Shaping Policy and Practice in Intercollegiate Athletics: A Study of Student Perceptions of Resource Allocation for Athletics and its Effect on Affordability of Higher Education

Abstract

Intercollegiate athletics is an increasingly expensive venture in American higher education. Noted athletic powers have budgets exceeding $100 million, and schools with lesser reputations increase athletic budgets despite lacking the ability to generate large sums of revenue through ticket sales and other sources. Higher education is faced with declining amounts of non-student support for academic and non-academic programs (Vedder & Denhart, 2010). Public institutions increasingly rely on funds provided by institutional subsidies and student activity fees (Vedder & Denhart, 2010; Chapman, Ridpath, & Denhart, 2014). This mixed-methods study addresses, using Asymmetrical Information Theory (Akerlof, 1970), student perceptions of student activity fees. The population is represented by students (n=3,282) enrolled during the 2012-13 academic year at institutions in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Findings suggest students are aware of the fees, but not aware of the amount or purpose. Many expressed concern about transparency and affordability of education because of the amount of subsidies to fund athletic programs.

Profit or loss? On the determinants of net income of United States college football programs

“…In relation to age of football program, there was a negatively associated with net income (−0.003, p < 0.01) – indicating that presence of college football arm race (Suggs, 2009; Ridpath et al , 2015). This is so because old football programs generally feel compelled to renovate and/or build new stadiums to sustain their success, while new football programs react in the belief that the only way to be competitive is to have large, fancy stadiums and training facilities to attract and recruit players, fans and students – further pushing up the operational costs and lowering net income.…”

Are Rising Athletics Allocations Associated with Student Costs: Evidence from Public NCAA Division I Universities

“…Research on financial allocations to intercollegiate athletics has explored issues such as the role of athletics allocations within university budgeting (Phillips & Olson, 2015;Rudolph, 2017), the driving forces behind increasing athletics allocations (Bass et al, 2015;Cheslock & Knight, 2015;Kearney, 2014), and student knowledge of athletics allocations (Denhart & Ridpath, 2011;Ridpath et al, 2015). Research on the relationship between athletics allocations and student costs, however, is scarce.…”