The big-time approach to college sports demands an overhaul--for the good of the athletes, the bottom line, and the intellectual atmosphere on campus. The academic and nonacademic purposes within higher education institutions bump up against one another for a result that is increasingly dysfunctional. There is, however, a way out that will give…

In recent years, when a university may earn well over $10 million per year from fees for sports-broadcast rights, half of the teams still lose. Collegiate athletic competition is a zero sum game: The number of winners equals the number of losers. So why do universities spend growing sums of scarce resources on an activity when the odds of winning…

This article presents an interview with NCAA President Mark Emmert. President of the NCAA since October 2010, Dr. Mark Emmert is constantly engaged in a delicate balancing act, as he deals with the competing priorities and agendas of college presidents, coaches, athletic directors, boosters, sports agents, and the media, while trying to look out…

On Armistice Day 1932, the Southern University Bushmen football team left Baton Rouge and traveled to Monroe, Louisiana to play the Tigers of Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute for the first time. Normal was far younger than Southern. It was a two-year junior college in the northeast cotton town of Grambling, and its football team was…

Several years ago, the author taught a course called First-Year experience. A student named Sean mentioned that he played "water pong." Sean, a high-achieving student who was also a member of the lacrosse team, explained that water pong was a game with the rules of beer pong, using water rather than beer. Sean volunteered an explanation of his…

On the surface, America has a great higher education system that works beautifully. Our colleges and universities, we are often told, are the best in the world. They consistently dominate the international rankings. A number of Nobel Prize award winners are closely associated with American institutions. Foreign students flock to our country to…

College basketball's March Madness has come at a time when one prominent coach's salary has been held up for inspection. Apparently, the fact that the $1.6-million annual income of the University of Connecticut's Jim Calhoun makes him the highest-paid public employee in his state has rankled some people. Or are they more upset that he was caught…

Many commentators have noted that growing commercialization of college sports has made it increasingly difficult for universities to reconcile the gap between college sports and the fundamental mission of higher education. This article considers those individuals who choose to be a student athlete in good faith, and suggests strategies that can be…

Trash talking can be found in virtually all American sport environments. It is viewed by many as a tool to achieve athletic success. Trash talking can be a harmless form of verbal jousting. However, there comes a point at which trash talking serves as motivation for violence inside of the sport setting and outside of it as well. In this paper, the…

In this article, the authors propose a way to measure coaches' success in recruiting student-athletes. They call this measure the Coaches' Graduation Rate (CGR). The CGR offers a long-term assessment of a head coach's judgment and choices regarding prospective student-athletes' academic promise, institutional fit, and rates of graduation. For…

Over the past decade, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has become increasingly concerned about the educational experience of student athletes, beyond enforcement of eligibility rules and regulations. Perhaps this growing interest is in response to public criticism of the poor performance--and even misconduct--associated with the…

There is no problem with colleges and universities trying to raise enrollment through encouraging student participation in athletics. However, the author questions the integrity of the recruiting and admissions process if institutions do not openly share their strategies with prospective students and parents. That includes being truthful regarding…

Last month Duke University's student newspaper published a letter signed by 17 economics professors. It said that, in the wake of the lacrosse scandal, the professors regretted the perception that Duke faculty members were prejudiced against some students. It also publicly welcomed all students--including lacrosse players--to enroll in the…

Presents an interview with James L. Shulman and William G. Bowen, authors of "The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values." Covers main points in their book, including problems with college sports today and findings on the academic and post-college lives of athletes versus non-athletes. (EV)

Concurs with a previous article that black youths are institutionally, culturally, and interpersonally disconnected, disagreeing with the article's contention that black families are prioritizing sports over schooling as a way out of disadvantaged circumstances and suggesting that the reverse is true. Notes the importance of black involvement in…