1. Arne Duncan Washington Post Opinion On March 17, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced his support for two Knight Commission recommendations designed to reward teams that make academics a priority: requiring teams to be on track to graduate 50 percent of their players to be eligible for postseason play and providing financial incentives…
KCBS-Radio in San Francisco interviewed Amy Perko, Executive Director of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, about the Knight Commission’s March 2011 analysis. The analysis provided data to support the Commission’s call for the NCAA to reward Division I men’s basketball teams for postseason performance only if they meet minimum academic benchmarks. Access the interview…
New analysis shows basketball teams not meeting minimal academic benchmarks have earned nearly $179 million* for NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament success Highlights: 10 of 68 men’s basketball teams that competed in the 2011 “March Madness” would be ineligible under the benchmark recommended by the Knight Commission and backed by Secretary Duncan. Of the $409 million…
The New York Times published an article about the need for the NCAA to have greater control over the Division I football bowl system in order to reduce inappropriate expenses by the non-profit organizations which direct the postseason games. The article noted a recent investigation by the Times in to the Fiesta Bowl, which detailed…
The Washington Post recently identified capping athletics subsidies as one of eight ways to get higher education in better shape. The article cites Knight Commission data and quotes Commission co-chairman William “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland: “7. Cap athletic subsidies Intercollegiate athletics undoubtedly add to the collegiate experience. But how much,…
The following article by Karen Weaver was published in Change magazine in its January-February 2011 issue. Weaver is the director of athletics, intramurals, and recreation at Penn State Abington. The complete article can be accessed here. “College presidents often think of athletics as the “front porch” of their campuses. After all, name recognition goes a…
In an article published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, columnist Rachel Blount points out that while the NCAA may need to reign in athletic eligbility rules that recently allowed several high profile student-athletes to compete in football bowl games, it should consider tackling’ issues “farther up the ladder, on the influences that are really corrupting…
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article about the rising compensation for football and men’s basketball coaches in the NCAA’s most competitive division, Division I. The salaries are growing at a rate that far surpasses salaries for academic administrators and professors. The salaries are also growing at rates faster than the revenues pulled in by athletic…
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on the NCAA’s 2011 convention where the Division I Legislative Council will consider a proposal that would change the NCAA’s current rules which prohibit the commercial use of use of a student-athlete’s name, image, or “likeness” in advertisements, promotions, or other ventures. The proposed measure would allow corporate sponsors…
An article in Sports Illustrated discussed how the extension of some of college football’s bowl games and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game by another week intrudes on many of the student-athletes’ academic schedule. The article notes the misalignment of the scheduling of bowl games with the NCAA’s principle bylaw on amateurism, which states…