An 18-month study by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics found there is, “a general loss of confidence in the NCAA governance process.”
The Commission’s report follows interviews with dozens of higher education and college sports leaders. It found there are significant issues that “challenge” the operation and integrity of Division I intercollegiate athletics.
The commission has delivered a number of recommendations to the NCAA, chief among them, the addition of independent directors on various boards within the organization.
The report says those independent directors could be former athletes, professionals with relevant experience or public leaders. The commission also called for the addition of college sports executives, including commissioners, athletic directors and faculty, to be involved — either in advisory or membership roles.
One of the biggest problems cited is that the big money in collegiate athletics may be undermining academic and institutional ideals.
“The escalating expenses in college football were specifically cited as causing extreme financial stress on programs that do not generate enough external revenue to cover expenses, resulting in funds being transferred from other sports and from the academic enterprise.”
The report suggested there could be a new NCAA subdivision for football only with members coming from the five major conferences (“Big 5”). However, the commission did not reach a consensus and said that idea should be studied further.
It also proposed a new financial framework which would limit spending on sports programs. The NCAA could put in place “incentives” for maintaining spending limits or penalties for schools that spend too much.
The Knight Commission was formed in 1989 following a number of high-profile scandals in college sports.
