A report by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and Elon University titled “College Sports at a Crossroads” indicates that leaders of Division I colleges and universities, including presidents and athletic directors, aren’t happy with the way the high-level competition is trending, including the increasing costs of the programs and the transfer portal for athletes.
“Division I leaders as a whole indicated overwhelmingly negative views on the future of Division I college sports and the concern about financial sustainability,” Amy Privette Perko, Knight Commission CEO, said at a news conference Thursday, as reported by The Center Square.
Nearly two-thirds of leaders believe Division I is “headed in a negative direction,” Perko said.
“This frank assessment is most pronounced among university presidents, with 80% of them who believed that Division I is headed in a negative direction,” she said.
Per the reporting of The Center Square's David Beasley, leaders expressed “deep concerns” about the financial challenges of supporting sports programs with school funds.
“Expressing the greatest amount of concern were leaders most responsible for finances,” such as presidents and athletic directors, Perko said. The results signal intense budgetary strain that is affecting schools at all competitive levels.”
Other findings:
69% supported national laws that impose limits on college sport spending.
86% of the Division I leaders the transfer portal it is having a negative impact on college sports, and 50% saying the impact is “extremely negative.”
74% of the Division I college leaders support federal funding to help pay for college Olympic sports, with 82% favoring a federal tax on sports gambling to provide that assistance.
“Just as a reminder, our U.S. Olympic team is almost entirely dependent on the collegiate system for the training and development of our Olympic athletes,” Beth Brook, a member of the Knight Commission, said Thursday. “The United States is the only country in the world that does not receive any federal funding for Team USA Olympic sports development.”
Leaders were split on a recent change that allows players to be paid for the commercial use of their names or pictures, but did not believe colleges should make players employees, Beasley reported.
