Student Union
Desperate to Play: Coronavirus' Impact on College Sports
Many colleges and universities in the U.S. are in danger of losing millions in revenue from canceled sports events.
College sports make roughly $1 billion annually in ticket sales and promotions for universities, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Athletic dollars from basketball, football and baseball can contribute more than half to a school's operating budget.
“There's never a good time for a pandemic but for college sports, I think this was particularly bad, because it happened right at the beginning of the men's basketball tournament, and the men's basketball tournament is the largest source of revenue for the NCAA,” Kristi Dosh, a college sportswriter and analyst, told VOA.
“Not having the men's basketball tournament this year was a huge loss for college sports. And you're only going to see that compounded if we go into the fall and football is impacted,” she added.
Some of that money trickles down to students through financial aid. There are more than 20,000 international student athletes enrolled in competing NCAA schools. These schools provide more than $2.9 billion in athletic scholarships to students annually.
Ira Graham IV, a high school student in Columbus, Ohio, was having a great season as a track athlete before the pandemic hit.
“I was pretty confident that I would be able to get a scholarship with the improvements I would have made during the season,” he said, noting in particular his improvements in hurdle races.
“But because of the ending of the season that didn't happen ... hopefully, in the end, I'll be able to still get a scholarship and still be competitive at the college level,” he said.
Some schools are pushing to go ahead with their college football season. But health experts have warned that this would require an enormous increase in COVID-19 testing for their athletes.
Thomas Huard, an expert in clinical laboratories and diagnostic testing, started the Campus Health Project this summer to help colleges and universities increase their testing capacity not just for athletes but for all students they are welcoming back on campus.
“They don't necessarily have the right resources to do all the testing. So, it's a concern because I don't know of a university football team that hasn't had positive cases,” Huard said.
Though he has concerns about the risks of going ahead with the college football season, Huard, a former college football player himself, said he understands the financial strain that canceling the season would cause.
“The economic impact to the universities is huge, as you can imagine. I think the budget for football is like $500 million for Texas,” he said.
“What do you do with season ticket holders? What do you do with people that have already bought tickets? Can you refund all that money or have you allocated it somewhere else already?” he asked.
The Ivy League and several other conferences have canceled fall season sports; many others are still considering their options.
See all News Updates of the Day
Universities move away from DEI initiatives
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have fallen out of favor in higher education recruiting and hiring in recent years, but even more colleges and universities are moving away from the programs now, Thea Felicity reports in University Herald.
In addition to political opposition to the programs, there are concerns that DEI initiatives hinder free speech, affect ideological balances and discourage academic freedom. (December 2024)
‘College Deserts’ leave many communities without higher education options
“College Deserts” – areas where high schools are located more than 30 miles away from the nearest community college – leave large groups of people unable to pursue higher education because of transportation problems, Lexi Lonas Cochran writes in The Hill.
Most college deserts are in the Southern U.S., with a recent study in Texas showing that long commuting distances discourage many potential students from attending college. (December 2024)
Analysts say rate of college closures likely to increase
If current trends continue, the rate of college closures is expected to increase, according to a new study reported in Forbes.
Closures are more likely to affect private institutions, and while the number of closures might seem small on a national level, it could cause serious problems for the smaller and mid-sized communities where those colleges are located. (December 2024)
Judge upholds racial considerations in US Naval Academy admissions
Although the U.S. Supreme Court last year decided that civilian colleges and universities could not consider race or ethnicity in admissions, a judge ruled that the U.S. Naval Academy had established a national security interest in a diverse officer corps.
That means the academy – and other military service academies – can continue to consider race. A similar policy at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has also been challenged, but that case has not yet gone to trial, according to a report in Navy Times. (December 2024)
Harvard recommends gap year as a strategic move
While some students and parents see the gap year as a waste of time, others see the break in academic studies as valuable for developing maturity, earning money or focusing goals.
MSN.com explains some of the reasons why Harvard – and other prestigious schools in the United States – are recommending that students take a gap year. (December 2024)
