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College softball delivers a lot of hard cash for Florida’s secondary education sector.
With 1,122 players, Florida’s 56 schools with softball programs scored more than $25 million in revenue in 2016, according to a Watchdog Florida report. Florida also ranked No. 7 nationally for total softball participation in 2016, states the report, based on participation data from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education. (Federal officials collect data annually from all intercollegiate athletics programs that receive federal financial aid. The latest year available is 2016.)
The states with the highest softball participation, for the most part, mirror population data. California, Pennsylvania, New York and Texas, for example, are the top four, while Alaska and Wyoming have zero players and no teams
In terms of individual schools in Florida, the Seminoles are the tip of the spear: Florida State’s softball program brought in $2.2 million in revenue in 2016, according to the report. That’s more than double the revenue tally of any other 55 schools in Florida that field a team. With 23 players, that’s equal to $95,837 per player, also tops in the state by a wide margin.
The four schools closest to FSU in total softball revenue are the University of Central Florida, Stetson University, the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University. Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers ranked No. 8 in the state, while the Seminoles’ top rival in most sports, the University of Florida, ranked No. 12 in total revenues with $553,407.
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