Ohio State football may set the gold standard for its sport. But behind the scenes, the university’s athletic department is facing a different kind of pressure. They need to sustain excellence across 36 varsity programs. In a recent interview, Athletic Director Ross Bjork noted that he is thinking beyond Ryan Day’s football empire. The program is focused on “how to monetize” and modernize an entire athletic ecosystem.

The Buckeyes have led the nation in athletic departmental spending for several consecutive years, reporting $293 million in expenditures for the 2023-24 season, according to the university’s latest NCAA financial disclosures. That total reflects an increase of roughly $17 million from the previous year. To put that money to good use, while appearing on the Bucknuts’ Happy Hour Podcast, Ross Bjork revealed that they had an athletic staff meeting to start the “activate and engage stage”, and they’re planning to get some things off the ground. He hinted that there will be “several pieces of technology”. Bjork said, “We need new video boards at baseball and softball. So those things are actually going to come online here in early 2026. A new video board at the Shottenstein Center, and then there’ll be some technology upgrades at Ohio Stadium.”

Ohio State is targeting new video and ribbon boards at Ohio Stadium by the 2026 season, with a fallback timeline of 2027. Replacing the ribbon boards and potentially relocating the north end zone scoreboard are top priorities, while expanding the south end zone video board will take longer. The university also plans to relocate TV production trucks, create a new compound, and continue improving upon the fan experience. Bjork continued, “We’re installing the south end zone premium seating area right at field level. There’ll be nine suites, 400 club seats. The club seats are pretty much sold out.” Work has also begun on the 1922 Club on the stadium’s east side.

Bjork confirmed that a “full master plan” is in motion to upgrade restrooms, concessions, concourses, and signage. Even niche improvements, like a weatherized photography room, are on the list. Larger-scale infrastructure work, particularly in the south end zone, will unfold gradually over the next “five to seven years,” as Bjork noted. Based on the AD’s statement, the program is aiming for a premium experience for the Buckeye fanbase.

Bjork wants to keep all 36 sports 

Ohio State offers 36 sports for the students, of which 34 sports spend more money than they make. The exceptions being football and basketball. Bjork acknowledged that they have more than $300M budget for the upcoming year. He said that they’ll plan accordingly to increase profits without cutting any sports.

“We will maintain 36 sports,” Bjork said. “One, you have an obligation to the young people in those programs. There are a lot of historical programs that compete here. We want to maintain that, we want to grow that. How we spend our money can look different… We’ll manage through all of that.” He said that dropping sports hasn’t turned out well historically, and still wanted to generate the right kind of revenue.

But it is not all bleak. There may be investment money in the near future. Considering that the Big Ten conference is working around an infusion of capital from private investors, the future of Ohio Sports can see a major boost. After all, championship teams do cost money in the NIL era.