Releases and Statements

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Knight Commission Calls for NCAA to Transform its Guidelines for March Madness Revenues to Better Support College Athletes and Protect Financial Integrity

[ Sessions and video with experts on NCAA revenue distribution; health and safety issues; amateurism; and athletic time demands ]

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics met today at the National Press Club and called for the NCAA to establish a new guiding principle for the use of NCAA revenues distributed to institutions from the March Madness tournament. The Commission recommended that 100 percent of NCAA revenues received by institutions should be restricted to supporting athletes’ education and providing them with appropriate health and safety benefits and protections. Under current guidelines, just 25 percent of NCAA revenues received by institutions are restricted to support athletes’ education and provide other benefits.

Arne Duncan, Anna Spangler Nelson and Paul Tagliabue to Join Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics

Knight Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Alberto Ibargüen announced today the appointment of Arne Duncan, Anna Spangler Nelson and Paul Tagliabue to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. Duncan recently stepped down as U.S. Secretary of Education; Tagliabue is the former commissioner of the National Football League; and Nelson is chairman of Spangler Companies…

Knight Commission Comments on NCAA Working Groups Appointed to Address Priority Issues

Knight Commission co-chairmen Brit Kirwan and Gerald Turner released the following statements in support of the NCAA’s appointment of working groups to address values-based revenue distribution and various components of the Division I sport organizational structure. “The Knight Commission is extremely pleased that a working group will examine a values-based revenue distribution system. The commission…

Impact of Knight Commission Efforts

The following serves to convey the influence of Knight Commission recommendations on the policies, practices, culture and outcomes in college sports: CLICK HERE for summaries and reactions to the most recent policy changes that are consistent with Knight Commission principles and recommendations. PRESIDENTIAL CONTROL AND LEADERSHIP Presidential leadership for athletics – on campus, in athletics…

Knight Commission Urges A Student-Centered Approach in College Sports

[ Sessions and video with experts on anti-tax law and current litigation impacting college sports; educational goals; and professional standards for coaches ]

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics convened leaders in athletics administration and experts in antitrust and tax law, public policy and economics to examine pressing issues in college sports and concluded that universities must apply a more laser-like focus on the educational experience of students who compete in intercollegiate athletics.

Knight Commission to Examine the Impact of Changes to College Athlete Image Rights and Other Regulatory Issues

Discussion to include consideration of O’Bannon ruling and effects of other legal challenges to current college sports model Who: The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, co-chaired by William E. “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor, University System of Maryland, and R. Gerald Turner, president, Southern Methodist University, will be joined by experts in public policy, economics, and antitrust…

Call for Proposals

Download PDF here. The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, an initiative of the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, requests proposals to model alternative approaches to competition structures in selected National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I sports. This initiative proceeds from the Knight Commission’s 2014 survey study, Exploring a Division I Model Federated…

Knight Commission Updates Athletic and Academic Spending Database

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics has updated its Athletic & Academic Spending Database for NCAA Division I to include the most recent academic and athletic data from the 2012-2013 academic year. The database provides unprecedented access to academic, athletic and football spending data for more than 220 public universities. The Commission created the database…

Collaborative Efforts to Strengthen Educational Opportunities Through College Sports

Link here to download as PDF MEMORANDUM To: NCAA Division I Board of Directors NCAA Division I Council Mark A. Emmert, President, National Collegiate Athletic Association From: William E. Kirwan and R. Gerald Turner, Co-Chairmen Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Subject: Collaborative Efforts to Strengthen Educational Opportunities through College Sports Date: March 16, 2015 Over…

Tribute to Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.

The Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, founding co-chairman of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, died February 26, 2015. He was 97. Father Hesburgh was co-chairman with William C. Friday, president emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, when the Knight Commission was formed in 1989…