KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY and the Kansas Board of Regents will be wrestling for some time with the results of the audit the regents ordered for the administration of departing President Jon Wefald.
The regents released the audit report Friday and it immediately became front-page news around the state. The report made clear the huge amounts of money involved in the athletics department at the university and the lack of oversight in spending that money.
It should be no surprise to anyone that college athletics — particularly in NCAA Division I — is big business. Sports bring in and spend millions of dollars a year at any big school and are a prime tool in encouraging generosity by alumni. TV contracts, deals with sportswear makers and other businesses have firmly welded big-college sports to big business.
Is there too much money is college sports? Perhaps, but college sports are more than just campus activities. They are also a primary source of entertainment for millions of fans who may never have attended a college football or basketball game. Television networks, advertisers and thousands of adjunct businesses make huge profits from college sports. The colleges and their programs should be compensated for their part in the huge sports-entertainment business.
The lesson made clear in the K-State audit is that college sports have long passed the time when programs can be run out of the back pockets of one or two people, working on handshake deals and secret agreements. In college, amateur sports must be run with all the financial tools of professional organizations and all the accountability required of public institutions.
And the K-State audit should also serve as a reminder that this enormous edifice of money — from fans, sponsors and networks — is built on the sweat and pain of underpaid labor — the student athletes.
The athletes get scholarships and as much education as they can absorb in the hours between conditioning, practices and games. But the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association bar them from sharing the largesse that has turned sports programs into big business. A student athlete in a program that abides by the strict rules of the NCAA may not have enough disposable income to buy a pizza.
The K-State audit not only revealed the deficiencies in accounting and accountability at one university. It served as a reminder that the growth of college sports has resulted in a system out of balance, with millions of dollars at the top — well or badly handled — and unaccountable poverty at the bottom.
That is a problem that will persist long after K-State straightens out the way its athletics department handles its money.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor
Comments
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JohnDoe (anonymous) says...
I think you would be hard-pressed to find a typical college that would cry a river over the compensation of college athletes. The finance end is stacked considerably in the favor of the university but the athletes aren't left empty handed by any means. They pay nothing for the same things the rest of us had to pay a large sum of money for. Full-ride scholarships, unlimited access to on-campus dining, and housing stipends to name a few. Sounds tough. Glad I took the easy path and stretched my budget to still be paying for it all.
The concept of college centers around the idea of deferred gratification whether it's athletes or "the rest of us." I'm sure Michael Beasley wasn't making a lot of money during his year at KSU but I think life is turning out well for him. I bet times were pretty tough for the KU basketball team after winning a National Championship. College athletes are building their professional sports resumes to potentially make more money than most of us can fathom. The rest graduate with the same bachelor's degree as everyone else.
If you ever feel sorry for the college athletes, think about all of that money you never made at your internships, student-teaching, volunteering, or any of the other unpaid activities that made up your college experience. Still feeling sad? I'm sure your alma mater is doing a donation drive for the athletic dept.
June 23, 2009 at 12:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
John.......excellent post!
June 23, 2009 at 6:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
under_score (anonymous) says...
Looks like we've identified some more victims. Good work Patrick.
How dare that University make money off of the slave labor of those poor kids. Never mind that most of them are living a dream and feel lucky to be doing so while getting a free education. The poor souls don't even understand how badly they're being taken advantage of. Why, they can barely afford to buy a pizza!
I didn't play college sports but I think I was also taken advantage of. I had to pay my own way through college AND I could barely afford a pizza!
Move along people, nothing to see here.
June 23, 2009 at 6:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Good post, John Doe!!!
And don't forget the force of tutors who are made available to those poor college athletes so they can pass their courses. I remember teaching a section of English Comp to an entire class of football players, many of whom could not even write a complete sentence let alone develop an idea yet the assigned essays they turned in were B or better quality. Any guess as to why they were all assigned to one class?
June 23, 2009 at 7:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
"move along people, nothing to see here.".......isn't that the truth!
June 23, 2009 at 7:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
beth (anonymous) says...
Just remember that most of the comments by JohnDoe above apply to Division I football and basketball players at BCS schools. It sure doesn't apply to the baseball, softball, track, soccer, wrestling and volleyball players or to any athletes at non-Division I schools like ESU.
June 23, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
I don't know about that. I remember my one trip to the financial aid office back in about 1988 when the entire staff was busy helping two football players who could barely read. I can't say I had much respect for the athletic program at ESU then, since I was actually paying for my education it would have been nice if someone on the staff could have taken the time to at least talk to me. After 30 minutes I walked out, and never came back. I finished my education in 4 years, paid for it, and vowed ESU would never, ever get one more cent of my money, they haven't, and they won't.
June 23, 2009 at 10:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
Well at least you're not still bitter.
June 23, 2009 at 11:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
under_score (anonymous) says...
Wow, this turned into a student athlete bashing contest pretty quickly. I believe that it is of mutual benefit to the school and the students, most of which enjoy sports but are primarily focused on an education. Everyone at university benefits from college athletics whether they care to admit to it or not. Sports, healthy competition, are just as important as the arts.
June 23, 2009 at 1:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
No, I am not bitter Joe, it is just that ESU reminds me of it about 2 times a year when they send a "wouldn't you like to donate us some money" letter.
June 23, 2009 at 8:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )