Knight Commission poll finds Americans are concerned about college Sports and academic integrity

WASHINGTON – Americans are deeply concerned about the professionalization of college sports and believe that academics should be athletes’ top priority, according to a new poll conducted for the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

“Americans have strong views about college sports and the welfare of student athletes,” said Clifton R. Wharton Jr., president emeritus of Michigan State University and vice chairman of the commission. “They believe that college sports are becoming overly professionalized.”

The pressures on teams to win games and generate revenue, and how those pressures affect athletes, were major points of discussion at the Knight Commission’s Summit on the Collegiate Athlete Experience on Jan. 30, 2006.

More data from the poll and material from the summit, including a webcast and quotes from participating athletes, are available on the Knight Commission’s website at www.knightcommission.org.

Poll Findings suggest the following:

By a 2-to-1 margin, Americans believe that college sports are more like professional sports (60%) than amateur sports (31%).

Most Americans (56%) say that college athletics programs only care about whether athletes are eligible to play and are not concerned with their academic experience.

Americans support academic reforms recommended by the Knight Commission.

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