Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of athletic directors, head football coaches, and head men's basketball coaches from three Division I conferences on whether or not scholarship athletes should be paid a stipend for incidental expenses of a college education. The conferences chosen for this study were the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference, and the Big 12 Conference. The subjects were 20 athletic directors, 16 head football coaches, and 16 head men's basketball coaches. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The subjects were asked questions on amateurism, whether or not their program generated revenue in excess of expenditures, whether or not athletes should be paid a stipend for incidental expenses of a college education, and whether or not they receive compensation from athletic apparel companies for wearing a particular brand of apparel. One significant finding is that 95% of the football programs at the surveyed institutions generated revenue in excess of expenditures, while 80% of the men's basketball programs also generated revenue in excess of expenditures. Also, the majority of the surveyed subjects revealed that they or their departments received compensation for wearing a particular brand of athletic apparel. In general, college athletics have become big business for the institutions they represent. These two team sports bring in millions of dollars for their particular institutions.