“The Knight Commission has long advocated that teams be required to meet minimum academic standards to participate in championship competition. The latest data on academic progress rates and the determination of team penalties is a positive step in necessary reform. Nevertheless, it is too early to tell if the possible penalties will change recruiting behavior and lift the priority of academic success of athletes. The fact that 40 percent of all football, basketball and baseball teams could be penalized if performance doesn’t change in two years, when the squad size adjustments are eliminated, shows that there is still much work to be done. The NCAA needs to hold firm on the current benchmarks, and assess penalties when the standards are not met. Institutions must understand that there are real consequences if they fail to improve the academic success of their student athletes.”
Clifton R. Wharton, Vice Chair, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
The citizens of the ‘blogosphere’ also have taken note of academic issues for the first time. Here are some of the comments they’ve posted:
The Double-A Zone (NCAA’s in-house blog)
Every Day Should Be Saturday
M Go Blog
Salon.com