For the second year running, Ohio State’s football program has been ranked most valuable in the nation. As reported in Monday’s Wall Street Journal: “Ohio State’s football team leads the country with a value of $946.6 million, according to an annual study by Ryan Brewer, an assistant professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus…Ohio State’s value dipped from more than $1.1 billion last year while the Buckeyes are also the lone team now worth more than $900 million, down from four such teams a year ago. Brewer’s calculations of program financials and growth projections indicate the price each team might fetch as a professional franchise. Texas’ program ranked second at $885.05 mil., followed by Michigan at $811.3 mil. Louisiana Monroe ranked last place at #116 with a valuation of $5.65 mil. Buckeye football’s financial dominance is no accident. While the extreme devotion of fans in Columbus and across OSU’s vast alumni network, along with the team’s championship performance under Coach Urban Meyer, surely contribute to the program’s profile, the real glory goes to Ohio State’s Athletic Director, Gene Smith. Gene Smith is a savvy leader who learned much from his time with IBM in the early 1980s : “At that time, working at IBM was equivalent to getting your MBA,” Smith said during a 2013 interview with Columbus CEO. Along with football, business has always been Smith’s passion. He earned a degree in business administration while playing for Notre Dame (whom Ohio State defeated 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl). “I was one of those weird ones that actually enjoyed accounting. I was strange,” said Smith…
Continue Reading: Buckeye football valuation no accident
