PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Tell The NCAA: Make College Athletic Department Budgets More Transparent
  1. Signatures
    68 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. President, NCAA (Mark Emmert)
  2. Created By
    Marc Dadigan
    Tuiimyali, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter

As the economic recession leads to states divesting in higher education, athletic department budgets continue to climb at exponential rates. And, contrary to popular belief, most athletic department lose rather than make money, and these costs have to be covered by spending institutional funds that could have been used for academics.

Higher education institutions around the country are cutting academic programs because of budgetary reasons, and yet many still spend millions to make up for sports deficits.

Many critics say sports budgets aren't transparent enough, and recent newspaper investigations have disclosed that many students are unwittingly paying huge fees that are bundled with tuition to pay for sports that serve only a small percentage of students.

Sign this letter to urge NCAA President Mark Emmert to follow the Knight Commission's recommendations to improve the transparency of athletic budgets and to treat student-athletes as students, first and foremost.

Photo credit: JMRosenfeld

Recent Signatures

Please Enact the Knight Commission's Recommended Reforms of College Sports

Greetings President Emmert,

As you probably know, big time college sports spending has spiraled out of control, rising exponentially in recent years while spending on academics has remained flat.

Few people realize that most of these athletic programs lose money, using institutional money that could be used for academics to cover the gaps.

In these economic hard times, this discrepancy is unacceptable, and college sports must be reformed. The quality and reputation of our nation's institutions of higher learning at stake.

Currently, big time college sports also promotes a win-at-all-costs ethos that leads to lavish, unnecessary spending and to the recruitment of academically unqualified athletes. This serves to undermine the mission and integrity of our nation's universities, and it's time for it stop.

Please enact the recommendations the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics provided you in its report "Restoring the Balance." These include improving budget transparency and treating student-athletes as students, first and foremost.

[Your name]

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