Quote Originally Posted by willy View Post
I believe the claim was that, " ....consider that the college is making hundreds of millions of dollars off said athletes from gate and tv revenue. How many students does that allow to get a better education?" Can you find, or is it your experience, that the money made from big-time college athletics improves the education of the non athletics-participating student?
Not typically...there are benefits to big-time athletics in terms of overall campus facilities and the profile of the university...but most of that athletics money stays in the athletics sphere.

For instance, at most DI schools there are a series of tutors, advisors, academic monitoring programs etc that are for athletes only. After all, these are assets for the school and they are super committed to keeping individual athletes and the programs overall eligible. The flip side is that I have colleagues that have experienced athletes show up for classes and exams clearly punchy from concussions because they have no other options.

Big $$$ NCAA sports do not seem to harm the average non-athlete student...but they do not seem to tangibly benefit them either. But most places I have been posted to have had much smaller athletic profiles than DI schools. But I have spent time at DI schools and have many colleagues that work at them...and can not think of an academic program or asset that has available "because" of sports. The most tangible benefit to the "average" student is the work-out and gym facilities that go along with athletics.

But...this is just my anecdotal experience and others may have had very different experiences.