The Big Ten Conference is not wanting for money to pay the bills after posting record 2018 financials.
In its fiscal 2018, the Big Ten posted $759 million in revenue, which far exceeds any comparable annual figure for a college sports conference, according to federal tax record obtained by the USA Today.
The numbers represent an increase of 48 percent over 2017’s revenue of $512.9 million.
Commissioner Jim Delany received $5.5 million in total compensation for the 2017 calendar year, with a base pay in 2017 of $2.25 million, about $125,000 more than it was a year earlier. He also received nearly $1.5 million in bonus pay.
USA Today reports that the exceptional financials were driven by new TV agreements that took effect in the 2017-18 school year and resulted in payment of roughly $54 million to 12 of the conference’s 14 longest-standing member. Maryland and Rutgers, which are newcomers to the conference, received smaller shares.
The Big Ten’s revenue compares to $660 million recorded by the Southeastern Conference for the same period, which resulted in payouts of $47 million to each of its 13 member schools.
The 10-team Big 12 recently reported $374 million in revenue for 2018.
