Article originally published by Sports Video Group: This summer, the Big Ten Network is presenting three hour-long programs discussing issues facing college sports programs. The second edition of Expert Opinion premiered on Thursday, July 16, tackling the topic, “The Selling of College Sports.” The discussion covers a number of topics, including whether student athletes and…
An article published by the Associated Press shares many of the cost-cutting measures being employed at college athletic departments across the country in an effort to save money. Among the items noted in the article: The Atlantic Coast Conference won’t hold its baseball championship at Fenway Park next year, choosing a North Carolina venue over…
A July 12 article published by the Orlando Sentinel reported on the impact of Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) recent $3 billion conference television contract across the college sports landscape at a time when many colleges are reducing costs, including travel and staff in their athletic departments. In the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Clemson University football coach…
On July 9, USA Today published an article questioning the success of the NCAA’s academic reform policies from the context of pressures on admissions policies at member institutions. The article raised questions about the NCAA’s elimination of minimum SAT and ACT scores leading to a de facto open admissions policy with too many under-prepared athletes…
On July 8, sports commentator Frank Deford provided an opinion on National Public Radio in relation to the likeness of video games and commercialism in college athletics: “As sure as both the politicians and the citizens of this republic are unable to agree on much of anything anymore, there is one issue where all decent,…
On July 4, the New York Times published a story on a class-action lawsuit filed against Electronic Arts and the NCAA by former Arizona State University quarterback, Sam Keller, arguing that they illegally profit from the images of college football and basketball players in video games. According to the Times, Ryan Hart, a former Rutgers…
The University of Oklahoma announced its athletics program will provide $7 million in direct and indirect support to help subsidize academic programs at the institution, an increase of $3 million from the previous year. “This additional support from the Athletics Department has helped the university avoid tuition increases for students and layoffs of faculty and…
The Orlando Sentinel recently reported that the athletic department at the University of Central Florida (UCF) relies on student fees for nearly half of its annual budget. Students at UCF will contribute $16.2 million this year to a $35.5 million athletic operating budget — amounting to 46 percent of the budget. The university raised student…
The Eagle at Bryant/College Station reported that Texas A&M University is expecting to being to receive repayments on a $16 million loan to its athletic department in 2005. According to the report, the athletics department was provided access to that credit for four years and then would have 10 years to repay the money without…
A May 29, 2009 article in the New York Times reported on the decisions at several colleges by students who voted against fee increases to help pay for their schools’ college sports programs. The votes by student bodies at the University of New Orleans, and three state universities in California — Sacramento, Long Beach, and…