CHART: The Average University Of Louisville Basketball Player Is Worth $1.6 Million

We recently took a look at what college football players would be worth if the NCAA used a similar method of dispersing revenue as used by the NFL. Using the same method, the chart below shows us how much college basketball players might be worth if they played in a free market system and players at the University of Louisville top the list.

Fair Market Value1 was calculated for each of the ten basketball programs that generated the most revenue in 2012 (revenue data via BusinessofCollegeSports.com). Using the NBA's most recent collective bargaining agreement in which the players receive a minimum of 49% of all revenue, we then divided that value by the 13 scholarship players.

Using this method we can estimate that the average college basketball player at the University of Louisville is worth $1,599,461 per year. Now consider that in 2010-11, Louisville paid approximately $28,900 per scholarship, a fraction of what each player is worth.

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1 Fair Market Value = (Basketball Revenue * 49%)/13