Unlike the recent spate of construction of new stadiums in the professional National Football League (NFL), college football stadiums are more often improved and expanded than replaced by brand new stadiums. Yet, the financing of college football stadiums is somewhat different compared to the NFL, where new stadiums are often built via a combination of corporate sponsorship and taxpayer dollars. In college football, funding is closely aligned with a host of team performance standards, including: win/loss record; number of bowl appearances; Heisman Trophy candidates/winners; legendary coaches. Additional sources of funding are sought by schools in the form of private donations from alumni and other athletic department fund-raising efforts.
All four of the performance oriented factors mentioned above affect football stadium construction and expansion either directly or indirectly. There are two main links between these factors and stadium financing. First, when teams have a higher percentage of wins, appear in bowls regularly, are helmed by legendary coaches, and produce potential Heisman candidate players, attendance levels increase thereby generating more revenue. Second, when teams regularly accomplish or encompass these four aspects of performance they receive more national media coverage, more corporate sponsorship, and additional income for their athletic department and conference when they appear in a post-season bowl game. This not only benefits the actual team doing the performing, but also other teams in the same conference.
There are financial sources that contribute to stadium construction and/or expansion that are not directly related to performance. The two primary sources of funding that are not performance related are state tax dollars and alumni and/or private donations. However, while state tax dollars are allocated to state colleges regardless of athletic performance, alumni and/or private donations oft...