Unfortunately, the demand for academically qualified athletes, especially for the superb athletes, far exceeds the supply. Thus, in order to stay competitive in a win-at-any-cost environment, schools are forced recruit and employ superb athletes who are not only academically unqualified, but also unlikely to have a desire to obtain a legitimate education. They simply want … Read more
In this 2003 brief with a foreword by Theodore Hesburgh, Frank Splitt discusses a blueprint for faculty driven reform of intercollegiate athletics. »Read the full paper
They are quick to appeal to the privacy provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to avoid disclosure of any information that could prove damming or embarrassing, especially in the case of the academic performance of the athletes in their money-making sports programs. »Read more
According to Walter Byers, who served as NCAA executive director from 1951 to 1987, the term ‘student-athlete’ was coined by the NCAA in the 1950s to counter the threat that its newly implemented play-for-pay, grant-in-aid athletic scholarship policy could result in NCAA athletes being considered paid employees by Workers Compensation Boards and the courts. The … Read more
As reported, an Auburn University panel has found that independent study courses that gave many athletes major boosts in their averages were apparently quite easy for non-athletes as well. While the report found key flaws in the way the courses were run, it didn’t find special treatment for athletes. Athletic Support (Eligibility) Center staff need … Read more
A collection of essays published in national media and authored by Frank Splitt. Articles include: (1) Who Wants to Tackle Biggest Man on Campus?, (2) Sarbanes-Oxley and Disclosure Can Fix Budget Problem, (3) Handwriting on the Wall?, (4) Athletes Who Are Not Real Students, (5) Valuing the Science Course, (6) March Madness will go … Read more
Frank Splitt laments the Notre Dame decision to terminate the employment of head football coach Tyrone Willingham – breaking the university’s long-standing tradition of honoring its contract commitment to their football coach. The termination was accomplished by a small group of trustees and university officials apparently without listening to and taking seriously contrary voices and … Read more
Frank Splitt agrees with claims that America’s obsession with modern sports is eroding American life and undermining traditional American values essential to the well-being of the nation. Splitt addresses questions such as, “Have sports lost their relevance?”, ” Is sport just mindless entertainment?”, “Is our enormous investment in sports as educational tools appropriate for a … Read more
Frank Splitt presents a first person commentary on how he was retaliated against after writing an article critical of intercollegiate athletics. »Read the full article
This 2004 commentary by Frank Splitt is a sequel to his 2003 paper on Reclaiming Academic Primacy in Higher Education »Read the full paper