Now that the hoopla of college football is behind us, perhaps we can think about the many problems caused by our obsession with college sports. In today’s Martin Center article, Ohio University professor David Ridpath, who is the interim president of the Drake Group (which focuses on solutions for the manifold problems caused by our sports mania), offers a path forward.
Ridpath writes, “As structured, American college sports, especially Division I, is based on three false perceptions. Those misperceptions are academics first, amateurism, and competitive equity. Academics are not the priority in Division I athletics. College athletes — by the NCAAs own studies — spend about 50 hours per week on sports-related activities and they struggle to pursue their majors of choice due to athletic obligations. College sports are infested with an eligibility-first culture to remain competitive rather than an education-first culture. The only amateur quality about college athletics is that colleges refuse to pay their players. Nor is competitive equity anything but a mirage: Out-of-control spending on coaches, facilities, and recruitment efforts tilt the playing field in favor of big spenders.”
Yes, but what can be done?
Ridpath points to a bill introduced in the House that would give the Department of Education the ability to create a congressional commission to explore problems and solutions. “While it might seem strange to ask Congress to fix college sports,” he notes, “only Congress can provide legal ways to limit spending, such as capping coach salaries, while also tying Department of Education funding to compliance with the reforms.”
I’m always skeptical about any good coming out of Congress, but maybe this is worth a shot.