The Birmingham News continues its series on the history of the Southeastern Conference.

"SEC schools received on average $10.2 million from the conference office in 2007. And that's nothing compared to the revenue schools produce for themselves, mainly through ticket sales and booster donations.
Per athlete, no conference spends more money, accumulates more revenue or has a higher net profit than the SEC, according to an analysis by The Birmingham News of institutional data filed to the U.S. Department of Education for 2006-07.

The numbers reflect that in this, the 75th anniversary of the SEC, the conference is not only about championships and tradition. It is also about money -- lots of it.

While intercollegiate athletics is thought of as an enhancement to student life, it is also a big business, and there the SEC shines. In the past decade, it has doubled its payouts to member schools, reaching a record $122 million in 2007.

The result is more money spent on teams to win, but a higher price tag for fans to pay through tickets, donation requests and apparel.

It is no accident the increasing wealth of the SEC coincides with football's growth in popularity. Football revenue at schools in the SEC and the Big Ten, the two most lucrative conferences, accounts for 57 percent and 49 percent of their income, respectively.

In 2006-07, five of the top nine football-revenue schools came from the SEC: Georgia ($59.5 million), Florida ($58.9 million), Auburn ($56.8 million), Alabama ($53.2 million) and LSU ($48.1 million)."

"How the SEC got rich" – The Birmingham News