The Big Ten is one of the nation’s premier conferences for collegiate sports, and is perhaps best known athletically for its football programs. Two of these programs, the University of Michigan (U-M) and Michigan State University (MSU), attract large crowds to home games in the State of Michigan each fall. Each game draws tens of thousands of fans from throughout the state and from around the country to campuses in Ann Arbor and East Lansing.
In this paper we discuss how we estimate attendance and economic impact. This begins with “Big 10 Football in Michigan” on page 2 where we provide an overview of the 2007 home football season and attendance estimates for U-M and MSU. Our economic impact analysis and findings are then more thoroughly discussed in “Economic Impact of Big Ten Football Game Attendance In Michigan” on page 3. We then compare Big Ten football with the economic impact that Super Bowl XL was estimated to have had on the State of Michigan. There is also a detailed discussion of our economic impact methodology provided beginning at “Methodology” on page 5.