Skip to main content

News Tip: Why Universities Stay in Big-Time Football

With college football rocked by scandals, why do self-respecting universities keep doing it?

Charles ClotfelterProfessor of public policy, law and economics, Duke UniversityClotfelter is the author of the new book, "Big-Time Sports in American Universities." More on Clotfelter at http://fds.duke.edu/db/Sanford/charles.clotfelter.Previous op-eds written by Clotfelter on the subject include:http://www.ajc.com/opinion/ncaa-violations-wont-stop-1115235.htmlhttp://...Quote:"Big-time college sports can generate tangible benefits for a university, but to understand why it's embraced on so many campuses and for so long, you need to look beyond the university's academic mission. Sports success is not just a means to an end. For those who govern universities, it is an end in itself."Rule-breaking in college sports is often viewed strictly in moral terms, as a reflection of defective character. But it would be a mistake to ignore the powerful influence of the universities themselves and the incentives they create by attaching such importance to athletic success."