UCF received $5.359 million as part of its annual revenue payout from the American Athletic Conference.
According to the most recent tax documents available, and obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the conference reported $111,278,729 in total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year. That’s up 52% from the previous year when the league posted total revenue of $73,203,230.
The increase can be attributed to several factors including a one-time $16.8 million exit fee paid by UConn, which made the decision to move to the Big East last year.
The AAC also received a one-time signing bonus from ESPN as part of its new media rights deal, which it signed in 2019. That bonus nearly doubled the league’s media rights revenue from $22.7 million in 2018-19 to $43.9 million in 2019-20.
The 12-year agreement is reportedly worth $1 billion and will be reflected in the next fiscal year. Also reflected in the next fiscal year will be the economic impact of the pandemic.
According to the records, the conference earned $37.2 million from postseason tournaments, including revenue generated from the shares in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments as well as bowl game payouts along with the league’s share from the College Football Playoff.
Seven teams qualified for bowl games during the 2019-20 season, including Memphis, which earned a spot in a New Year’s Six Access Bowl as the top-ranked team from the Group of Five conferences. UCF defeated Marshall in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa on Dec. 23, 2019.
The league also earned $11.213 million in NCAA sponsorships and grants and $1.077 million in revenue off conference championships.
Memphis led the way in payouts with $8.656 million followed by Cincinnati ($6.2 million), Temple ($5.9 million), SMU ($5.37 million), UCF ($5.35 million), Tulane ($5 million), USF ($4.6 million), East Carolina ($4.59 million), Tulsa ($4.45 million), Houston ($4.43 million), Navy ($3.84 million), and UConn ($1.37 million).
Wichita State, which joined the conference in 2017 as a full member in all sports except football, received a small annual payout of $1.42 million.
UCF’s payout is down from the $7.47 million the school received the previous fiscal year. The Knights received a financial bump for qualifying for the Fiesta Bowl which is part of the New Year’s Six access bowl.
The new media rights deal will provide a substantial financial boost to member institutions, with the average revenue payout expected to nearly double in some cases.
Commissioner Mike Aresco made $2.315 million in compensation during the 2019-20 fiscal year, up from the $1.929 million the previous year.
