Remember the huge University of North Carolina athletics scandal, whereby the university’s athletics department managed to arrange for star football and basketball players to get preferential treatment to such an … Continue reading “How Does a University Advance an ‘Athlete-friendly’ Curriculum?”
The year 2000 saw the publication of Beer and Circus, the notable book by former Indiana University professor Murray Sperber. It was a big step forward for the analysis of … Continue reading “Sperber’s ‘Beer and Circus’—An Unintentional Argument for Community College?”
Conventional wisdom and public perception hold that college sports provide educational opportunities for thousands of student-athletes who could not afford to attend college without them. The National Collegiate Athletic Association … Continue reading “College Sports and Educational Opportunity: Exposing the (Half) Truth”
The Raleigh News & Observer recently published a contentious exchange between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s history professor Jay Smith and vice chancellor of communications Joel Curran … Continue reading “No Harm, No Foul in UNC Sports Scandal Course Dispute”
The relationship between participation in sports and academic performance has many faces. Most of them are happy; for instance, many studies show that high school athletes outperform non-athletes academically by … Continue reading “Are Black Male Athletes Failing to Graduate Because of Racism?”
Over Thanksgiving break, when most students headed home for the holiday to catch up on sleep and maybe some homework, NC State’s basketball team traveled to the Bahamas. They were … Continue reading “Athletic Travel and Practice Requirements Are Overwhelming Students”
UNC-Chapel Hill’s infamous athletics-academic scandal has officially been swept under the rug. On October 13th, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions announced that UNC-Chapel Hill will not be punished for the … Continue reading “The NCAA’s UNC Decision: Nothing to See Here, Move Along”
If a university ignores potential conflicts of interests between athletics and academics, it imperils itself. Athletics departments that lack academic oversight signal misplaced priorities and pose a risk of becoming … Continue reading “Athletics Department Oversight of Academics: A Scandal Waiting to Happen”
Athletes need a good night’s sleep to maximize their performance. But that doesn’t explain why NC State’s proposed new dormitory for basketball players will cost roughly four times as much … Continue reading “NC State Hoops Players’ Palatial New Digs Send the Wrong Message”
Last week marked the latest chapter in the biggest college sports scandal in history. Administrators and athletics officials from UNC-Chapel Hill appeared before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions in Nashville, … Continue reading “When College Sports Lean Pro, Students and the Public Pay”