It Just Means More: The Hidden Workforce that Makes College Football Come Alive

OXFORD, Miss. — When people talk about college football, the conversation almost always circles back to the big names — the head coaches with multimillion-dollar contracts and the star players cashing in on NIL deals. But beneath the roar of the crowd and the bright lights of the stadium exists an entire ecosystem of people whose livelihoods depend on the sport just as much as any coach or athlete. They’re the behind-the-scenes heroes who make gameday happen.

Walk into any stadium on a Saturday and you’ll see the results of their work even if you never see their faces. University staff are there long before sunrise and long after the fans have gone home. Operations crews check  bleachers, test every light, and make sure the field is ready. Marketing teams update graphics and scripts, security plans are rechecked, and transportation coordinators make sure thousands of people can move in and out safely. These employees aren’t splashed across headlines, but gameday hinges on their preparation.

Then there are the men and women who keep the bathrooms clean and the concession stands running — workers who don’t just support gameday but often rely on it as part of their annual income. For many seasonal and part-time employees, football weekends help pay for groceries, rent, and childcare. Stadium jobs have become a crucial financial lifeline in college towns where the economy swells and contracts with each home game.

Vendors, local businesses, parking attendants, EMTs, custodians, sound techs, event staff — they all form a massive network that turns a two-hour football game into an economic engine. In some towns, a single SEC gameday can inject millions of dollars into the local economy. But behind those numbers are real people who count on those hours and those paychecks to get by.

It’s easy to celebrate the touchdowns, the rankings, and the contract extensions. It’s harder — but far more important — to recognize the invisible workforce that keeps the sport alive. Without them, college football doesn’t function. The stadium doesn’t open. The lights don’t turn on. The food isn’t served. The seats aren’t safe. The bathrooms don’t get cleaned.

The next time fans file into a stadium or settle onto the couch to watch their team, it’s worth remembering that college football is more than a coach’s salary or a player’s NIL deal. It’s thousands of hardworking people — many of whom earn far less recognition and far fewer dollars — who keep the entire operation standing.

They deserve to be seen. They deserve to be appreciated. And they deserve to be part of the conversation when we talk about the true cost — and true value — of college football.