percent). Division III institutions are not asked about revenue generation. In other words, 7.7 percent of the total NCAA membership showed a profit in 2001. This calculation does not include institutional support and does include fund-raising done by the athletics department, ticket sales, funds from student fees to support athletics, bowl games, royalties and the NCAA revenue distribution.
(Source: 2001 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs)