Explores how the recent deaths of several college football players have prompted questions about whether athletes should be participating in sports to the exclusion of almost every other activity. Offers the example of Virginia Tech and discusses regulations on practice from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. (EV)

Discusses how, despite potential health risks and occasional deaths, performance-enhancing drugs are seen by college athletes as a boost to the top of their game. (EV)

A recent report by the National Collegiate Athletic Association on graduation rates indicates that athletes in Division II schools face as many challenges completing college as do their peers in Division I. Division II institutions are further hampered by lack of resources causing Division II students less likely to graduate in general. (SLD)

Discusses how Williams College, questioning the role of sports on campus, will be dropping the number of students it admits for their athletics credentials. (EV)

Discusses how an academic review of the football teams that competed in this year's bowl games shows that many universities allow players to take an easy path to a degree. (EV)

A "Chronicle" survey finds significant progress for female athletes at the college level and budget constraints looming for all sports programs. The article includes several data tables on sports participation by women, scholarships, and athletic budgets. (EV)

Discusses the increasing recruitment by college coaches of foreign athletes. Explores whether Americans are losing valuable scholarship and training opportunities to foreign students. (EV)

Discusses a report from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which indicates that fewer male basketball players are graduating from college. Four out of ten players graduated from Division I colleges, the lowest rate in 11 years. Many coaches take issue with how the statistics are compiled; however, the NCAA is considering new academic…

Describes how tougher academic standards, the "arms race" for better facilities, and other perennial topics took center stage at the National Collegiate Athletic Association's annual meeting. (EV)

Discusses how a college sports recruiting scandal points to the role of athletics in a poor neighborhood in Memphis; it highlights how intensely colleges compete for the city's players. (EV)

Describes how commercial concerns are squeezing out athletes' own interests in big-time college sports, with many teams are being cut in the process. (EV)

Describes how, in the arena of women's sports and colleges, the 1972 law has created a legacy of increased opportunities and controversy. Offers statistics on the law's effects on women's participation. (EV)

Describes the battle of one English professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville against the special academic help provided to athletes at that institution. Notes a possible investigation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, media attention, and the professor's proposal that all academic tutoring be overseen by an academic…

A new book suggests that academically elite institutions may be sacrificing too much for the sake of their athletic programs. Research indicates that athletes as a group have lower test scores than other students. One of the principal problems is the way colleges commodify the recruiting process. A sidebar presents key findings about sports at…

National Collegiate Athletic Association data show that graduation rates for athletes have largely held steady from those of last year, but that male athletes, especially football and basketball players, continue to perform poorly in the classroom. In Division I, 42% of male basketball players and 48% of football players earned degrees within 6…