Report: Badgers’ struggles could cost Wisconsin hundreds of millions

Report: Badgers? struggles could cost Wisconsin millions

A recent UW-Madison study says the Badgers? struggles could cost Wisconsin up to $280 million.

MADISON, Wis. - From bad to worse, it’s no secret the Wisconsin Badgers football season hasn’t gone the way they hoped. Now, a new report suggests their downward spiral has a massive ripple effect.

To be clear — this isn’t opposition research from Minnesota, Iowa or Illinois. The report comes straight out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

What we know:

Economics researchers at the university’s Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy say the team’s trajectory could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. "The Economic Impact of Badger Football’s Declining Performance" was published last week.

Camp Randall Stadium

They’ve lost games and the crowds Camp Randall is known for, even among long-time supporters.

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Dan Katz of Barstool Sports put it bluntly.

"It is the Titanic going down, and they are basically playing the violin on the decks of the Titanic," Katz said.

It’s soul-searching time for the Badgers, who are standing by head coach Luke Fickell during the program’s worst start to a season this century.

"They understood what this mountain was gonna look like," Fickell said after a recent loss. "I think the mountain has gotten a hell of a lot bigger than even what we thought at the get-go."

By the numbers:

The report shows those losses cut deeper than the Badgers’ record. Researchers estimate the downward trend could cut football profits by $20 million – about a third of the team’s 2024 total. 

That money is often used to fund smaller sports at Wisconsin.

They also project Madison could lose $160 million in local spending, with Wisconsin as a whole losing $280 million, if fans scale back on tickets, food, travel and merchandise.

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Matt Mitten, executive director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University, said the findings make sense.

"I think that report is really a worst-case scenario, assuming this trend continues," Mitten said. "They might be less likely to go to the game. And of course, that means there’s going to be less eating and drinking and buying paraphernalia."

Dig deeper:

The financial risk doesn’t end there. If the Badgers move on from Fickell, he would be owed tens of millions in buyout costs depending on timing.

Eight schools have already fired coaches this season, owing a combined $169 million in payouts to skip town.