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In its 2010 report, the Knight Commission recommended greater transparency of athletics finances for college sports noting that “real long-term progress in athletics financing across all NCAA Division I institutions requires the availability of clear, comparable, and complete financial data, together with strategies to improve accountability. The Commission also introduced new financial metrics that could be used to develop criteria to hold athletics spending in check.

See Restoring the Balance for more specific recommendations.

In an effort to provide greater financial transparency, the Knight Commission is tracking various elements of athletics and academic spending.  CLICK HERE to view these data.

Football Bowl Subdivision: Athletics spending and institutional funding to athletics growing faster than academic spending, 2005-2010

The Commission also recommends USA TODAY's NCAA Athletics Finance Database for institution-specific athletics data. These data were gathered from each institution’s NCAA financial report and acquired through Freedom of Information Act requests by USA TODAY.

• Trust, Accountability and Integrity: Board Responsibilities for Intercollegiate Athletics. Authors: John Casteen, University of Virginia, and Richard D. Legon, Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities.  PDF. PPT.
• Following a Problematic, Yet Predictable, Path: The Unsustainable Nature of the Intercollegiate Athletics System. Authors: John J. Cheslock and David B. Knight, Pennsylvania State University. PDF. PPT.
• De-escalation of Commitment Among Division I Athletic Departments. Authors: Michael Hutchinson, University of Memphis, and Adrien Bouchet, University of Tulsa. PDF. PPT.
• What’s At Our Core? NCAA Division I Voting Patterns vs. Student-Athlete Well-Being, Academic Standards and the Amateur (Collegiate) Model. Authors: Josephine (Jo) R. Potuto, University of Nebraska; Connie Dillon, University of Oklahoma; and David Clough, University of Colorado. PDF. PPT.
• Examining administrator and coach perceptions of value systems in NCAA Division I athletic departments. Authors: Coyte G. Cooper and Erianne A. Weight, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. PDF. PPT.
• Intercollegiate Athletics Leadership Database. Author: Jennifer Lee Hoffman, University of Washington. PDF. PPT.

Promoting changes in revenue distribution models

Knight Commission's recommendation to include academic performance as a part of football revenue distribution process takes hold

In its 2010 report, the Knight Commission introduced a new approach to dividing postseason championship revenues.  In 2012, the Knight Commission continued to promote its concept to consider academic outcomes in the growing financial rewards. . CLICK HERE to read an op-ed on this issue by Knight Commission co-chairs William E. “Brit” Kirwan and R. Gerald Turner that was published by the Chicago Tribune in June 2012.

The Commission also sent a communication on April 20, 2012 to presidents and conference commissioners recommending a new approach in anticipation of the new football playoff. The communication is accessible HERE. Related media coverage can be read HERE.