Penn State Athletics: Key Sports Hit High Marks On Ticket Sales Over Most Recent Fiscal Year

Penn State men’s basketball, football and men’s hockey all recorded their highest ticket sale figures of the past nine years, according to the athletic departments Fiscal Year Report, which reflects revenue and expenditures from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.

[Read full report here]

The increase wasn’t enough to offset a slight decrease in overall department revenues which were down roughly $843,000 from the previous fiscal year.

The men’s basketball program reported nearly $970,000 in ticket sales, a high over the past nine years and a figure likely to be surpassed in the following Fiscal Year 2020 as the Nittany Lions continue to draw large crowds during a historically successful season. Overall program revenues were up just past $11 million, netting a profit of roughly $4.1 million, an increase from the previous season but not matching the five-year high of $5.8 million in FY 2015.

Guy Gadowsky and the Penn State men’s hockey program clocked in with nearly $1.8 million in ticket sales, a program-high since moving to Pegula Ice Arena.  FY 2019 marked an increase in overall revenue for the program after a slight downward trend from 2017 to 2018. The program continues to report a positive cash flow, although it is not saddled with the financial responsibility of facilities operations, the cost of running Pegula Ice Arena accounted for elsewhere on Penn State’s books. Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions continue to be an example of an otherwise healthy collegiate hockey program.

Penn State football made it back-to-back seasons of just over $100 million of revenue, with a roughly $300,000 increase in revenue despite an overall decrease in profit to the tune of $54.2 million. Recruiting costs also continue to rise as James Franklin and his staff racked up a bill of $1.5 million. The 2019 fiscal year represents the final season of the Trace McSorely era.

StateCollege.com’s Mike Poorman has more on football and the department’s overall health in a story filed today.

Some of the larger figures can be found below, including the previous eight reports. Numeric decreases compared to the previous fiscal year can be seen in red, increases in green except for expenses which are left untouched. With a few exceptions, most decreasing values are of relatively negligible amounts.