On April 22, the NCAA recognized 767 Division I sports teams for top academic performance as part of the NCAA’s academic reform program. The recognition awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport according to their Academic Progress Rates (APR). The APR is a measure of a…
A column by Tom Eblen of the Lexington Herald-Leader proposed that the University of Kentucky (UK) athletic program contribute 10% of its budget, or $6.7 million this year, to other university purposes, rather than $1.2 million that it will pay. Eblen notes the historical financial picture of athletics and academics at UK, painted by a…
According to the Gainsville Sun, The University of Florida (UF) has asked its University Athletic Association (UAA) to make $6 million is cuts, to be returned to the university’s budget. UF President Bernie Machen said, “They ought to take the same cut as everybody else.” The UAA’s budget reports show more than $80 million in…
Two articles recently published argue that the current situation where players are increasingly commercialized without receiving more financial benefits is no longer tenable. The Boston Globe argued that college athletes are not being compensated at an appropriate level in response to the earnings of the NCAA and higher education athletic departments. The article demonstrated that…
The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) published an article which quoted NCAA officials as being critical of the escalating salaries of coaches at higher education’s most competitive athletic level, NCAA Division I. The University of Kentucky recently hired former University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari with an eight-year, $32 million deal. “Eye-popping and…
Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star wrote an article that questioned the recently published data which highlighted the inequities of graduation rates of black and white basketball players at NCAA Division I institutions. Whitlock questioned whether the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate and the recent graduation rates published by the The Institute for Diversity and…
Knight Conference Center at the Newseum 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N. W., 8th Floor Washington, D.C. Follow the Knight Commission on Twitter: http://twitter.com/KnightAthletics Meeting Agenda and Session Summaries 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Sports participation and sports sponsorship at Division I universities: How have participation and varsity sports opportunities changed over time? How have financial pressures contributed…
The Association of Governing Boards (AGB) recently issued an update to its 2007 policy statement created to “reinvigorate efforts on the part of governing boards to align intercollegiate athletics with the mission, vision, and values of higher education.” As noted by Inside Higher Ed, the most significant difference with the new document is that the…
A report in the USA Today included the subtitle, “Casino ads, video deals reflect urgent push for revenue,” which highlights some of the key issues that raise questions about “how far the NCAA and its members should go to boost revenues.” The article discussed the continuing debate over the increasing use of players’ likenesses and…
A recent USA Today article detailed IMG’s quick rise as a market leader in college sports media and licensing after entering the market in May, 2007 when it purchased Collegiate Licensing. Collegiate Licensing’s clients, which include the NCAA, “are responsible for 75% of the estimated $4.3 billion in annual retail sales of college sports merchandise.”…