Wins by college athletes in courtrooms and boardrooms could end up as losses for their nonathlete classmates.
High-profile legal cases and NCAA policy changes are likely to boost the cost of fielding big-time athletics programs, and students— even those who never attend a single college basketball or football game — may have to foot the bill.
Some schools have already hinted they would pay athletes thousands of dollars more per year after NCAA officials said they might allow universities to cover athletes’ entire cost of attendance. That change would likely lead some schools to raise other students’ fees.
Of course, universities and colleges could also scale back their athletics programs to cut costs, said William Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland system and co-chairman of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. That “would be the rational approach,” he said.
“But when it comes to college athletics, rationality doesn’t often prevail,” said Kirwan. “There are so many societal pressures.”
Related: Increase in student transfers worrying alumni offices
