Texas Southern University Athletics

What Texas Southern University Athletics does

Texas Southern University Athletics operates the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics department of Texas Southern University, a public historically Black university located in Houston, Texas. The department fields 16 varsity sports programs (8 men's and 8 women's) competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), including football (FCS), men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, golf, track and field, cross country, bowling, and E-Sports. It serves student-athletes competing at the Division I level, as well as fans, alumni, donors, and the broader Houston community who consume game attendance, broadcasts via the TSU Sports Network, and the Ocean of Soul marching band performances.

The department's technology stack is built on third-party platforms rather than proprietary infrastructure: Sidearm Sports powers the official tsusports.com website with schedules, rosters, statistics, and ticketing integration; SeatGeek handles primary ticket distribution for football and basketball; Touchnet processes merchandise and ticket payments via the Athletics Fueling Station; Opendorse provides the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) marketplace for student-athlete brand monetization; and Google reCAPTCHA secures web forms. The department also operates TSU Sports Network as an integrated media broadcast capability and KTSU 90.9 FM radio for athletics coverage.

Revenue is generated through ticket sales (single-game and season), merchandise transactions, athletic donations via the Office of Development, and NIL-related marketplace activity. Marketing and community engagement are driven by an event-driven and community-led go-to-market across sport-specific social media accounts, Tiger E-mails newsletter, alumni engagement via the Hall of Fame (operating since 1976), and special events including the 74th TSU Relays. As a unit of a public university, the athletics department is not independently financed; its operations are funded through institutional allocations, ticket revenue, and donor support, with no separate financial disclosure.

Name

Texas Southern University Athletics

Legal name

Texas Southern University Athletics

Website

https://tsusports.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Texas Southern University Athletics is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics department of Texas Southern University (HBCU, Houston), fielding 16 varsity sports in the SWAC conference and serving student-athletes, fans, alumni, and donors through ticketing, NIL partnerships, and broadcast media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collegiate Athletics

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs (MPAKACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College/University Sports Events (NCAA & equivalents) (MPAGAMAE), College & University Sports Networks (Conference/School-Owned) (MPABAJAD), Collegiate & School Athletic Facilities (MPAKAEAJ)

Keywords

• Collegiate athletics programs
• Intercollegiate sports teams
• NCAA Division I athletics
• Student-athlete development
• Athletic event ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from single-game tickets and season tickets for various sports including football and basketball, sold through SeatGeek platform and direct website purchases
2. Athletic Giving/Donations: Donations and giving programs supporting TSU Athletics through Office of Development, including Hall of Fame events, special banquets, and the 74th TSU Relays
3. Merchandise Sales: Athletics Fueling Station for merchandise and branded products
4. NIL Partnerships: Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for student-athletes through Opendorse marketplace, enabling monetization of personal brands

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Texas Southern University Athletics operates a comprehensive NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics program with 16 sports teams competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The program offers live athletic competition entertainment through ticket sales for football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, golf, track and field, cross country, bowling, and esports, alongside branded merchandise, donor giving programs, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) marketplace opportunities for student-athletes via the Opendorse platform.

Product overview

Texas Southern University Athletics operates a comprehensive NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics program with 16 sports teams (8 men's and 8 women's) competing in the SWAC conference. The program includes basketball, football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, golf, track and field, cross country, and bowling for both genders, plus E-Sports. Beyond competitive athletics, the program offers NIL marketplace services for student-athlete brand monetization, sports medicine, academic enhancement support, broadcast capabilities through the TSU Sports Network, and maintains facilities and a Hall of Fame for program recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Men's Basketball
• Women's Basketball
• Football
• Baseball
• Softball
• Women's Soccer
• Women's Volleyball
• Men's Golf
• Women's Golf
• Men's Track and Field
• Women's Track and Field

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OpendorsecoreTechnology or IntegrationOpendorse is the leading technology platform and marketplace for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in college sports, connecting over 175,000 athletes with brands, fans, and sponsors for marketing opportunities. TSU Athletics uses Opendorse to provide a robust NIL marketplace for student-athletes to manage, secure, and disclose deals, while providing compliance tools for the university.
• SeatGeekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSeatGeek serves as the primary ticketing platform for TSU Athletics, enabling ticket sales for football, basketball, and other sporting events. The platform handles single-game tickets, season tickets, and special event tickets.
• NCAAcoreOthersNational Collegiate Athletic Association - Division I member conference competing in the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference). NCAA governs rules, championships, and compliance for intercollegiate athletics.
• SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference)coreOthersSWAC is the conference affiliation for TSU Athletics, providing conference competition schedules, SWAC Championship events, and recognition including the SWAC Championship Ledger.
• Sidearm SportscoreTechnology or IntegrationSidearm Sports provides the website platform (sidearm.nextgen.sites) powering tsusports.com, including content management, schedules, rosters, statistics, and digital ticketing integration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alabama State University Athletics: SWAC peer and conference competitor in NCAA Division I football and basketball, with a similar scale of operations and revenue-stream mix.
• Alabama A&M University Athletics: SWAC HBCU peer and direct conference competitor in football and basketball, sharing similar NCAA Division I operational footprint and revenue mix.
• Jackson State University Athletics: SWAC HBCU peer competing in NCAA Division I, with comparable football and basketball profile and similar NIL, ticketing, and donor-revenue dynamics in a peer HBCU market.
• Southern University Athletics: SWAC HBCU peer fielding NCAA Division I football and basketball, with overlapping donor base, gameday revenue model, and conference scheduling structure.
• Grambling State University Athletics: SWAC HBCU peer with a similarly storied football tradition and comparable NCAA Division I athletics department scale, revenue model, and brand-driven donor ecosystem.
• Prairie View A&M University Athletics: Fellow SWAC HBCU located in the Houston metro (Prairie View, TX) competing in NCAA Division I football and basketball. Direct conference rival for ticket, donor, and Houston-market fan share.
• Florida A&M University Athletics: SWAC HBCU peer (newer SWAC member) operating NCAA Division I football and basketball with a strong cultural brand and parallel NIL, ticketing, and donor-revenue architecture.

Emerging players

• Norfolk State University Athletics: MEAC HBCU peer competing in NCAA Division I football and basketball, useful as a size-and-revenue comparable for SWAC-tier HBCU athletic departments.
• North Carolina A&T State University Athletics: HBCU peer in the Colonial Athletic Association with comparable NCAA Division I scale and a similar athletics department operating model for benchmarking HBCU revenue diversification.
• Howard University Athletics: MEAC HBCU peer that has rapidly scaled NIL and brand visibility, providing a relevant benchmark for HBCU athletics branding, NIL monetization, and digital fan-engagement trajectories outside the SWAC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TXSOTigers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOi6WntawwV_ZFqC-MMAFpw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Texas-Southern-University-Athletics-117964758251719
• Instagraminstagram.com/txsotigers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texas-southern-university-athletics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Southern University Athletics