A questionnaire was administered to 55 intercollegiate women basketball players to assess levels of motivation with regard to scholarship in sport. Each subject replied to 13 items regarding motivation. Each item was responded to by number, with one being the lowest and seven being the highest.The study consisted of 54.5%% full scholarship, 29.1%% partial scholarship, and 16.4X nonscholarship athletes. Of the subjects, 8 were seniors, 16 juniors, 17 sophomores, and 14 freshmen.The data was collected and a comparison was made of the intrinsic motivation levels between scholarship and nonscholarship athletes. It was found that 87% of the subjects were participating in sports for the monetary gain.The scholarship athletes were less likely to continue playing in the off-season and would not continue participating without an athletic scholarship. The nonscholarship athletes continue playing in the off-season and participate for the enjoyment.Results show that scholarship athletes give extrinsic reasons for participating in intercollegiate athletics. The number of scholarships should be lessened in order for the athlete to benefit from the experience. Athletes would remain intrinsically motivated if they perceived their scholarship to be rare and well earned.