Trusteeship: September/October 2026

Eye on the Ball:
How College Athletics Is Reshaping Higher Education

By Christopher Connell

Colleges and universities look to Congress to end the arms race.

Intercollegiate athletics is at a crossroads.

Football and basketball draw big crowds and big money but other, smaller sports, including those that produce the talent for U.S. Olympic squads, are in danger of being crowded out. Universities in powerhouse conferences with billion-dollar television contracts spend hundreds of millions on athletics, whether they make money or lose it. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), stung by losses in antitrust lawsuits, is seen as a paper tiger unable to enforce rules, put a brake on spending, and slow the professionalization of college sports.

Perplexed colleges are trying to figure out their next move. It usually involves not spending less but raising more money.

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