Houston brings in about $200 million after hosting College Football Playoff championship game, officials say

This comes after last year, when Houston hosted the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Final Four in April. It brought in an estimated $270 million.

The College Football Playoff Championship Game will be held in Houston at NRG Stadium on January 8, 2024.
Daisy Espinoza

Houston Public Media
REBECCA NOEL
POSTED ON JANUARY 9, 2024, 3:05 PM 
(LAST UPDATED: JANUARY 9, 2024, 3:24 PM)

Nearly 100,000 people traveled to Houston last weekend for Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship. The event brought millions of dollars to Houston's local economy and – organizers hope – will open the door for the Bayou City to host the event again in the future.

Organizers say the weekend brought an estimated $200 million to the city. It comes after Houston hosted the NCAA Men's College Basketball Final Four in April, which brought in an estimated $270 million.

It's the first time the city has hosted the event, though the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority has been trying to bring the championship to Houston since 2016.

"It so represents the best in people that Houston has so successfully presented a major event, and things like this just don’t happen. It took years of preparation," said Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday. "Some things are worth waiting for."

Area officials said they plan to bid on future college football championship games.

Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, commended the city for its hospitality.

"The friendliness of the people here is remarkable. Houston has a small-town spirit that carries over to this big city," he said. "I’ve never seen anything like it in a big city. You all should be really proud of that."

The College Football Playoff partnered with local education nonprofit Good Reason Houston to launch the Houston Loves Teachers campaign.

"We, in conjunction with the College Football Foundation, were able to raise over $3 million for Houston-area teachers," said J. Kent Friedman, the chairman of the board of the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, at Harris County Commissioners Court Tuesday. "That's 28 different school districts in the community that have gotten financial help."

The funding will be used for classroom resources, professional development, teacher appreciation and classroom renovations, in hopes of promoting teacher recruitment and retention.

Next year's College Football Playoff National Championship will be held in Atlanta, making it the first city to host the CFP twice.