Releases and Statements

After a year-long examination, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics called today for major governance changes for Division I sports, proposing a new governing entity for the sport of football at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, separate from the NCAA. The NCAA would govern all other sports in a reorganized Division I governance, and schools with FBS football programs would remain part of the NCAA in all other sports except football.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics will release its recommendations for significant reform of the NCAA Division I model. The proposed reforms will be unveiled at the fourth and final virtual forum of the Knight Commission’s year-long examination of Division I, Transforming the NCAA D-I Model: A 4-Part Series.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics will release results of a groundbreaking survey of Division I campus leaders’ opinions on significant college sports reforms proposals, such as capping sports’ budgets and major reorganizations of the current Division I model. The reorganizations surveyed include creating a new NCAA division for Power 5 sports and separating FBS football into its own independent, operating entity.

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics today will propose in a virtual public session changes to the NCAA’s March Madness revenue distribution, which sends nearly $600 million to its 351 Division I schools every year. In addition to this direct funding to Division I schools, March Madness revenues support both NCAA operations and 90 national championships for 24 sports across all three membership divisions, which include more than 1,000 colleges and universities.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics will hold the second virtual forum of its four-part series on the NCAA Division I model and the need for reform. This 60-minute forum, A New Analysis of the D-I Revenue Distribution Formula Inequities, will examine the financial distributions from Division I’s two marquee events: the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the FBS College Football Playoff.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics will kick off the first in a series of four public forums to be held this fall examining the NCAA Division I model and the need for reform. The forums, Transforming the NCAA D-I Model: A 4-Part Series, begin with a session on the often misunderstood finances of Division I.