Over the past decade, a new reality has emerged in big-time college sports. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) mandates that all member schools provide academic support services for their athletes. The services delivered, however, must do much more than keep athletes eligible to compete.
The point of emphasis is to implement programs that facilitate athletes making satisfactory academic progress and earning a college degree. In 2003-04, the NCAA introduced the Academic Progress Rate (APR) as a method to track eligibility and retention. It’s also used as a tool to predict graduation rates.
For now, all teams must post an APR score of 930 (four-year average) or 940 over the past two years to be eligible for postseason play. A new standard of only a 930 four-year average will go into effect for the 2015-16 academic year. Teams that fall below those cutoffs face possible NCAA sanctions, which could include restrictions on scholarships and practice time as well as being banned from postseason play.
Athletes at the major-college level generate huge income streams for the schools they represent. On a national scale, it doesn’t get any bigger than the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which distributed a conference record of $292.8 million among its 14 members for the 2013-14 school year.
Debate over dollars
There’s been an ongoing debate about the level of spending that athletic departments at major colleges spend on academic support for athletes. Critics argue that athletes shouldn’t get more help than the student body at large because they make up a small segment of the college population.
Others respond that student-athletes cannot be considered “regular” students. The situation for college athletes isn’t the same because of time demands (practices, weight room workouts, competition, etc.). Given the hours athletes have to devote to their sport, it’s only reasonable that they be given a genuine opportunity to compete and complete their studies.
