Memphis received just over $11 million from the American Athletic Conference in the 2024 fiscal year, the biggest payout in the conference but one that still lagged eons behind even the lowest payouts among power conference teams.
The AAC reported $143,891,433 in revenue for the fiscal year, which ran from June 1, 2023 to May 30, 2024, according to federal tax documents. That was an increase of about $23 million from the year prior, but that can be attributed mostly to a $25 million exit payment from SMU, which left for the ACC in 2024.
The conference provided the documents in response to a request from The Commercial Appeal.
The revenue number illustrates the massive gap between the power conferences and the Group of Five. The Big Ten reported $928 million in revenue, while the SEC was at $840 million, the ACC at $711.4 million and the Big 12 reported $493.8 million.
Those numbers are one of the many reasons Memphis has long aspired to join a power conference. Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston left the AAC for the Big 12 in 2023 and already are receiving higher conference payouts. SMU was willing to forgo years of media rights payments in order to get into the ACC.
The gulf is likely to get wider as the House v. NCAA case nears a resolution. That settlement will mean the start of revenue sharing in college athletics, where schools will be allowed to directly pay players for the first time.
Where Memphis ranks in the AAC
The AAC does not distribute money evenly among its schools and instead has wide discrepancies between the highest and lowest payouts. Wichita State (which does not have football) received $3.3 million, while Memphis led the way at $11 million.
That was a change from the year before. SMU, Central Florida and Cincinnati were ahead of Memphis, but so was Tulane, which received $12.3 million in 2023….
Source link : https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/college/memphis-tigers/2025/05/17/memphis-athletics-aac-american-athletic-conference-2024-revenue-payouts/83682673007/
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Publish date : 2025-05-17 10:03:00
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