b b b b b b
Prepared for the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics1 © 2020
b b b b b b b b b
Note:bThisbresearchbwasbcompletedbwithbsupportbfrombthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthleticsbt
obcompilebandbassessbrelevantbproposalsbaboutbreformbofbDivisionbIbathleticsboverbtheblastbdecade.bThebview
sbexpressedbarebthosebofbthebauthors;bthebKnightbCommissionbdoesbnotbtakebanybpositionbonbthosebviewsborb
onbthebcontentborbfindingsbofbthisbresearch.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
b b
ExecutivebSummary
Preface: Charge,bMethodsbandbFormat,bTeambMembers
PartbOne: Governance
GovernancebOverview
CollegebFootballbPlayoffbRevenuesbRedirectedbtobNCAAbAntitrus
t
IndependentbOversight/FederalbCharter/CongressionalbOversightb
EliminatebConflictbofbInterest
SeparatebDivisionbIbIntobTwobClassifications
PartbTwo: Finances
FinancialbTransparencybAlternativ
ebFinancialbStructuresbMaintainingb
Opportunities
Non-
ProfitbStatus/Taxation/DebtbRatingsbPayingbAth
letes
PartbThree: AthletebHealth
AcademicbSuccessb Racia
lbEquitybandbJusticebCoac
hingbStandards
AppendixbA:bAnnotatedbBibliographybAppendi
xbB:b MasterbReferencebList2
1
PreferredbCitation:bWeaver,bK.,bOsborne,bB.,bHaagen,bP.,bWeight,bE.A.,bBroome,bL.L.,bSchm
b
albeck,bR.,bBates,bB.,bandbShropshire,bK.b(2020),bLiteraturebReviewbofbDivisionbIbAthleticsbRefor
m.bPreparedbforbthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthletics,bMiami,bFloridabhttps://ww
w.knightcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/literature-review-division-i-bathletics-
reform-1020-01.pdf
2
AppendixbAbincludesbthosebworksbwhichbthebreviewbteambfoundbtobbebmostbusefulborbillustrative,
b
bwithbabbriefbofbsummarybofbeachbwork.b AppendixbBblistsball bworksbwhichbthebreviewbteambexamin
ed,bincludingbthosebinbAppendixbA.
LiteraturebReviewbofbDivisionbIbAthleticsbReform,bOctoberb26,b2020b
PreparedbforbthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthletics 1
, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY b
LiteraturebReviewbConclusions
PreparedbforbthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthleticsbRese
archbteam:
PrincipalbInvestigator:
KarenbWeaver,bEdD,bGraduatebFaculty,bGraduatebSchoolbofbEducation,bUniversitybofbPennsylvani
a
Co-PrincipalbInvestigators:
BradbBates,bPhD,bFormerbDivisionbIbAthleticsbDirectorbatbBostonbCollegebandbMiamibUniversitybofb
Ohio
Lissab Lamkinb Broome,bJ.D.,bBurtonb Craigeb Distinguishedb Professorb andb Directorb ofb thebCent
erb forb Bankingb andb Finance,b Universityb ofb Northb Carolinab Schoolb ofb Law,b UniversitybofbNort
hbCarolina,bChapelbHill
PaulbHaagen,bJ.D.bPhD,bProfessorbofbLaw,bDukebUniversitybSchoolbofbLawbandbCo-
Director,bCenterbforbSportsbLawbandbPolicy,bDukebUniversity
BarbarabOsborne,bJ.D.,bProfessorbofbSportbAdministration,bUniversitybofbNorthbCarolina,bChapelbH
ill
RichardbSchmalbeck,bJ.D.,bSimpsonbThacherb&bBartlettbProfessorbofbLaw,bDukebUniversitybSchool
bofbLaw,bDukebUniversity
KennethbShropshire,bJ.D.,bAdidasbDistinguishedbProfessorbofbGlobalbSportbandbCEO,bGlobalbSpor
tbInstitute,bArizonabStatebUniversity
EriannebA.bWeight,bPhD,bDirector,bCenterbforbResearchbinbIntercollegiatebAthletics,bAssociatebPr
ofessorbofbSportbAdministration,bUniversitybofbNorthbCarolina,bChapelbHill
LiteraturebReviewbofbDivisionbIbAthleticsbReform,bOctoberb26,b2020b
PreparedbforbthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthletics 2
,Thebresearchbteambwasbengagedbtob“compilebandbassessbrelevantbproposalsbaboutbreformbofbDivisio
nbIbathletics,boverbtheblastbdecade,bandbprovidebabsummarybofbthosebproposalsbwhichbcanbinformbtheb
KnightbCommission’sbworkbinbassessingbthebNCAAbandbDivisionbIborganizational,bregulatorybandb
governancebstructurebandbinbdevelopingbpossiblebnewbalternativebmodels.”
Tobcompilebthisbreport,bthebresearchbteambscannedbdozensbofbelectronicbdatabases,bandbanalyzedbov
erb80bscholarlybandbpopularbpressbarticlesbpublishedbbetweenb2011-
2020,bplusbrelevantbjudicialbdecisionsbandbstatebandbfederalblegislativebproposalsbandbenactments,ba
ndbnearlybabdozenbKnightbCommissionbreportsbandbletters.
Thebconsultantsbrecognizebthebfollowingbinblightbofbpreparingbthisbreport:
• HigherbEducationbwasbfacedbwithbchallengingbtimesbpriorbtobthebCovid-
19bpandemicbandbthebracialbjusticebprotests;btherefore,bthebresearchersbwerebchallengedbtob
assessbanbacutebsituationblayeredbonbtopbofbchronicbproblemsbfacingbDivisionbIbcollegebath
letics;
• Whenbexaminingbthebpreviousbdecade’sbcommentary,bitbwasbclearbthatbthebmajoritybofbtheb
writersbwerebtargetingbanbathleticsbfocusedbaudience,bnotbabhigherbeducationbfocusedbaudie
nce.
Inbsummary,btherebwasbbothbexpectedbandbunexpectedbcommentarybavailablebinbthebliteraturebwebr
eviewedb--
bexpectedbasbtobfinancialbchange, bunexpectedb(inbthebsensebthatbourbinitialbfocusbwas bonbfinanciallyb
basedbproposals)basbtobstudent-athletebwelfare.bAndbsincebthebemergencebofbCovid-
b19,bthebnumberbofbproposalsbtobleveragebthebmomentbinbcollegebathletics bhasbexploded,bincludingbs
peculationbonbthebfuturebofbthebAutonomousb5bconferences,babrenewedbfinancialbfocusb(oftenbforbth
ebshort-
term),bandbanbintensebfocusbonbathletebwelfare,bwithbabnewbemphasisbonbrace.b(Scholarsbdobmention
bthebimportancebofbTitlebIXbcompliance,bbutbwithoutbgreatbspecificity.)
Commissionbmembersbshouldbkeepbinbmindbthebquestionsbthatbwerebnotbansweredbinbthebliterature,bi
ncludingb(inbnobparticularborder):bHowbtobdefinebthebpublicbgoodbthatbwouldbbebofferedbinbexchange
bforbabpartialbantitrustbexemption;bhowbtobmanagebthebexternalbpolitical bpressurebfromb thebstatesban
dbthebFederalbgovernmentbregardingbathletes’brights,beducationalbandbmedicalbbenefits;bhowbtobcrea
tebabgovernancebstructurebthatbhasbappropriatebchecksbandbbalancesbwhichbcanbmitigatebselfb-
interest;bandbmaintainingbbroadbbasedbopportunitiesbwithinbTitlebIXb compliance.
Inbgeneral,binbthisbrecentbperiod,bathletes,bparentsbandbothersbhavebvoicedbstrongbsupportbforbmorebin
clusionbandbrepresentationbbybathletesbinbdecision-
making.bSubstantivebhealthbandbsafetybproceduresbalsobhavebbeenbemphasized,balongbwithbfinancial
bassurancesbandbwiderbaccessbtobeducationalbbenefits.bPerhapsbmost bimportantly,btherebisbabsensebofb
anbopportunitybandbabwillingnessbforbdialoguebandbchangebatbthisbmomentbthatbhasbnotbappearedbbef
ore.bAsbWinstonbChurchillbsaid,b“Neverbletbabgoodbcrisisbgobtobwaste.”
Underbthebareasbofbfinancebandbgovernance,bacademicbscholars,bfinancialbandblegalbmindsbhaveblis
tedbnotableb(butbrepeated)bemphasisbinbthebfollowingbideas:
LiteraturebReviewbofbDivisionbIbAthleticsbReform,bOctoberb26,b2020b
PreparedbforbthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthletics 3
, AllbagreebthebCollegebFootballbPlayoffbmoniesbshouldbcomebunderbthebNCAAbumbrella;bmostbagr
eebthatbthosebmoniesbshouldbnotbbebredirectedbtobcoaches’bsalarybincreases,borbfinancingbdebtbonbat
hleticbvillages.bInstead,btheybshouldbbebredirectedbtobsomebofbthebDutybofbCarebideasbdiscussedbbel
ow,bincludingbeducational,bfinancial,binsurancebandbhealthbresources.
Manybbemoanedbtheblackbofbfinancialbtransparencyb(andbcheeredbthebKCIAbfinancialbdatabasebthat
ballowsbforbmorebtransparencybinbthebpublicbuniversities)bandbarguebthat,basbpartbofbabnewbgovernan
cebmodel,bclearlybdemonstratingbhowbmoneybisbspentbonbathleticsbatbabuniversitybshouldbbebmorebe
asilybavailablebtoball.bHowever,babfewbnotedbthatbthebnewbNCAAbportalbcalledbthebDivisionbIbInstitu
tionalbPerformancebProgramb(IPP),babdashboardbmetricbpresentedbtobthebKCIAbabfewbyearsbagobasba
bbenchmarkingbtool,bmaybinbfact,bbebencouragingbspendingbtobkeepbupbwithbyourbconferencebpeers.
Overbthebpastbdecade,btherebhavebbeenbseveralbproposalsbaboutbrestructuringb(orbfederation)bofbspor
tsbwithinbNCAAbDivisionbIbprogramsbasbabviablebalternativebtobthebspendingbarmsbrace.bManybcom
mentatorsbalsobhavebspokenboutbaboutbthebimpactsbofbconferencebrealignment,bandbthebunintendedb
consequencebitbhasbhadbonbincreasingbtravelbtimebandbcosts.bOriginally,bdecisionsbwerebmadebprima
rilybbybTV/footballbconcerns,bthesebchangesbhavebleftballbFBSbconferences,bespeciallybthoseboutsid
ebofbthebAutonomousbFive,bwithbconferencebfootprintsbstretchedboverbmultiplebstatesb(andbtimebzon
es),bfrequentlybrequiringbmid-weekbairbtravelbandbgroundbtransportationbcosts.
OtherbvoicesbhavebadvocatedbforbabstricterbclassificationbstandardbtobjoinbDivisionbIbinborderbtobcurbb
thebintentionsbofbschoolsbtobbecomebDivisionbIbprogramsb“inbnamebonly."bThesebschoolsbarebspendi
ngbfarbmorebinstitutionalbfundsbandbstudentbfeesbonbtheirbathleticbprogramsbthanbthebtopbtierbprogram
sbwithbwhombtheybarebtryingbtobkeepbup.
Almostballbwhobaddressedbthebfinancialbissuesbmentionedbthebexplosionbofbcoachingbsalaries,badditi
onalbstaffing,bandblavishbfacilitiesbasbtargetsbofbtheirbdispleasure.bAndbabsidebeffectbofbthatbspendingb
isbthebdisproportionatebimpactbonbnon-
revenuebsports,bsometimesbleadingbtobcutsbandbprogrambdiscontinuations,bnotbinbthebsalariesbandbsta
ffingbofbfootballbandbmen’sbbasketball,bbutbinbthebsportsbthatb“costbmoney.”bThebrealitybisbthatballbsp
ortsbcostbmoney:b it'sbthebinabilitybtobsaybnobtobfootballbandbmen’sbbasketballbthatbisbthebcentralbthesi
sbinbtheirbarguments.
ThebemergencebofbthebNames,bImagesbandbLikenessesb(NIL)blegislation,basbwellbasbthebcontinuedba
dvocacybbybsomebwritersbthatbathletesbsharebinbthebrevenuesbgeneratedbbybthem,bhasbbroughtbclearb
discord.bSomebscholarsbadvocatebthatbinbadditionbtobNILbrights,bathletesbalsobsharebinbthebinstitutio
nalbrevenuesbtheirbprogramsbproduce,bwhetherbviabanbOlympic-
stylebtrustbfundborbsomebotherbindirectbmechanism,borbasbabstraightbdepositbtobtheirbstudentbaccount
s.bOthers,bwhilebinbagreementbwithbthebNILbdiscussions,bseebthebneedbforbreinvestmentbinbtheb“non-
revenue”bsportsbreferencedbabove.bWhilebtherebisbmuchbdiscussion,bprobandbcon,baboutb“payingbath
letes,”btherebisbnobclear-cutbopinionbasbtobwhatbconstitutesbdoingbthat.
Whileballbcommentatorsbseembtobagreebonbthebneedbtobhavebsomebuniformbnationalbresolutionbofbt
hisbissue,bratherbthanbmanybconflictingbstateblaws,bit’sbnotbclearbthisbcanbhappenbquickly,bandbther
ebarebmultiplebopinionsbasbtobthebrightbformbofbanybCongressionalbinterventionband/or
LiteraturebReviewbofbDivisionbIbAthleticsbReform,bOctoberb26,b2020b
PreparedbforbthebKnightbCommissionbonbIntercollegiatebAthletics 4