Race-Centered Narratives Obscure the Problems of College Sports
National discussions of college athletics routinely emphasize race. That emphasis, however, is unfortunate because it diverts attention from issues that affect all student-athletes. Also, discussions of race in college sports…
GPA or SAT? Two Measures Are Better Than One
At a time when only 41 percent of college students graduate in four years—and only 56 percent in five years—colleges and universities across the country are phasing out the only…
A Path Forward for Reforming College Sports
As we move into 2020, it is important to assess where we are with the uniquely American phenomenon of elite, commercialized college sports. Often, what is claimed about college sports…
Textbook Math: Students Avoid High Campus Prices, Buy Books Online
As college textbook prices have increased 88 percent since 2006, education reformers wonder how universities can make books more affordable. One simple thing they could do is to stop selling…
Sky-High Athletics: UNC Spends $125,000 on Private Planes for Recruiting
To reach far-flung towns, private planes can be indispensable. The University of North Carolina system, for instance, has an air fleet to shuttle doctors around the state. UNC Air Operations…
Did You Know? Student-Athletes Can Be Admitted to UNC Schools Despite Low Academic Success
College admissions standards are meant to determine whether a student is academically prepared to succeed at college. Colleges also have Minimum Admissions Requirements (MARs) and Minimum Course Requirements (MCRs), which…
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who Spends the Most on Athletics of All?
Fans in the Carolinas are crazy about college sports. Six schools in the Carolinas boast membership in the “Power Five” Atlantic Coast or Southeastern Conferences, and they often perform quite…
What We’re Reading: Western Culture, Groupthink, and Queer Criminology
Jenna A. Robinson, President Jacques Barzun’s magnum opus, From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, has been a revelation—of my own inadequate history education. As the title says,…
Waiting for Reform: The Plans to Fix College Sports
The public has lost faith in the NCAA and colleges to protect student-athletes. When surveying the numerous ideas for fixing college sports, it’s hard to make any other conclusion. Reform…
Did You Know? For UNC System Sports, Students Must Foot the Bill
Public universities in North Carolina can’t fund their athletic budgets from only ticket and merchandise sales; they must use subsidies to foot the rest of the bill. Sometimes the extra…