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North Florida’s first NCAA tournament trip helps boost school’s merchandise sales

Matthew Driscoll, Jalen Nesbitt

Matthew Driscoll, Jalen Nesbitt

AP

The NCAA tournament is a major moneymaker in a number of ways. Of course there’s the multibillion dollar contract paid by CBS/Turner to the NCAA for the right to televise one of America’s best sporting events, and conferences earn financial “units” based upon how many games their members play in.

Also of note is the money schools can make in areas such as merchandising and increased enrollment, something that North Florida is experiencing on the heels of its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. According to the Florida Times-Union, the Atlantic Sun tournament champs have seen merchandise sales increase nearly 47 percent in the last year.

UNF Business Services reported that retail sales of UNF merchandise from all sources saw a 46.8 percent jump in the past year from $1.01 million in 2014 to $1.48 million in revenue in 2015, up by $473,860. Bookstore sales of merchandise alone increased 28 percent in the past year going from $673,735 to $862,434, a 28 percent increase, and that’s still only about 20 percent of total bookstore sales.

Those revenue streams are of great importance to any school, much less one that doesn’t have the benefit of a major college football program on its campus. And for some schools, additional money provides financial flexibility when it comes to facilities that they may not have enjoyed before.

So as head coach Matthew Driscoll looks to lead the Ospreys to a second straight NCAA appearance, being successful in that mission will have an impact on the UNF campus as a whole.