[OrangenowBlue]

Are you saying that basketball (only boys not boys and girls combined) pulls in more money per year than football? Is there any numbers to support that?

I am not talking about at the local high schools. One of the primary sources of income for the KHSAA is the state tournaments. The total attendance for the boys state football tournament was around 37,000 people. The average total attendance for a boys Sweet Sixteen is around 150,000. I believe the highest attended football game in the state finals this year was close to 10,000. The smallest attendance at a boys session is never under 10.000. I know it is hard to compare the two as each session you have four teams in basketball. The KHSAA depends on ticket and merchandise sales to keep them afloat and to supply their budget. The Sweet Sixteen also has probably more people attending the tournament who are not connected to any team (they come just to watch the tournament) then the football finals attendance combined. In a lot of towns on the local level, I would absolutely say that football is the bigger moneymaker, but when it comes to the state and money for the KHSAA, basketball is king. The girls Sweet Sixteen generates more money then the football finals. It also helps having National City and Houchens Industries sponser the two tournaments.