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A Game Change: Paying for Big-Time College Sports

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

Reform the NCAA? Group’s New President Has His Hands Full

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

College Coaches’ Salaries Continue to Soar

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

NCAA Proposal Would Give Companies More Latitude to Use Athletes’ Images in Ads

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

Football Bowl Season Intrudes on the Academic Calendar for Some BCS Teams

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

Complaint to IRS Faults Orange Bowl Committee for Caribbean ‘Junket’

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on a group, Playoff PAC, which has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service about the Orange Bowl paying for a gathering of several dozen athletic directors, conference commissioners, and their spouses aboard a Caribbean cruise ship. Playoff PAC filed a broader complaint in September, alleging various abuses

Cost of Going to Bowl Games Is Greater than Payouts

Bloomberg News reported on the cost to schools in the highest competitive division in the NCAA for their football teams playing in bowl games. According to the article, at least 13 schools spent more to play in a football bowl game than their athletic conferences received in compensation. According to figures from public universities where

Football Coaches Salaries Loaded with Incentives for Athletic Success

USA Today recently published an article detailing the significant increase in the amount of football coaching salaries, including assistant coaches, from bonuses and other incentives.  The paper investigated salaries at 89 institutions, including the two institutions whose football teams will play in the Bowl Championship Series title game: the University or Oregon and Auburn University. 

Nearly Half of FBS Coaches Earn More than $1 Million Annually

USA Today published its annual football coaches’ salary report on December 8.  It includes discussion about Fresno State’s Pat Hill, who accepted a reduction in guaranteed pay from $952,000 to $650,000 as a result of the institution’s overall budget woes. The headline points out that Hill’s situation is “a rarity.” The report includes five articles and a

Southeastern Conference Surpasses $1 Billion in Athletics Revenue

Revenues from the members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) totaled more than $1 billion in 2009-10, making the college athletic conference the first to cross the $1 billion mark, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle considered data from the US Department of Education to total the revenue of the athletic departments at