Florida ranks fifth in country for college athletics revenue
TAMPA (FOX 13) - Whether you're cheering for the Florida Gators, chanting for the Florida State Seminoles, or running with the USF Bulls, chances are you're spending money to support your college team, whether it's games or merchandise.
It's good news for stores like Heads and Tails in Tampa, where Gators, Seminoles and Bulls coexist through sales of shirts, hats and some smack talk.
“Lots of Noles, lots of Gators, and we go at it and spar all the time,” store clerk Lisa Hopkins said of her customers.
But Hopkins makes it clear she's a FSU fan - and she's spent plenty of money to show it, boasting about her collection of at least 200 pieces of fan gear.
But she's not going to hold that against her Gator fan customer, Todd Bass. His orange and blue roots run dep.
“I've been a gator my whole life. I spent seven years there. I went to undergraduate school there. I went to graduate school there. I went to law school there,” Bass said.
Lisa sees a lot of Gator customers like Todd, but says she thinks FSU fans make up most of her business.
While the Seminoles may be doing well there, they aren't beating the Gators when it comes to overall revenue in college athletics.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Florida generates more than $134 million while FSU comes in with more than $123 million.
The Bulls charge into fifth place with more than $48 million in total revenue.
Florida college sports as a whole is big business. The state ranks fifth across the country for revenue, based on reporting from 2015, pulling in more than $728 million.
While Florida ranks fifth in the country for total college athletic revenue, it's near the bottom of the list for revenue per person, which amounts to about $37 per capita.
Texas has the highest total revenue from college sports at more than one billion dollars.