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Knight Commission Calls on NCAA to Shorten Basketball Season

[ Sessions and audio with experts and researchers on academic performance in men's basketball; and NCAA infractions ]

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics held discussions on academic reform, potential changes in the basketball playing season, and changes to penalties for violating National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. The Commission called on the NCAA to shorten the season to reduce the number of missed classes and stress on players. It also commended the association’s academic performance program, but noted that a complex waiver process is threatening to weaken standards designed to hold programs responsible for the academic progress of their players.

The Limitations of NCAA’s Most Recent Financial Report

The Higher Ed Watch Blog recently evaluated the NCAA’s report on college spending on athletics and noted several limitations. According to the blog, the report’s usefulness is limited because it discloses only aggregate numbers and does not disclose individual institutional expenses. The issue is complicated by different accounting practices at each institution. Yet, this report…

NCAA’s financial picture receives concern from media

Several recently published articles help identify concerns about the financial nature of intercollegiate athletics in response to the NCAA’s recent financial report, “2004-06 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report.” The NCAA’s report demonstrated the median net deficit in generated revenues for Division I-A programs increased from $5.9 million in 2003-04…

Contra Costa Times cites Knight Commission survey

  Daniel Borenstein, a columnist for the Contra Costa Times, discusses the rapid increase in salaries for college coaches. He cites a 2006 survey sponsored by the Knight Commission that found that most Americans believe college sports has become too commercialized.

Controversy swells over offering athletic scholarships to eighth and ninth graders

  William “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland system and co-chair of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, called on colleges and the NCAA to end the practice of offering scholarships to students as young as the eighth grade.  “I find the practice appalling, quite frankly,” Kirwan told the USA Today.  “I certainly…

NCAA issues penalties and waivers for APR failures

The NCAA announced that 218 teams at 123 Division I institutions will be sanctioned for failing to meet the minimum academic benchmarks measured by the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR). Sanctions included loss of scholarships, reduced practice time, and a potential of post-season bans if poor APR performance continues. According to the NCAA, about 3.5…

Bowl Championship Series keeps status quo, rejects playoff

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS), which matches the final regular-season’s top two NCAA Division I-A college football teams in a championship game separate from its Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose bowls, will not change its current format at least for the next several years. This decision was reached on April 30 by the commissioners who…

NCAA Basketball Academic Enhancement Group considers restructuring summers

The NCAA’s Basketball Academic Enhancement Group met on April 25 and discussed a variety of proposals aimed at improving the academic performance of men’s basketball players. The group is working toward enhancing off-season access by coaches to incoming players as the best chance to direct young players toward an academic setting; many of the players…

NCAA honors sport teams for academic progress

On Friday, the NCAA issued a press release acknowledging the academic success of 712 Division I athletic teams that finished among the top 10 percent in Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores of all squads in their respective sports. Although the total number of teams publicly recognized dropped by 17 percent from 839 teams last year,…

Recent NCAA Financial Report Indicates Schools Relying More Heavily on Institutional Subsidies

The NCAA released results of a three-year study of revenues and expenses in athletics departments. The data indicate only 16 institutions achieved positive net revenues over expenses over the three-year period studied. Generally, institutions are relying more heavily on institutional subsidies to balance growing budgets. The proportion of revenue from institutional subsidies at schools classified…