In the Orlando Sentinel, a July 27, 2009, article presented a look at the college athletics landscape and how it is being impacted by the current economic recession. A 2008 NCAA study showed the average net operating deficit among FBS schools was $8.9 million in 2006, a figure that rose 25 percent in two years.…
In a July 26, 2009, article published by the Indianapolis Star, a new string of legal challenges have been brought against the National Collegiate Athletic Association by athletes who think they have been unfairly used for financial gain. Those challenges may redefine the relationship among the NCAA, universities, and athletes, and may come with a…
An article published by AnnArbor.com on July 25, 2009, demonstrated how the University of Michigan athletic department continues to be one of the few college sports programs where revenues outpace expenses. Michigan’s athletic department is one of just six in the country to show a budgetary surplus in each of the past five years. In…
Article originally published by Sports Video Group: This summer, the Big Ten Network is presenting three hour-long programs discussing issues facing college sports programs. The second edition of Expert Opinion premiered on Thursday, July 16, tackling the topic, “The Selling of College Sports.” The discussion covers a number of topics, including whether student athletes and…
An article published by the Associated Press shares many of the cost-cutting measures being employed at college athletic departments across the country in an effort to save money. Among the items noted in the article: The Atlantic Coast Conference won’t hold its baseball championship at Fenway Park next year, choosing a North Carolina venue over…
A July 12 article published by the Orlando Sentinel reported on the impact of Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) recent $3 billion conference television contract across the college sports landscape at a time when many colleges are reducing costs, including travel and staff in their athletic departments. In the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Clemson University football coach…
On July 9, USA Today published an article questioning the success of the NCAA’s academic reform policies from the context of pressures on admissions policies at member institutions. The article raised questions about the NCAA’s elimination of minimum SAT and ACT scores leading to a de facto open admissions policy with too many under-prepared athletes…
On July 8, sports commentator Frank Deford provided an opinion on National Public Radio in relation to the likeness of video games and commercialism in college athletics: “As sure as both the politicians and the citizens of this republic are unable to agree on much of anything anymore, there is one issue where all decent,…
On July 4, the New York Times published a story on a class-action lawsuit filed against Electronic Arts and the NCAA by former Arizona State University quarterback, Sam Keller, arguing that they illegally profit from the images of college football and basketball players in video games. According to the Times, Ryan Hart, a former Rutgers…
The University of Oklahoma announced its athletics program will provide $7 million in direct and indirect support to help subsidize academic programs at the institution, an increase of $3 million from the previous year. “This additional support from the Athletics Department has helped the university avoid tuition increases for students and layoffs of faculty and…