In this Raleigh News & Observer article about the new federal tax law that eliminates the tax-exempt status of contributions provided to intercollegiate sports programs for athletics tickets, Amy Perko, chief executive officer of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, is quoted: “It’s surprising how this has been somewhat under the radar, and it could prove to be one of the most significant impacts on college athletics in a long time.”
The article highlights: “A rollback in broader participation is exactly what the Knight Commission’s Perko fears as athletic departments scramble to adjust to new fiscal constraints. Any reductions in Olympic-sport spending are apt to have an inordinate effect on female athletes and enforcement of Title IX, which mandates equal opportunity, just as attention to women’s rights is resurgent.”
“There needs to be a recalibration of how the business is done, and the recalibration should not just be to cut sports,” Perko says. “I think that would be a terrible outcome.”
The article uses the Knight Commission’s financial database that shows across 130 FBS schools, contributions comprise an average of 22 percent of athletic revenues.
LINK HERE for the full article.