In the annual “State of the Association” address, NCAA Interim President Jim Isch told association members that the sustainability of athletics programs is “very much an institutional issue” and schools must use their best judgment to “find the appropriate value level of supporting athletics on campus.” Isch’s remarks were in response to the Knight Commission’s…
The January 15 New York Times reported on a speech by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the NCAA at its annual convention in which he stated that college athletic teams which fail to graduate their players should receive stricter penalties than are currently being imposed. Secretary Duncan’s comments echoed the Knight Commission’s 2001…
On January 14, USA Today published a report on the cost of big-time college sports, and detailed the increasing use of institutional subsidies to support athletic expenses. The paper published the revenues and expenses of 99 out of 120 members of NCAA’s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) from 2004-2005 to 2007-2008, and found only…
American Public Media’s Marketplace Morning Report broadcasted an interview with R. Gerald Turner, co-chair of the Knight Commission, on Wednesday, January 13. Turner discussed the Commission’s presidential survey findings about the unsustainable financial model of intercollegiate athletics. Link here to listen to the broadcast.
At the NCAA Scholarly Colloquium on January 12, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics presented findings from its recent Presidential Survey on the Cost and Financing of Intercollegiate Athletics, which found that a majority of presidents at major college football institutions found that the current costs of college sports were unsustainable. The presentation was covered…
On January 7, the NCAA News reported on a statement from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics to Division II chancellors and presidents who have shepherded the division’s “Life in the Balance” package for this year’s NCAA Convention. The “Life in the Balance” proposals streamline seasons and reduce contests in 10 sports, in addition to…
Knight Commission co-chair William “Brit” Kirwan appeared on CNBC’s Street Signs on January 7, 2010, with Bob Beaudine, CEO of Eastman & Beaudine. The conversation was about the high compensation of major Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football coaches, including Nick Saban at the University of Alabama and Mack Brown at the University of…
On January 12, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics will encourage the NCAA to address the financial crisis in college sports in a presentation at the NCAA Scholarly Colloquium on Intercollegiate Athletics. The Commission will discuss the recent survey of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member presidents about the state of affairs in…
An article published on CBSSports.com discussed the recent vote by faculty at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in favor of a resolution which criticized the $5 million annual compensation awarded to its head football coach, Mack Brown. According to faculty senate chair, David Hills, “This out-of-control spending on football is crippling universities across…
A recent article published in the Austin American-Statesman questioned the nonprofit status of intercollegiate athletics, particularly after the University of Texas at Austin (UT) increased the compensation of its head football coach, Mack Brown, to over $5 million annually. The nonprofit status of higher education is based on their performing a social good, education, as…