How Oklahoma Sooners softball did financially in FY2024
NORMAN, Okla. (BVM) – The University of Oklahoma athletic department has released its annual financial report for fiscal year 2024.
The 82-page document, which was submitted to the NCAA by Jan. 15, was obtained by BVM Sports through an open records request. It highlights the Oklahoma Sooners softball team’s revenue, expense and profit figures.
Note that FY2024 covers the reporting period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. It reflects the 2024 season when the Sooners secured their fourth consecutive championship.
Revenue: For the first time in history, Oklahoma athletics has joined the $200 million revenue club; the department generated $208.8 million in total operating revenue for FY2024.
Softball’s revenue jumped by $1 million to reach $4.1 million in FY2024. This makes the program the university’s third-highest revenue-generating sport (behind football [$131.7 million] and men’s basketball [$14.4 million]).
Ticket sales: While football and men’s basketball saw a decrease in ticket revenue year-over-year, softball, on the other hand, experienced a surge. Softball’s ticket sales jumped by $1.2 million – reaching $2.7 million and making it the second-most in-demand sport on campus (behind football, $41 million).
Other game day revenue: Softball’s game days are becoming increasingly lucrative, with the program reporting a 23% increase in revenue from game programs, novelties, parking and concessions – bringing the total to $79,011.
Media rights: Radio, television, internet, digital and e-commerce revenue for softball increased from $56,314 in FY2023 to $69,767 in FY2024.
Royalties, licensing, ads and sponsorships: Softball’s revenue in this category continues to rise, reaching $722,452 in FY2024. Only football ($11 million) and men’s basketball ($3.4 million) generated more.
Donations: A significant portion of OU’s athletic department revenue came from donor contributions, which rose 21% to total $73.2 million in FY2024. Of that, contributions provided and used by softball equaled just $138,328.
Expenses: Oklahoma athletics set an all-time expense record in FY2024; operating costs rose by $7.2 million to reach a total of $206.2 million.
Softball’s expenses stayed relatively the same – going from $6.8 million to $7 million. The only other programs that spent more money were football ($60.5 million), men’s basketball ($12.2 million) and women’s basketball ($7.2 million).
Meals: OU athletics spent $5.3 million on non-travel student-athlete meal allowances and food/snacks in FY2024. For softball, meal expenses increased from $40,794 to $142,844.
Game expenses: Game-day expenses for softball – covering officials, security and event staff (excluding travel) – increased by 32% to equal $709,139. Notably, men’s basketball spent a similar amount at $757,489.
Recruiting: OU spent $6.1 million on recruiting across all sports in FY2024. Of that, softball spent $191,267 (up $60,000 from the prior year). The spending laid the groundwork for the Sooners to acquire top-ranked players in the Class of 2024 and claim the No. 1 ranking in the Class of 2025.
Salaries: Patty Gasso, the highest-paid college softball coach in the nation, earned $2.1 million in salary, benefits and bonuses in FY2024. This makes her the third-highest-paid head coach at OU (behind football and men’s basketball).
Profits: Oklahoma athletics reported a $2.6 million surplus in FY2024, which is an extraordinary increase from the $320,346 earned in the previous year.
Despite winning their fourth straight championship at the end of the fiscal year, Sooners softball posted a financial loss of -$2.9 million. On a positive note, this deficit is smaller than the previous year.
In general, women’s college sports aren’t typically profitable. The only profitable sports on OU’s campus in FY2024 were football ($71.1 million) and men’s basketball ($2.3 million).
The university’s next NCAA financial report (FY2025) is set to be released in January 2026.
